For Maxwel Cornet, lifting the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy in Prague on 7 June would be the perfect end to the most challenging year of his career.
After suffering the pain of relegation from the Premier League with Burnley last season, Cornet joined West Ham United last August with the aim of enjoying a more successful time with his second English club.
The Ivory Coast – nicknamed The Elephants – international winger initially did just that, registering five assists in four UEFA Europa Conference League ties and scoring a dramatic late Premier League equaliser at Chelsea that was wrongly disallowed, only for misfortune to strike on his first Premier League start in Claret and Blue.
Initially, it appeared a kick from Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Daniel Podence would only rule Cornet out for a few weeks, but further examination revealed a complex issue with the soleus muscle in the calf that would ultimately keep the 26-year-old off the pitch for five months.
With the uncertainty around Cornet’s physical wellbeing having the potential to affect his mental health, manager David Moyes allowed the player to return to France, the country he grew up in after moving from Ivory Coast with his family at the age of three.
There, the No14 worked with specialists and, when he returned to Rush Green in the New Year, Cornet impressed Moyes and his staff with his physical and mental condition.
“For me it’s been really difficult because when I signed for West Ham I came here to show everyone I can help the team to do something in the Premier League,” he explained. “Obviously, I had my injury and it was really difficult for me in my mind, for my body, and we tried to do everything to come back as quick as possible. I thought it was just a kick, but day after day, week after week, we saw it was not a normal injury and it would take more time than we first expected.
“Everyone at the Club, the staff of West Ham, tried to find the best option to try to heal the injury and that way we decided I would go back to Lyon and make something else to help. I worked in a private clinic with specialists I knew from my time in Lyon who we could trust and we got it right.”
While Cornet may have been out of sight, he was never out of the minds of his West Ham teammates, particularly his fellow French speakers Kurt Zouma, Alphonse Areola, Thilo Kehrer, Nayef Aguerd and Saïd Benrahma, who messaged him regularly to keep his spirits up and ensure he remained feeling part of the group.
“It was really important for me to have the support of my teammates,” he confirmed. “This is because when you are injured for a long time you watch your guys play and you want to be on the pitch with them but it’s not possible.
“We spoke a lot and they made me feel comfortable and told me: ‘Do not worry, you’re going to be back soon and we’re going to do the job’.”
After returning to Rush Green in February, the speedy forward returned to action in the Conference League round of 16 first-leg win at AEK Larnaca in early March.
Blessed with lightning pace and extensive UEFA Champions League and Europa League experience with Olympique Lyonnais, Cornet could play a big part for West Ham over the closing weeks of what has been, for player and Club, a frustrating, stop-start 2022/23 season – a season that could yet end with a major European trophy.
“I know I’m a different player from the others in the squad,” he observed. “The coach recruited me because of this and that’s what I try to give the team.
“I started to feel good match after match and you could see that against Chelsea where I had a goal disallowed. I started to have good legs but unfortunately during my first Premier League start, where I really showed the player that I am, I got injured, but that’s football I guess…”
Cornet may have yet to establish himself in a West Ham shirt, he did so as a professional player while still a teenager.
Despite his relative youth, the forward quickly established himself as a regular member of the Olympique Lyonnais first-team squad after joining the French club as a schoolboy. The 2015/16 season, which started when he was just 18, saw Cornet score 12 goals, including eight in Ligue 1 and his first in the UEFA Champions League. It was the start of a career that saw him play 252 times for the club, scoring 51 goals and registering 29 assists.
Among those games, goals and assists came many in European competition, where he appeared in a UEFA Champions League semi-final and scored against some of the continent’s top sides.
“I played many games in Europe in my career with Olympique Lyon, which I am grateful for,” he smiled. “I would say my favourite was when I played against Barcelona in the round of 16 of the Champions League in 2019, because we played against so many big players.
“I can say I also enjoyed playing against Manchester City in the group stage that season, because I scored one goal when we won away and two goals when we drew at home.
“Lyon is a big, big club and I’m really glad to have played for them and played in some exciting games like the semi-final of the Champions League against Bayern Munich in 2020, too.”
After making his mark in Europe for Lyon, Cornet kicked-off his West Ham career following a summer switch from Burnley by catching the eye in the Conference League.
As the Hammers prepare for a quarter-final second-leg tie with Belgian Cup holders KAA Gent at London Stadium on Thursday evening, the No14 has his eye on doing so again.
His ultimate goal is to help his new Club lift the trophy in Prague on Wednesday 7 June.
“The Conference League is important,” he insisted. “You can’t underestimate this competition, it’s an important competition, for us the players, for the Club and the coach too. So, in every game in this tournament, we will give 100 per cent.
“European experience is really important for this kind of game because it’s a high level and we know we want to do something in this competition, so we all have to be focused on this goal.
“European football is different, but you have the same goal. To win a trophy for the Club can be the best thing for me for my first season. It was not a season for me with my injury, but now I am back and I want to do everything to go to the final and win this trophy.”
Should West Ham win the Conference League, Cornet will almost certainly be among the Hammers players who celebrate on their own personal social media accounts.
For the winger, who uses Instagram to communicate with his 392,000 followers, it is important to let fans know more about himself as a player and as a person.
“I like to communicate with the fans directly on social media,” he confirmed. “It really is important because we [footballers] live in a bubble, so it’s important to share these moments with our fans.
“It’s a chance to exchange voices, so the fans can see what we like – not just football. For example, it was very important during my injury, because I wasn’t on the pitch, so it was important to communicate with the fans and remain present with them.
“It’s just to share something other than football. Everyone knows we are professional footballers, but we also like to go to the cinema, go to the restaurant with our families or play other sports, like tennis! I love tennis, it’s my favourite sport second to football!
“I play and I’m not bad, but I would never have had a chance to become a professional. I’m just OK!
“I have many players who I like, but the ones I like best are Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and the French player Gaël Monfils (pictured, above). He is someone who I like his style and his personality and the way he interacts on social media. I don’t know him personally, but maybe we can do something together one day!”
As a player, Monfils has been to two Grand Slam semi-finals in his career, while Cornet has been to two European semi-finals in his own but on Thursday night, he could go ahead of his hero and make it three...
