Loïc Badé, Manu Koné and Michael Olise, all three called up for the first time to the A team, answered questions from the press on Tuesday September 3 at Clairefontaine.
FIRST CALL IN A
“A great pride”
Michael Olise : “My mother is from France, I always came here when I was little, I had the connection to France, that’s why I play for France. My idols? (Zinedine) Zidane of course, Titi (Thierry Henry)the coach too, a lot of players in the French team with a lot of qualities that I like. Otherwise, I’m a normal person, I talk to everyone and I’m proud to be here.”
Helpful Hand : “It was very quick, everything happened very quickly from the list on Thursday to my transfer the next day to AS Roma. I know that it is a very big turning point in my career, something that I have also been looking for for a long time. It is up to me to show what I am capable of, at club level as well as in the national team, to be able to stay there. It is a great source of pride to be called up to the senior team, a dream that I had since I was little and it is now a reality. Now, we must not put ourselves under pressure even if it was a dream to come to Clairefontaine. I know that I have come a long way, I had a rather unusual career with my big injury at the training centre (at the age of 15 at Toulouse FC)where I was in a wheelchair for a very long time. When you come back from that, you can only move forward, it’s things like that that gave me strength and allowed me to forge a mind of steel.”
From left to right, Loïc Badé, Michael Olise and Manu Koné (photo Simon MORCEL / FFF).
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE CASTLE
“Don’t put pressure on yourself”
Loïc Badé: “With the Olympic Games, we were lucky enough to be in the Château for a while, so we’ve got our bearings a bit. With the A team, it’s a bit different, but it’s still a moment of pleasure. So I try not to put too much pressure on myself and enjoy myself.”
M. K. : “I’ve been seeing the Château for a very long time because I did the INF Clairefontaine. Every day when I walked to the canteen I saw it, that’s why it’s a dream to achieve this goal. I know that there is competition for my position today, it’s up to me to show my qualities within the squad and do what it takes to try to come back. There’s no pressure, if I’m here, it’s because I deserve it. The minutes that the coach will give me, whether it’s ten, forty-five or even one match, I will play them as I am used to with self-confidence, serenity and that will work.”
THE OLYMPICS AND THIERRY HENRY
“He made things easier for us”
M. O. : “He’s a great player, everyone knows that. During the Olympics he did good things with the team. I spoke with him often and he’s a good guy, he also taught me things on the field.”
L. B. : “Thierry Henry brought us something new. With the way he worked, we felt like he was a former player, he put us in the best conditions and each time, he managed to put himself in our shoes and work in the best possible way. That made things easier.”
M. K. : “He showed us that he was a competitor, him and his staff. We prepared well from start to finish, then we were very focused, which allowed us to go all the way to the final. We didn’t get the gold but we still brought home a silver medal, it’s a great source of pride.”
The coach and his players thank the Parc des Princes crowd after the final of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (photo ICON SPORT / FFF).
OLISE BY BADÉ AND KONÉ
“A very good person”
L. B. : “Michael is a very good person, I get along well with him. We lived together for two months and we got attached quickly, he’s a good guy. He’s very good at (card game of) Werewolf, he’s a manipulator…” Manu Koné cuts it: “No, he’s a cheater!” (laughs).
M. K. : “He talks to everyone, he integrated quickly. There are players that we knew in youth selections like William (Cross) who put him at ease with little jokes. He is cool, kind and nice. He is a very good person, endearing, smiling, we are happy to share good times with him and also with what he brings us on the field. There is no need to say more.
ITALY
“Fight to win”
L. B. : “It’s going to be a very big match against a very good team. I’m approaching it with stars in my eyes, it will be a first for me in this group. I’m going to try to make the most of it, also with the desire to win.”
M. K. : “We know that they are a very good team, it is a high-stakes match that we want to win as a team. We are all competitors, so we will fight to win this match at the Parc des Princes.”
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