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The Bournemouth full-back possesses a track record for hitting the ground running. While with Stade Rennais, which he entered as a teenager and remained with for a decade before his summer move to the south coast club, his debut saw him be introduced from the bench against Monaco. The fixture culminated with him delivering a cross with a precise left-footed cross and then finding the back of the net for the victory. Aged just 18, Truffert sent a shot beneath the goalkeeper, who currently faces Bournemouth with his new team. “I sprinted away in celebration and celebrated on the turf,” Truffert recalls, “as you imagine doing as a kid after getting your inaugural strike.”

A Flawless Opening in England's top flight

Truffert has excelled for Bournemouth right from the start, beginning with a fearless display at Liverpool where he handled the Egyptian forward. On that occasion, he also performed better than the previous left-back and has featured in all minutes in the top flight this season.

“Although we lost,” he says of the Liverpool game, “thus it wasn't flawless, but I think we performed admirably. I was thrilled because it was my first game and it was a very good night. We have begun well, but now we need to continue and win this week.”

The Formula to Settling In

Listening to Truffert talk about his £11m move, the initial move of his career, it is little surprise he has integrated so smoothly. Club staff talk of an bright character and he is evidently switched on. He recognized the benefits of joining early in the summer, to integrate in the build-up, and has invested the previous 24 months studying the English language, conscious how useful they would prove if he fulfilled his goal of playing in England's top division.

“This is the reason I can talk in the language,” states the full-back, a underplayed comment given this first major interview is fully in English. “I think it is crucial to pursue activities away from the pitch, to alter your thinking and consider other aspects of life.” When suggested to him that this speaks volumes of his nature, he avoids taking credit. “Perhaps, but it was my mother and father who advised me it was important.”

Personal History

The defender's kin, including his junior sibling Florian, a engine room operator at his former club, were in his company when he finalized the deal. Maybe it was destiny. Not simply due to Bournemouth had landed a longstanding target but because Truffert had lived in the town as a infant. He was a native of Liège, Belgium, but when he was six months old, his parents moved to Southampton due to his dad's job as a research facility head. They lived for two years in the region.

“My father says that I walked for the first time on the beach in Bournemouth,” Truffert reveals. “Subsequently, we went back to Belgium for half a year and then relocated to France.”

France Career

He has earned a cap once by Les Bleus, in recently, and the previous year he was part of the France side that finished second at the Summer Games, the honor resulting in a national honor. “I have the papers to show I have the knighthood,” he states, beaming with pride. His teammates in Paris included several prominent figures, some of whom he had previously teamed up with at Stade Rennais. His manager also turned out to be his role model.

“Thierry Henry, one of the best French players,” Truffert says. “When I was younger I played as a left and sometimes right winger, so this is the reason I admired him. When I was about in my late teens I switched to left-back. At the Olympics I played more as a defender, so Gaël Clichy mainly spoke to me, but when it was a group talk he [Henry] imparted much knowledge. His football brain was amazing, you could sense his know-how and he wanted to pass it on to us.”

Style of Play

The club recognized him as an perfect match for Andoni Iraola's philosophy, which is founded on relentless pressure. “When you exert greater pressure than your rival, I think it’s the optimal approach to win,” Truffert explains. “You have to perform other duties, of course, but if you commence by coming out on top in challenges than your foe, you have a far greater opportunity to win. We run a lot because each player aims to go forward, but everybody also wants to defend.

“For us it’s not solely the defense's job and strikers who score. It’s the whole squad. We like to perform all tasks collectively on the pitch – and that’s the best way to win.”

Captaincy and Know-How

He served as skipper at his former club recently and at Bournemouth he sets the standard; he prepares with match intensity and is seen as a perfect professional. He is also vastly experienced for his years with in excess of 200 career appearances and has played in the Europe's elite competition, UEL and UECL. In a recent campaign, his previous club did the double over a high-profile PSG side. The English division, he comments, was the subsequent natural move.

He consulted acquaintances and past colleagues, including a prominent winger. “I think he’s one of the best individual talents I’ve seen. Another global star was also challenging to mark and you gain valuable experience against individuals of this caliber because they can alter the outcome,” Truffert explains. “Now at the Etihad, he plays more on the left, but when he was at our former club he featured on the opposite flank so I had to face him a lot in training.

“It was good for me to improve. He told me the pace is very different to the French league. In France, it is perhaps more strategic – here each match you have to work hard, with little respite.”

Personal Time

The free time Truffert has had since relocating to permanent accommodation last month has let him investigate the locality with his spouse and their canine companion. “We like to {walk around the town|stroll through the area|expl