There are footballers who invest in real estate, others who open restaurants… and then there are Andre Pierre Gignacwho decided to build himself a ranch worthy of an amusement park in the heart of the Mexican wilderness. A place that says as much about the Tigres striker as his goals in Liga MX: generous, excessive… and always with a little reference to OM.

And in the middle of this XXL universe, we find One of the most unexpected installations: a padel courtadded with the same passion as his personal football pitch.

A "haven of peace" imagined from A to Z by Gignac

During the report broadcast by Téléfoot, Gignac recounts how, an hour from Monterrey, he found a bare pitch… and a blank sheet of paper. Literally.

"The first time I saw the land, I took a sheet of paper, drew a rectangle and placed on it what I wanted," he explains.
An architect's plan, "Gignac" style, simple and effective: a football pitch, a swimming pool, cabins, attractions for children... and as the ideas grew, the list became longer. “After that, I got a little excited…”"He admits it, smiling."

The result: a complete ranch, built from zerowhere each space bears its own signature.

The football pitch… and the padel court

In the facilities he designed, Gignac naturally placed his childhood dream first :
un personal football pitch, in the colours of Olympique de Marseille, with a mural of Olive and Tom and the slogan "Straight to the goal".

But that's not all :
a padel court, a sport that has become essential among athletes, is also part of the complex.

For someone who loves to score as much as to entertain the crowd, it's hard not to imagine Gignac attempting a "par 3" in the windows like Bela, just before going back to cook a barbecue for his guests.

In a ranch like this, all that's missing is a referee and a P100 scoreboard to make you think you're in a tournament.

A sports… and family complex

Beyond football and padel, Gignac has thought of everything:

  • a swimming pool with a giant screen
  • a basketball court
  • a tennis court
  • slides
  • a children's park
  • cabins for family and friends
  • a wellness area under construction (hammam, sauna, massages)
  • an artificial lake with a waterfall

Enough to make some sports centers pale in comparison. And if further proof were needed that Gignac has remained a big kid, he provides it himself:
"What I didn't have myself, I was able to give to my children. I am a child, a big child."

André-Pierre Gignac: a ranch, a childhood dream… and a padel court in the heart of Mexico
Image credit: Téléfoot
Gignac Padel Ranch Mexico
Image credit: Téléfoot
Gignac Padel Ranch Mexico
Image credit: Téléfoot
André-Pierre Gignac: a ranch, a childhood dream… and a padel court in the heart of Mexico
Image credit: Téléfoot
Gignac Padel Ranch Mexico
Image credit: Téléfoot
Gignac Padel Ranch Mexico
Image credit: Téléfoot
Gignac Padel Ranch Mexico
Image credit: Téléfoot
Gignac Padel Ranch Mexico
Image credit: Téléfoot

Padel, a nod to his new life in Mexico

Since 2015, the striker has built immense popularity among the Tigers UANLwhere he played over 400 matches and scored more than 200 goals. A naturalized Mexican citizen since 2019, he is living this adventure with passion:
"Mexico is fantastic. The people are noble. If I've been here for ten years, it's because there's something that attracts me."

Adding a padel court to his ranch is no small matter: the sport is booming in Mexico, in Monterrey as throughout the country. And for a competitor like Gignac, adding a place where win even more often had to be on the sheet from the very beginning.

A ranch that reflects him

Between football, padel, nature and family moments, the Frenchman has created a unique place, halfway between a training center and a giant playground.
A place where he can breathe, recharge his batteries… and maybe work on his volley, who knows?

While some dream of a Zen garden, Gignac, for his part, has built himself a sporting kingdom..
And as he so aptly puts it:
"I built it from scratch. Everything."

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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