The former AS Magenta star has signed a one-year contract with the club, who won promotion back to France’s top flight last season after a five-year hiatus, and has already linked up with his new teammates for pre-season training under the watchful eye of manager Jean-Marc Furlan.
He becomes the second player from the Pacific Islands to join a professional club since the Nations Cup, following hot on the heels of Solomon Islands striker Benjamin Totori’s transfer to A-League side the Wellington Phoenix.
His pace, direct style of play and dribbling ability caught the eye during the tournament – held during the first half of June in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara – and were important weapons for New Caledonia’s Les Cagous as they embarked on a run that eventually saw them finish runners-up to fellow francophones Tahiti.
Gope-Fenepej found the net twice – including in the memorable 2-0 win over New Zealand in the semi-finals – and was at the heart of some of Les Cagous’ best attacking moments, forming a dangerous combination with strikers Bertrand Kai and Jacques Haeko.
The 23-year-old will hope to take that form with him to Troyes and is looking forward to testing himself on one of Europe’s most elite stages.
“It’s an honour to get the chance to play professionally overseas,” he says. “It will be a tough challenge and there will be plenty of obstacles but I will do my best to overcome them.”
Manager Furlan will also not have an easy assignment in guiding Troyes safely through their return to the top division but is intrigued at what Gope-Fenepej can bring to the squad.
“We received a call from Magenta saying they had a player we should take a look at,” Furlan explains of the circumstances of Gope-Fenepej’s arrival.
“So we invited him over for a trial to see if what we had heard was true. It’s not often we get to see a player from the southern hemisphere so we were interested in finding out what he could do.”
Furlan says his new signing has been given one year to prove his worth and, should he continue to impress during that time, an extension of the deal is likely to be offered.
Gope-Fenepej is not the first New Caledonian to try his luck in France and does not have to look far to find a fellow player who has been through the experience.
Brother John Gope-Fenepej was on the books of FC Nantes before briefly joining England’s Bolton Wanderers on loan.
Former Magenta teammate Benjamin Longue also spent three years at SC Bastia, making a handful of appearances in Ligue 1.
For a brief part of his time at Bastia, Longue played alongside Christian Karembeu, New Caledonia’s most notable footballing export. Lifou native Karembeu enjoyed a glittering 18-year career at the highest level, which included 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000 successes with France, before signing off at Bastia.
The only other New Caledonia-born player who can rival the exploits of Karembeu is fellow former France international Antoine Kombouaré, who made over a hundred appearances for Paris Saint-Germain and went on to manage the club.
“Christian Karembeu and Antoine Kombouaré have been an inspiration for me and if everything goes well I would like to follow in their footsteps,” Gope-Fenepej says.
“I will do everything I can to be successful.”

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