Abdou Bin Amidou, a former teammate of Kira Michel (known as ‘Maître Kira’), shares his memories of this iconic figure of Malagasy football from the 1960s and 1970s.
Kira Michel’s former teammates pay tribute to the extraordinary talent of the attacking midfielder. Abdou Bin Amidou, a right-winger for the national team during the 1960s and 1970s, knew him since their youth in Toliara. They played together for the ‘Corps Enseignants’ club and the national team, ‘Club M’. In recent years, they continued to work together in club management. ‘Twenty pages would not be enough to recount all the anecdotes about this giant,’ says Abdou Bin Amidou.
‘We were all calm and confident when we played alongside him. He guaranteed the team’s victory. He could eliminate four or five players on his own,’ he recalls. ‘He had exceptional talent. Among teammates, we didn’t call him Maître Kira. For us, he was an icon. We called him “Kilometers” or “Grand Master”.’
Kira Michel spent about fifteen years with the national team. Abdou Bin Amidou remembers their beginnings: ‘I met him around 1966. I was licensed at Andaboly, he at Besakoa. The late Ravalitera encouraged us to found the Corps Enseignants club. Kira had played for Sport Olympique de Besakoa, then for ASPTT, before joining the Corps Enseignants.’
Beyond his talent, Abdou Bin Amidou remembers his former teammate’s courage. ‘We were both part of the Toliara provincial selection during a competition in Morondava in 1971. The day before the match, he was hit by a car and had his arm in a cast. On the day of the match, he asked for the cast to be removed. He scored two headers from passes by Ravalitera on the left and me on the right,’ he recalls.
Abdou Bin Amidou also remembers a goal scored by Maître Kira against Ethiopia during the 1978 African Cup qualifiers. ‘We were already playing with ten men. From about 50 meters out, he surprised the goalkeeper, who had come off his line, with his left foot. He was very strong on set pieces, whether free kicks or penalties. When he stood in front of the ball, we immediately headed back to the center of the field because we were sure he would score. In training, he often managed to score directly from corners at the near post,’ he recounts with pride.
Maître Kira also remained by Abdou Bin Amidou’s side as an advisor in the management of several clubs, including Topo-Domaine, Elgeco Plus, Domoina Soavina, USJF Ravinala, and Japan Actuel, as well as the Saint-Michel academy.
As president of the Association of Former Football Legends, Maître Kira advocated for the recognition of great athletes while they were still alive. ‘He kept reminding us of this, also citing champions from other disciplines, such as the world pétanque champions,’ reports Abdou Bin Amidou, vice-president of the association. According to him, the association still includes a dozen former football figures.
Captured & Published at: 2026-09-28 05:54:13 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/09/temoignage-dabdou-bin-amidou-maitre.html