Since arriving at Selhurst Park, Maxence Lacroix has become an integral part of a squad that has transformed into one of the most formidable in the country, lifting the FA Cup and Community Shield in their first full season together. The resurgence began when manager Oliver Glasner convinced him to join, a decision based on mutual trust. “I was proud first because at the time I was not at my best and he was giving me his trust, and I said, ‘OK, let’s do it’,” Lacroix recalls of the call from the gaffer, who previously managed him at Wolfsburg. “I think this guy knows what he’s doing, and he knows how to take the best from each player.” That trust has paid massive dividends. Palace are currently the only unbeaten team in the Premier League this season, a feat Lacroix attributes not to luck, but to the collective mindset. “It’s not only luck, it’s because we work hard, we believe… we deserve everything we have.” He describes the Palace environment as a “big family,” where everyone fights for one another. That sentiment extends to the supporters, with whom Lacroix has forged an instant, unbreakable bond, even paying for a round of drinks for an entire row of fans on his shirt number, five, at a recent home game. “When you have good fans, you have to give them back also what they give you, because this is a relationship,” he said. The noise inside Selhurst Park is unlike anything he’s experienced. “When they are happy… when we scored the last goal against Liverpool this weekend, it was incredible. I was just looking. All people were really happy, some people crying, so it was unbelievable.” Despite the record-breaking unbeaten run, the defender asserts that the team’s ambition has no limits. “We are happy about that, but it’s not enough. We want more… This is not our ceiling, I’m sure about that. We can dream about something big.” The Premier League challenge Playing in England’s top-flight was always the ultimate goal for Lacroix, who regards the league as the peak of the sport. “To be honest, when I was young, young, young, I didn’t really watch football… But when I started to grow up, I understood that the Premier League is the best in the world,” he explains. The difference in intensity from his time in the Bundesliga was immediate and striking, particularly the unforgiving nature of the play. While his physicality, pace, and towering frame (six-foot-four-and-a-half) are assets, they are constantly tested by elite attackers. “I played against (Erling) Haaland when he was at Dortmund, but at [Manchester] City I see another guy. Because they are surgical here, this is it. You have to be 90 plus minutes concentrated,” Lacroix said. He highlights the fine margin for error: “I think the difference here is that if you make a mistake, it’s finished for you. But in the Bundesliga you can maybe have a second chance… but here, no chance. You have to be focused… it’s a battle.” Faith, family, and heritage For Lacroix, his professional success is deeply rooted in his personal life and faith. He speaks candidly about his faith, which became his priority just a few years ago. “I really met God like three years ago… and I started to understand that it was the way I want to live my life and I changed completely. This is the priority in my life… and it helped me every single day to accomplish everything I’ve done already.” His friend and teammate Jean-Philippe Mateta affectionately calls him the “pastor of Palace,” a title he humbly downplays. “I’m not a pastor but I’m just a guy… I would say more a disciple… I try my best to show it and show that it’s possible to play football and to glorify the name of Jesus.” His family has been his rock, particularly his mother, a doctor who also became his nutritionist. “My mother took care of me… she gave everything so that I can be here with you. She helped me to be professional and since I was young, she was always with me.” Lacroix also proudly represents his roots in the French Caribbean, noting the pride of his father’s family in Guadeloupe. “I’m happy also to represent this side of my life.” The journey from Ajat: early days Lacroix’s beginnings were far removed from the bright lights of London and the Premier League. He hails from Ajat in rural France, a tiny community of just 300 people. “I think it’s a big step… a really big step,” he says of the transition to a global city. “I like the contrast… and when I go back there, I’m also really happy to see my family and the 299 people in my village.” His love for football began early, often playing alone with a ball or on the pitch after watching his amateur goalkeeper father on Sundays. Initially, his dreams lay elsewhere. “As a boy, I always wanted to be a vet because where I live, it was like a farm,” he reveals. “But when I grew up, when I started to be older, I said maybe to be a lawyer or something like that could be nice for me.” Football took hold, and his career started on an unexpected path – as a goalkeeper, then a striker, before finally settling in the number six role. His final transformation into the powerful centre-back we see today came at Sochaux under coach Eric Hély. It was his move to Sochaux that solidified his belief in a professional career. “When you come from a small village you don’t think that you can be a football player… But when you see… you pass steps and steps… you say, ‘OK,…
