Timothée Kolodziejczak’s guide to Monterrey for Netherlands v Morocco World Cup round of 32 | OneFootball

Timothée Kolodziejczak, the former Paris FC centre-back, guides us through Monterrey ahead of the World Cup round of 32 between the Netherlands and Morocco, scheduled for 3am in France on Tuesday, the city’s final match of the tournament. According to L'Équipe, the 34-year-old speaks as a resident of his adopted city.

He moved back after leaving Paris FC, having fallen for Monterrey when he joined Tigres UANL in 2017, and may yet seek one last football challenge. Set in northern Mexico, the country’s second metropolis after Mexico City counts more than five million people. With the Metrorrey’s elevated extension to link Tigres’ stadium and the airport, a 25 kilometre stretch, still unfinished, most people drive.

Downtown feels like the real Mexico, he says, where cartels exist and common-sense precautions matter, yet he has never felt unsafe. The Casa del Mundial sits in Barrio Antiguo, the historic quarter of cobbles and colourful colonial houses. He recalls a tough spell at Tigres on the pitch but an unforgettable year alongside André-Pierre Gignac and the warmth of Mexicans.

He notes stark contrasts, from a south-west hillside of brightly painted houses and deep poverty, to affluent San Pedro Garza Garcia beyond the Loma Larga tunnel, likened to Polanco and said to be the priciest colonia in South America. With Texas two and a half hours away, the city looks north, hosting Banorte, Cemex, Femsa, Oxxo and Chinese factories. Family life thrives in San Pedro’s malls, where he lives with his wife and young daughter, including UNO by Real Madrid at Plaza Auriga and themed spots like Monopoly steak-house, Barbie Dream Lounge and Hello Kitty Burgerland.

Just outside the city, Chipinque park in the Sierra Madre Oriental offers dawn hikes and sweeping views, though morning haze lingers and black bears sometimes appear, having even ventured into town during Covid. Estadio BBVA, home of Rayados, stages four World Cup matches with striking vistas of Cerro de la Silla. He prefers Tigres’ Estadio Universitario on the UANL campus, which helps keep the club popular, a 1986 venue known as El Volcan that still feels like a true football ground.

Source: L'Équipe