Allan Saint-Maximin’s “magic” raises the bar for Charlotte FC | OneFootball

By Charles Boehm

“Electric.”

“Devastating.”

“I wouldn't say there's a better player one-v-one from an attacking perspective than Maxi in world football.”

Those words from Eddie Howe, his last manager at Newcastle United, are just a sample of the praise heaped on Allan Saint-Maximin during his eventful four seasons in the English Premier League from 2019-23.

The French winger was already a cult hero by the time Howe arrived at St James' Park, having wowed fans around the globe with his skill, speed and swagger, all that saucy dribbling stylishly complemented by his eye for fashion, his bobbing bleached dreadlocks adorned with designer headbands as he worked the flank opposite once and future Atlanta United hero Miguel Almirón. 

Charlotte FC were acquiring not just a star player, but a singular personality when they signed ASM over the summer. He’s a major problem for Chicago Fire FC to solve this weekend as they visit Saint-Maximin & Co. at Bank of America Stadium for Matchday 28's Walmart Saturday Showdown (7:30 pm ET | Apple TV).

“I think the unpredictability,” said CLT head coach Dean Smith of his newest reinforcement, whom he faced off against during his managerial stints at Aston Villa and Norwich City. “He can go past you, he's a great ball carrier, he's got great ball skills; he's got really good technical ability, but he can go past you with a trick, he can go past you without a trick. He can go left. He can go right, and he's got a hell of a shot on him as well. So he hits the ball with power, but he sees the other side of the pitch as well.

“He's got a lot of golf clubs, I would say, in his bag, and he's an exciting player to have.”

Unmatched skill

There are plenty of dribbly wingers out there. But how many stunt so hard that they coin their own gallery of memes?

Like that storm of stepovers vs. Crystal Palace. Or the very online ‘I would rather face prime Messi than face prime Saint-Maximin’ debate his abilities inspired. Or even the fun one about his resemblance to the cartoon penguin in the movie Surf’s Up during his stint in LIGA MX with Club América.

Generally speaking, few defenders on earth can face him on their own.

“You do have to double up,” explained CLTFC captain Ashley Westwood, who had to contend with Maxi during his time at Burnley FC and is quite happy to be his teammate this time around. “But he can go inside or outside.

"I mean, our team at Burnley were very much like how we play at Charlotte; we’d try and stay in a low block and counterattack. But I remember the right back, Matty Lowton, [saying] you try and foul him, but you can't foul him. You kick him, and he gets straight back up. So he enjoys that side of it, and he just keeps coming back.

“So you can't get near him. Even in training, he's made me look a fool many a time.”

Westwood recalls sharing the scoresheet with Saint-Maximin in a 3-1 Newcastle win over Burnley during the COVID era, the Frenchman scoring one Magpies goal and setting up another. He did so again last week in Charlotte's 2-1 victory over D.C. United, a trademark late ASM finish running The Crown’s unbeaten streak to eight matches since his July arrival in North Carolina.

Key for the Crown

Even as he builds towards top match fitness, Charlotte’s newest Designated Player has hit his stride quickly with 1g/5a in his first eight MLS games. Adding a splash of creative dynamism to CLT’s sturdy defensive structure that’s amplified the skill sets of attacking mates Pep Biel and Liel Abada, he’s turned out to be just what his new club needed.

“I think he suits the league,” said Westwood, “because a lot of the teams are so open, they’re wide open, and the way Maxi carries the ball, there's not many in world football that are better than him the way he can get you up the pitch and do his little bits of magic. I mean, you saw at the weekend – he didn't have his best game, but he turns up with a bit of magic and wins the game. So that's what Maxi can bring.”

Saint-Maximin’s quirks only added to his aura over the years. Like the fines he incurred from EPL authorities – and NUFC manager Steve Bruce – for breaking uniform regulations with blingy earrings and brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton wrapped around his dome. Or his habit of parking his Ferrari in an unauthorized zone too close to Howe’s spot at Newcastle’s training ground, which happened often enough that the local press got wind of it.

Hard to handle both on and off the field? Smith says that’s only half-true nowadays.

“He's been a perfect leader, player for our younger players to look up to,” said the veteran manager, while admitting that Saint-Maximin’s menswear selections are markedly more flamboyant than his own. “Character-wise, really humble guy, wants to keep pushing standards. Really open to discussions in our reviews of games, in our game-plan tactics as well.”

Added Westwood: “On the pitch, he's a maverick, but off the pitch, he's very chilled, very calm, gets along with everyone.”

Long road to Charlotte

Saint-Maximin has globetrotted a bit since leaving Newcastle for Saudi side Al-Ahli in 2023, a transfer driven in no small part by the Premier League’s ‘Financial Fair Play’ regulations. Howe was practically apologetic about his departure as newly wealthy NUFC perused even spendier signings and more prolific end product.

A loan stint at Turkish giants Fenerbahçe was followed by his América move, which was lamentably cut short by an incident of racism directed toward his children at their school in Mexico City, prompting him to return to his homeland for a short-term deal with Lens last spring.

All that was a key factor in his choice of Charlotte and MLS. He says he’s long had the league on his mind, and took note of big players like Casemiro, Antoine Griezmann and Robert Lewandowski moving stateside, as well as this summer’s FIFA World Cup mania and MLS’s shift to a European-style fall-to-spring calendar.

And Maxi is a family man now, with four children who had a say in his next professional destination, much like they decide which designer headbands he’ll wear in his next match.

“I'm so happy to finally be here with all the kids, all my family, because they are so important for me and they support me since the beginning. So it was so important to bring everyone,” he said of his “American dream” in an interview with the club’s media channels last month.

“I have four kids, and it's very important for me to give them the chance to go in the best schools possible and to be in a good environment. And they make the decision – they tell me, ‘OK daddy, we want to come [to] America,’ and I say OK; if you choose this, I'm going to follow you. You follow me every time without speaking, and now it's my time. It's my time to listen to what you want. You know, football, it's not about money. It's about happiness.”

Now 29, Saint-Maximin has matured and says he is eager to embrace the responsibilities of leadership and expectation as the new face of the franchise. He’s still got the swag, though.

“The message I have to the fans is they have to be ready,” he said. “I will bring something different to the team about the way how I play, and they will have to be ready for that, because they will maybe see some skills they never see.”

A feast for viewers’ eyes, and music to Smith’s ears.

“I suppose the nagging doubt in your head is whether he's still got that explosiveness. I think he's proved to everybody already, he has got that – and he's still working on his fitness,” said the Charlotte boss.

“From the moment I came here, I said our job is to get bums out of seats. He certainly does that.”

One last note about Maxi’s headbands: It seems the squad already has a handshake deal in place as the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs approach.

“If we win the playoffs,” said Westwood, “we're all going to wear one.”