Toulouse prop Maks van Dyk cheekily made a special request to French president Emmanuel Macron during Saturday’s pre-final players presentation in Paris.
Before the Top 14 title decider between Toulouse and Clermont kicked off at a sold-out Stade de France, both sets of players lined up to meet a host of French dignitaries, including Macron.
While shaking hands, Van Dyk halted Macron and jokingly asked: ‘I’m very proud of living in France. Can I have French citizenship, please?’
Macron smiled and answered: ‘Well, let’s start the procedure.’
??? Pour une fois d’accord avec #Macron… et ils ont bien répété!
– “Je peux avoir la nationalité française, s’il vous plaît ?”, a lancé le rugbyman sud-africain Maks Van Dyk à Emmanuel Macron, lors de la finale du Top 14!
– “Banco, très bien. On lance la procédure….” pic.twitter.com/rhvqAmmlEU— Bαttine (@Girolata20) June 16, 2019
Van Dyk’s Toulouse teammate Romain Ntamack later posted a picture of the ex-Cheetahs player holding a document with the caption: ‘He got it, thanks for it Emmanuel Macron.’
Il l’a eu, merci pour lui. @EmmanuelMacron @maksvandyk ?? @StadeToulousain pic.twitter.com/8edd0Ruq9H
— Romain Ntamack (@RomainNtamack) June 16, 2019
Van Dyk, who joined Toulouse in 2016 and will qualify to play for France by September on the three-year residency rule, said his request to Macron was a joke but that he does really hope to become French soon.
