Serge Aurier opens up on the murder of his brother

In an interview with BBC Sport Africa, Serge Aurier spoke about a dark period of his life. In July 2020, the Ivory Coast international lost his brother, Christopher Aurier, in painful circumstances. His younger brother was shot dead outside a nightclub in Toulouse. He was 26. The tragedy left Aurier's family in deep grief. But the Ivory Coast international did not let it break him. Three days later, he decided to return to the pitch, playing in the Arsenal-Tottenham clash (1-3). He had just one aim in playing that game: to ease his mother's sadness. “I played for my mother. She needed to know that life does not stop. We lost my brother, whom we loved so much. But I wanted to play because it's my job, first of all. After that, we have our family life,” said the former Villarreal player.

The former PSG defender added: “It was a bad moment for me but I'm strong. I just wanted to show my mother: Yes, we have lost my brother but you have another child in this life, and I'm going to keep working hard for you and for the family. It was not a good time for me or for my family but when my mother saw me on the pitch, running and fighting, of course, it can't change anything, but she said to herself: 'Yes, I lost my child but I have another one I can see on television, he will run and enjoy it.'”

Serge Aurier joined Villarreal after leaving Spurs in 2021 and returned to the Premier League with Forest last September.

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