Como number one discusses his move to Italy, embracing Fabregas’ tactics, and the club’s ambitions.
Photos by permission of Como FC.
It's been a fascinating journey to the top of the beautiful game for Como 1907 goalkeeper Jean Butez, who's thriving under the tutelage of Cesc Fabregas and in contention to be selected for Didier Deschamps’ France squad for the upcoming World Cup.
Having started out at Lille, before moving to Belgium, where he made his debut and truly began to flex his muscles at the professional level, and then venturing to Italy, Butez's path has been far from orthodox.
Recollecting fondly the days that shaped his love of the goalkeeping role, one moment in particular stands out for Butez. “I'm pretty in love with this position for many reasons. So my first memory will be….”, he pauses and thinks, speaking to Goalkeeper.com. “Penalty shootouts.”
“When we were young in my small village, we won a tournament in the final, in the penalty shootout at the end. I have this picture at home with my hat and then these gloves - they were too big for me - but I remember feeling kind of like a hero after the game. It's really something that gives you such a nice feeling for the goalkeeper position.”
Now 30 and at the peak of his career, Butez’ reflections on how it all began make for intriguing listening. Despite the uniquely goalkeeper experience of denying the very thing which brings football fans joy (especially from the penalty spot), the Frenchman’s footballing tale began beyond the post when he first trialled with Lille as both an outfield player and a goalkeeper.
“I remember reading part of an interview with Manuel Neuer, and my beginnings in goal were pretty similar to his. I started out as a football player. I was really into the game, not really as a goalkeeper at the beginning. I was scouted by Lille as a goalkeeper and as a player. I did both trials, and then I was selected as a goalkeeper, so I stayed in goal a bit by choice of Lille, and from that moment, I didn't move position,” he recalls.
His influences between the posts extend far beyond the legendary Neuer, for the likes of Fabien Barthez, fellow Lille alumni Mike Maignan, and former Como colleague Pepe Reina, who he speaks of with real fondness, have all helped mould him into the superb gloveman he has become.
“I think I tried to pick up some tools from the experienced goalkeepers next to me, tried to speak a lot with them about training, about gym sessions, about games on the pitch. For me, one of the most important things to learn is to speak with guys who have had big careers and big games behind them, like Pepe [Reina]. It was amazing to speak and train with him at 42 years old. He still had this hunger to play, to win. It was unbelievable to see. Every day, it's a chance to learn something from someone else,” Butez explains.
Words of praise were reserved for Marc-André ter Stegen, David de Gea. and Ederson too, all icons he idolised. “I was playing when he (ter Stegen) was there at the top. And I was like, wow, this guy is what I want to be. And then, of course, de Gea for his reflexes, Ederson for his long kick and ter Stegen for his vision, his anticipation, his positioning, and his calmness. Also Neuer for his charisma, his longevity. For me they are the best goalkeepers in the world,” he notes.
Butez also gives special mention to Karim Boukrouh, a goalkeeper coach at Lille who's now at Troyes in France’s second division. Boukrouh is a figure who helped tremendously in his development and encouraged Butez to be a sponge and learn from the elite whenever possible.
While joining Como has been the pinnacle of his career so far, initially leaving for Belgium was instrumental towards him laying the foundation for his success at the top of the sport. Firstly at Mouscron, then at Royal Antwerp, where he was part of a quality side that clinched a magnificent treble.
Catching the attention of Como courtesy of his all-round abilities, and particularly his polish with the ball at his feet, Butez didn’t have to think twice when the ambitious Como came calling, especially considering he was in a tough spot at Antwerp at the time. “Of course the project is one important thing, but I also really wanted to play because I was on the bench for six months in Antwerp. It was not an easy situation,” states Butez.
“They wanted to sell me, but there was also the situation with Senne Lammens (now of Manchester United). Como was one of the teams interested in me and I felt it was a really nice project in a nice environment.”
Getting to work with a coach like Fabregas was clearly something that appealed to Butez, as was the progressive and expansive philosophy the Spaniard has implemented. “I knew him as a player, not that much as a coach, but when you talk to him, and to the sporting director, they explain to you a bit more about the project, the style of play of the team, you know that it will fit with my style of play as well,” insists the experienced netminder.
Fitting the bill perfectly of what Fabregas wants in his goalkeepers, the Frenchman has slotted in seamlessly to help bring the Spanish tactician’s exciting brand of football to life. Essentially acting as a playmaker to instigate attacks from the back, the technically assured and press-resistant Butez has been exceptional.
A fine embodiment of his manager’s intricate approach, how Butez has combined confidence, composure and execution has been crucial for Como in baiting and bypassing the press. Indeed, there's been much to admire about his output in possession, as his ability to serve as the free man and invite said pressure to manipulate the first wave before then finding the free man has been a joy to witness and of immense strategic value.
“The goalkeeper is really important for him (Fabregas), because we know that with the goalkeeper, you are plus one in every situation,” asserts the shot-stopper. “So if you are secure, calm and ready to deal with some pressure with the ball, then yeah, you will find a way to escape the press. We work a lot on this.”
Relishing this responsibility, his bravery, vision, and range of passing has helped make Como one of the most entertaining outfits to watch in Europe. Butez’s intelligence to adapt to Fabregas’s complex demands serves as a testament to his adaptability and footballing IQ. Choosing when to go long, clip passes to the full-backs, strike penetrative line-breaking vertical passes or play short passes, Butez has handled all manner of scenarios with clarity.
Fabregas’ outfield framework is also important in ensuring that Butez always has a host of options to exploit Como’s numerical and positional superiorities in possession.
“We train a lot of different options during the week. So now we are confident in different aspects of pressure. We know what to do if they come man to man, we know what to do if they come only with two strikers, and then I will be the free man, so I can drive the ball a bit more if the pressure is coming. I can be the playmaker, and then I'm the guy who decides at the end,” Butez acknowledges.
Work away from the pitch has been equally important in Butez’ preparation for different opposition. He undertakes his own video analysis, and utilises specific footage provided by the coaching staff to give him some vital extra information on the tendencies of teams’ attacking players from open play and penalties.
“About two days before the game, every goalkeeper receives videos of every striker and every offensive player to see what are their strengths, what they are doing the most in front of the goal and the penalties. I watch the game and how they press the goalkeeper. I like to see this. I like to prepare myself in tandem with my mental coach. I'm a goalkeeper split in two mindsets, the attacking way and the defensive way. You talk about preparation, but it's the kind of preparation you do that matters,” Butez divulges.
One way that Como have aided their goalkeeper department’s preparations is through the use of Goalkeeper.com data. Butez is clear on his belief in data. “I think it's the future of goalkeeping”, he states emphatically.
“For me, okay, clean sheets are something nice for the media, for the TV, and good to see how we are doing well as a team. But for me, goalkeeper-specific data is important, because I think what Como did with me..they put me in the goal in Serie A where I never played, and knew it would work - because they think differently.”
His adjustment to life in the picturesque confines of Como has been equally impressive. The process has been smooth sailing for the level-headed Butez. He admits that there have been no issues with the language or settling in with his wife and two children, which he credits to not just being prepared for this step and the club’s support, but also to his personal investment in this move.
“I really wanted to move, so it was easy to adapt because I wanted this new life, this new environment. It was easy with the language. It was pretty fast, because I took some lessons, but French and Italian are pretty similar. So for me, it was not that difficult because I wanted this, and I prepared myself for this. When you want something, when you work for it, when you prepare for something, then it will happen,” tells the Frenchman, who inked a three-year deal at the Sinigaglia.
Another key to his success has been the ongoing presence of a psychological coach, something he attributes as a pivotal factor both on and off the pitch in handling all that’s thrown at him. “I’ve had a mental coach [psychologist] for a long time. You need to find stability on the pitch. And maybe it will be a bit like this off the pitch, because you need to manage your family moving. You may need to manage finding a new house. You need to manage everything from Belgium to here, but on the pitch you need to be calm as much as possible. So it was good to work with this coach, and I've continued to do so,” says Butez.
Loving life in Como and under the guidance of the tactically sophisticated Fabregas, there are no signs of Butez or the club slowing down anytime soon, so expect both parties to keep along their remarkable upward trajectories. “We are going fast, but we have the quality to do even better. We have some objectives now, and we are working towards them. We have all the facilities to do this work well,” Butez spells out.
“And then the fans are beautiful, they are pushing us. And then also they will demand more from us because they will want to see more of this kind of football in these kinds of exciting games and then victories. So as a team, and also as a goalkeeper and as an ambitious guy, I want more and I'd like to play again in Europe and enjoy this kind of crazy atmosphere around Europe. It can be a long process, but it can also be a short win for the team to grow even faster than we think.”
For the man who’s emerged as a serious contender for a place in France's 2026 World Cup side courtesy of his terrific form, it’s all about enjoying every moment and remaining present, knowing this won’t all last forever.
This is exactly the sort of advice he'd pass on to any emerging goalkeepers crafting their careers, advising them “to smile every training you have, listen to your coaches, enjoy what you are doing and then be in the moment, being there every moment, because this is the most important thing,” first and foremost.
Wise words from the engaging Frenchman, who knows only too well how quickly a career can change for the better.