Evra: My Life Of Crime …
Sun: PATRICE EVRA goes for an FA Cup winner’s medal against Chelsea tomorrow knowing football saved him from a life of crime.
The Manchester United left-back, 26, went wild on the streets of Paris as a teenager. Close pal Mamadou Niakate has told how Evra formed part of a gang that went on regular shoplifting raids.
He also took part in bare-knuckle street fights with rival tearaways, openly begged for money and reformed only after being arrested and hauled off to a police station.
Evra, born in Senegal the son of a diplomat, was brought to France aged three.
His family settled in Les Ulis, the poor Parisian suburb which produced Thierry Henry, and that is where he met and grew up with Niakate — now a respected coach for the local town team.
Niakate said: “When I see what Patrice has achieved, the self-discipline he has acquired, I admire him so much.
“We were a gang of around 10 kids and there just wasn’t enough money to go round, though Patrice’s mum did her best. She raised a large family on her own with help from social security.
“It was obvious from the start Patrice was a fantastic footballer, so brave and quick for a small boy.
“Unfortunately, we got up to no good once we had finished playing. A gang of us used to catch the train to the big shopping centres in Les Halles in central Paris.
“We became quite expert at nicking things to sell once we got back home. We hung around the city all night, riding fairgrounds, trying to get into clubs and ending up in the sandwich bars.
“Patrice and I often got the first train in the morning back home at around 6am.
“Patrice always seemed to have the most energy and was one of the best at getting shoppers to give us money.
“There was a baker’s just next to the College des Amonts, which we both attended. Patrice stood outside and asked for a franc or two when people came out.
“The way we lived wasn’t anything we were ashamed of at the time. It seemed the thing to do. This was a rough area with murders, rapes, drugs and hold-ups.
“I suppose we were pretty hard lads. When we had teachers who gave us a bad time, we slashed their car tyres until they found a job somewhere else.
“Not that Patrice was very keen on studying. He used to bunk off quite a few times.
“All he really wanted to be was a footballer.
“When he was just a tiny 13-year-old, he was tackling men of 23. The losers had to buy the pizzas and those guys would rather break your leg than pay out.
“The only times I saw Patrice cry was when he lost at football.”
The crunch came when the gang were caught stealing by store detectives and arrested.
Niakate added: “Our parents were finally called to collect us and take us home. We were all scared stiff and lucky it never went to court.
“Patrice’s mum was so mad she threatened to send him back to Senegal. That really frightened Patrice.”
Luckily, Evra’s football skills rescued him.
After playing for local clubs Les Ulis and Bretigny, he was taken by an agent to Italy.
Evra suffered racist abuse and was paid just £20 a week by Third Division Marsala.
Then came a move to Second Division Monza, on to Nice and, finally, in September 2002, a switch to Monaco and a place in the side beaten 3-0 by Porto in the 2004 Champions League final.
United bought him for £5.5m in January 2006.
His wages have helped him buy his mum a home back in Senegal and he is still loyal to his old pals. He invited 10, including Niakate, to Old Trafford for the Champions League showdown with AC Milan.
Evra acknowledged before joining United: “Football took me out of a life of delinquency. It’s true that, at 16, I was almost sent back to my uncles in Senegal.
“I stole things, I got into fights and even asked for money at the door of the bread shop. It is something I regret and I now want to build something stable.”
