Close to a return to the football fields, PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe spoke at length to Canal Plus in an interview.
Presnel Kimpembe is close to putting an end to a long ordeal. Victim of a ruptured Achilles heel in February 2023, the defender of PSG subsequently experienced some complications which delayed his return to training on numerous occasions. But for several weeks, the number 3 of the Rouge & Bleu has been present at the collective sessions with his teammates. His return to competition should take place in the coming weeks. While waiting for this crucial moment, Presnel Kimpembe confided at length to Canal Plus.
Did he think about quitting football at any point?
“No, never. It really wasn't easy, there were moments of doubt, questions. We question everything a little but from there to stopping my career, no. I still have a lot of things to do, even if people see me as dead, I know it will come back. »
Before his extension, was he afraid that his career at PSG would end with this injury?
“I didn't have any stress or fear about it because I know who I am and what I could bring to the club, whether on or off the field. And I know what the club has given me too. From that moment on, I slept peacefully. Whether it was the president, the technical staff, the teammates and all the people behind the scenes, I really had incomparable support. »
What is his role in the PSG locker room today?
“My role is always the same. It is to be the
crisp which I have been since the beginning, but with more experience. It's knowing how to supervise young people, talking to older people when necessary, it's being the link between these two generations. Even if I'm one of the oldest now, I'm not very old anyway (smile). I want to give this image of the player who was trained at the club, who knows the club by heart and who also has a need to give back to others. »
What legacy would he like to leave at PSG?
” All. I leave my body there. I already left a tendon, it's not bad (laughs). No, more seriously, my next dream is that young people will have an easier time reaching the pros. To be able to take care of young people, to share what I have learned, how they can move forward. The ball is good, but it's not just that. It happens first in school, education, when they arrive and set foot in the pros, discipline, resilience, hard work. »
His view of Warren Zaire-Emery
« Warrenhe was in U17 and he played with the U19s. I was already watching it then and it caught my eye straight away. Warrenhe is a worker. He has enormous qualities but above all he is ahead of the others because he sees before everyone else. Technically and tactically, he is strong. He is very intelligent and above all, he is humble. He's someone who listens and it's difficult to find one now. »
His best moment at PSG
“I have a lot of good times. Just one to remember? The first match against Barcelona (February 14, 2017, round of 16 first leg of C1, editor's note) because it was special and it was my first match of Champions
League. I was a little kid and no one knew me. Replace one Thiago Silva in a first match of
Champions Leaguand facing Messi,
Neymar et Suarezit was unprecedented. Nobody expected this. It was the telling match. »
His relationship with Luis Enrique
“Really good. You have the impression that we don't know each other but we know each other very, very well. I played against him when we faced Barcelona et
Spain. Casually, the coach knows me very well and I know him very well too. »
How does he see the implementation of the new project?
“The project is great. We have everything to succeed, we can't complain. We have a good coach, a good staff and the infrastructure which is incredible. We come in the morning, we have everything we need. We cannot say that we are missing this or that. There is everything on site. We have the opportunity to be able to do something big, with a good team, which is certainly young, but the team itself is there. We have everything in our hands to succeed. It's up to us to do what it takes to move forward and achieve our goals. If we don't believe it, we're dead, and me first. When you're a competitor, that's how it happens. Afterwards, we can fall and we will get up again, but we cannot say 'no I don't believe it'. If you don't believe it, you'll get off the boat and the train and there will be others who will come in your place. With them, we will build further. »
What can he bring to the France team in the event of his return?
“More experience. If I can get my feet back French teamI will be one of the oldest and oldest. Can he wear the armband with this experience? I had the chance to wear it twice in
French teamso much the better, and it was a great experience. But the cuff of the French teamit's huge and it weighs. But, I don't need to have it to say what I think, that's the most important thing. »
What we can wish him for the future
“Just health. That's all I ask. Health and having the chance to play as many matches as possible, feeling good. »
The full interview can be found ici.
