Casi 20 años después de supuestamente haber abandonado a Lucas and Theo Hernandez, players of the French national team, their father, Jean-Francois Hernandez, would be back in France in search of an opportunity to reunite with his sons.
This was revealed by a journalistic investigation carried out by France Football magazine and published in the newspaper L'Équipe. The report includes statements from various sources close to the former player, which cast doubt on the version that he had voluntarily distanced himself from his children.
"The truth about Jean-François will finally be known. For years, all sorts of things have been said about him, tarnishing his name without telling the truth. He never abandoned his children. It was she, his ex-girlfriend (Laurence Py, mother of Lucas and Theo), who separated him from them," said Bruno Saliba, cousin of the former Atletico Madrid defender.
Jean Francois Hernandez would have returned to France after spending several years in Thailand. Photo: @lequipe/Twitter
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"My father has been defamed for too long. He watches his matches alone, because he cries almost from the beginning to the end. It's very difficult for him... He misses his children a lot, he suffers," said Lauris Francois, daughter of the former defender.
"We don't care about Theo and Lucas' money. All we want is to see them again, especially my father. I know he secretly hopes his children will call him. He loves them so much... I can't imagine how happy he would be if that happened," she added, referring to a possible reunion with her brothers.
Even the former partner of Father Hernandez, Sonia Moldes, spoke out in his favor: "We tried to fight with lawyers, but it was hell. Desperate, he went to Thailand. I know he tried several times to talk to them from there, but she (Py) never let the children talk to him. He gave up. That's the version Lucas and Theo should know. He loves them more than his own life."
Lucas and Theo Hernandez will play in the Qatar 2022 World Cup with the blues. Photo: Equipe de France
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PSG coach about Hernandez: "He is a wonderful person"
Another of the characters consulted for the occasion was Christophe Galtier, coach of PSG. The coach praised Hernandez and reaffirmed his affection for his children.
"He is a wonderful person, the opposite of what I have read or heard about him in recent years. He was above all a very family-oriented person who always deeply loved his children," he said.
Lucas Hernandez willing to reunite
A few years ago, Lucas Hernandez stated in an interview that he never tried to contact his father and didn't even know if he was alive or dead, although he later expressed openness to meeting him.
"If one day he expresses the desire to see me, I would agree to meet him. If he wants to give me an explanation and then leave, there's no problem," he said in 2021.
Both Lucas Hernandez and his brother will be present at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, as France coach Didier Deschamps included them in his list of 26 called-up players.