Romain Alessandrini’s dream came true when he was still in grade school.
Like most boys growing up in the French port of Marseille, he longed to play for the city’s storied soccer team. And when he was 10, the team invited him to join its youth academy.
But 18 months ago, his hoped-for career in his hometown soured. Public spats with two coaches and Marseille’s passionate fans caused a rift that even dreams could not bridge, making it clear Alessandrini had to go somewhere else to reinvent himself.
He needed a French Foreign Legion in reverse.