Then I made a mistake. I gave a positive drug test for cannabis the next year and I was suspended. I lost my place in the French team. That's what happens in life when you make a bad mistake, and I regret it. My message to your readers would be not to do what I did.

fter my suspension, I went back to playing and I did well. I played for France a few more times. I got 44 caps in all. But after you have played at the highest level, it is difficult when you start to go down. I stopped playing two years ago, when my wife had a baby. It seemed like a good time. I still live in Paris. But now I can do other things, like going back to Guiana when I want. I have a sports shop there.

Yes. French Guiana has more water than nearly anywhere in the world. It is part of the Amazon rainforest. Even so, we have problems. Because of the gold mining in my country there is mercury pollution. Mercury is used by people to get the gold from rivers. But it poisons the water. People in the forests have to drink that water and they get ill.

One new thing I am doing is to set up a factory to purify the water. In fact, by the end of the year I will have two water factories. Soon you will be able to buy my water in bottles in the town.

For me water is life. When you have it you can live. I am making the water clean for people to drink.

PHOTOS:
ABOVE: JOEP MOONEN/UNEP/TOPHAM
BELOW: EMPICS SPORTS PHOTO AGENCY