MONTREAL ā Saphir Taider liked what he heard from Montreal Impact coach Remi Garde enough to sign on to the new coach's project in Quebec.
āIām 25 years old, I could have stayed in Europe or in Italy,ā Taider said during his introductory press conference Monday. āI came here to win trophies. I havenāt had a chance to win any trophies up until now, and Iām here to win, thatās it. Iām not here saying to myself, āIām in MLS, all is well, the coach is good, weāve got everything we could want here.ā No, Iām here because I want to win a championship.ā
The French-born Taider has 162 career Serie A appearances in seven seasons, as well as 42 caps for Algeria. He featured twice at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, helping his home country advance beyond the group stage for the first time in the nation's history.
āSaphir is a young player but he already has a lot of experience playing in Europe, and playing internationally for Algeria, as well,ā Garde said. āHe has seen a lot of high-level competition and I am very happy to count on him for the beginning of this season and for the seasons to follow. He is going to be a very important element.ā
Taider recorded nine goals and three assists in 115 games across all competitions with Bologna since 2011, in two separate stints with the club. He has also spent time with Italian giants Juvenus and Internazionale, as well as English Premier League side Southampton during his career.
He appreciates Gardeās approach to the game and was sold on his vision.
āWhat made me want to come play in MLS were the sports discussions I had with the coach,ā Taider said. āWe talked exclusively about football, and that pleased me. And Iām coming here with my family, so the fact that French is the language in Montreal helped.ā
His experience playing in Italy has afforded him above-average tactical knowledge, according to Garde.
āHeās a very experienced young player,ā Garde said. āHeās a strong midfield player, who can play in different positions and different systems, which for me is quite useful because we have to be flexible with the type of system we play. Heās a box-to-box midfield. Heās got very good technical abilities.ā