This French player reached out to the GOAT before playing at Gillette

FOXBORO, Mass.—Aurélien Tchouaméni had never stepped on the Gillette Stadium grass before Thursday night, but the France midfielder still felt an unmistakable aura as he walked through the tunnel. The 26-year-old Real Madrid star knew the history housed inside the venue—six Super Bowl banners earned by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots—so he did what any respectful visitor would do: he texted the landlord.

“I told him it was a pleasure for me to play in this stadium,” Tchouaméni said after France’s 2-1 win over Brazil. “Great atmosphere and great fan base, that was dope.”

The friendly, played before a crowd that leaned heavily toward the Seleção thanks to Massachusetts’ large Brazilian community, gave France its first victory over the five-time world champions since 2011. The result did not come easily. Kylian Mbappé’s first-half chip handed Les Bleus the lead, but Dayot Upamecano’s 55th-minute red card—upgraded from yellow after a VAR review—left the visitors a man down for the final 35 minutes.

Instead of retreating, France attacked. Hugo Ekitike’s chipped finish in the 65th minute doubled the advantage, and a late Wesley strike for Brazil proved only a consolation. Defensive stand-in Maxence Lacroix, earning his first senior cap, helped preserve the win alongside fellow academy product Ibrahima Konaté.

“Honestly I was a little bit surprised by the turnout for Brazil, especially during the national anthems,” Tchouaméni admitted. “But we stayed focused on ourselves.”

The victory carries added weight as France will base itself in Boston during the 2026 World Cup and returns to Gillette on June 26 to face Norway in group-stage play. Brazil, meanwhile, will not play in Foxboro this summer; manager Carlo Ancelotti, who brought Tchouaméni to Madrid in 2022, still praised the setting.

“Good stadium, good pitch,” Ancelotti said. “Everything was fine except for the result.”

France closes its U.S. tour Sunday against Colombia at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, while Brazil meets Croatia in Orlando on Tuesday. Yet the memory of Thursday night—texting the GOAT, silencing a pro-Brazil crowd, and leaving with a statement win—will linger for Tchouaméni long after the flights depart.

Tom Brady, the stadium’s most decorated tenant, would surely approve.