MILAN - Guadeloupe is heaven on earth. An island in the Lesser Antilles, slap bang in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, Guadeloupe is one of those places where you can forget about those Instagram filters and surrender yourself to lofty dreams of upping sticks and moving there permanently.
But not everyone does the journey that way around. Plenty of people have made the trip from Guadeloupe to France to search for work over the years. Yet we doubt that you can ever really forget the jaw-dropping scenery of that island refuge - indeed, perhaps it's the memories of paradise that make the people that leave behind so special.
One man to leave Guadeloupe behind for France was none other than Lilian Thuram - certainly no ordinary player. The parents of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and current Lyon star Alexandre Lacazette were all born on the island too. Though it's little more than a speck on the map, Guadeloupe has certainly played its part in the history of the game. And now, there may be another chapter about to be written.
Born in Pointe-a-Pitre in 1998, Inter Primavera defender Andreaw Gravillon moved to France at a very early age and spent his childhood years growing up in Ile-de-France. His first steps in football were taken in the Parisian suburb of Creteil, with the youngster eventually joining his first club, Garges-les-Gonesse, just to the north of the French capital.
The Paris area has long been fertile ground for promising young footballers, with scouts regularly patrolling the area in search of the next big thing. Of course, you need good scouts to spot good players, and Inter's Pierluigi Casiraghi has become something of an expert when it comes to unearthing gems in the French capital. It was he that plucked Jonathan Biabiany from Parisian obscurity and brought him to Inter some 13 years ago.
Gravillon did enough to impress the watching scouts and soon he was on the move again, this time to Interello. The Nerazzurri's track record in helping young players settle and then guiding them through each step of their development was instrumental in making the young defender's mind up, as was his friendship with another Ile-de-France product: Axel Bakayoko.
Gravillon's first coach at Inter was fellow French speaker Benoit Cauet, who made sure the youngster's transition into the Allievi set-up was as seamless as possible. And though there were some who had doubts in the beginning, Gravillon soon started to prove that behind his explosive physical presence was a burning desire to improve both technically and tactically.
In his first season, Gravillon made significant progress with his discipline during matches - no mean feat for a lad just getting to grips with Inter's professional approach to youth football. One of the enduring images of that first campaign was the acrobatic goal he scored to hand Inter victory over future champions Roma. Aside from the spectacular nature of the strike, it was indicative of Gravillon's improving technique and coordination.
Soon, Stefano Vecchi began to consider Gravillon for a chance with the Primavera side. The youngster's speed, strength and increasingly reliable decision making quickly won Vecchi over. A competent right-back as well as a central defender, Gravillon has had no problems adapting to the back three favoured by Vecchi this season.
There's no doubting that the road ahead is still a long one for Andreaw Gravillon, but his ability to take advice on board and put this into practice undoubtedly makes him one of the most fascinating prospects in the Primavera squad. Of course, when it comes to making the step up to the senior game, much will depend on Gravillon himself. If he can successfully repay his club's faith, Guadeloupe may have another footballing idol on its hands.
Carlo Pizzigoni
