News & Insights
France’s Karim Guizani named EURO50 Player of the Tournament
Karim Guizani was recently named as Player of the Tournament at Mercury’s EURO50. Representing France, Karim’s seven goals played a major role in firing his team to a place in the final.
Following a fantastic performance throughout, Les Bleus were defeated at the last hurdle, with Ireland (2) lifting the Frank O’Kane Cup after a nail-biting penalty shoot-out in Frankfurt.
Karim, who works as a CSA Package Manager on a data centre project in Paris, was recently presented with his Player of the Tournament award and recapped his experiences of EURO50.
You can read Karim’s full insight into EURO50 below.
Can you tell us a little about your background?
“I am from Saint Etienne, France, and come from a Tunisian background. I studied Civil Engineering which I received a master’s degree from St. Etienne University. After this I moved to the UK where I undertook a further master’s degree, this time in Construction Project Management at Portsmouth. I returned to France after spending five years in the UK, and I have spent the past fifteen months working with Mercury on a large data centre project in Paris.”
What age did you start playing football?
“I started playing football at the age of five and played for AS St. Etienne’s youth academy right up until the age of 18. That was over 15 years ago, but I’ve kept a bit of that touch! I love football in general, I love to watch any games, but AS St. Etienne will always be my favourite as they are my hometown club.”
What was the most enjoyable aspect of EURO50?
“My favourite thing about EURO50 was the amazing atmosphere throughout. All of the support, the laughs, and the positive energy around the pitches were great to experience.”
What did you think of your team’s performance and how did you celebrate after the tournament?
“I was really proud and happy with our team performance. We all played very well and helped each other for the benefit of the team. Our group of supporters who travelled from Paris were amazing, and they helped us to play well. EURO50 was very entertaining to play in, and we had a great time in Frankfurt after the events.”
“Being named Player of the Tournament is an unbelievable feeling! It could not have happened without a great team around me. It’s a really nice recognition of our performance and I would like to thank all involved at Mercury for organising such a great event.”
How does performing as a team in sport, compare with delivering large scale data centre projects alongside your team members?
“I think it’s quite similar actually. You need to communicate, and you need to know what your teammates are doing so that you can play your own actions accordingly. Playing with colleagues who I work on a daily basis is a great experience, as we already have a good relationship and know each-other’s strengths.”
Mercury is a diverse company with employees from 46 nationalities, what is your experience of working in an environment that has many unique cultures?
“It’s really enriching to learn about all the different cultures that work on our global teams at Mercury. It’s also great to develop relationships with these diverse people. I see that as a strength because it allows us to enhance our skills in making the most of everyone’s unique skillsets and abilities.”
Like Mercury on Facebook.
Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
