From the blues to blue smiles, there is only one step. A very long step, certainly. But overcome wonderfully by Christopher Nkunku, finally out of a difficult struggle of almost two years, between physical and psychological injuries. This Thursday evening, against Israel, it was the French team that the 26-year-old striker rescued from a (small) trap by scoring the 2-1 goal, a few minutes after a surprising Israeli equalizer. A very nice achievement from the former PSG player, now a member of the Chelsea squad, his first in the tricolor jersey after eleven selections.
A goal in the Nkunku style, fast and technical. Found by Eduardo Camavinga, author of the opener (7th), in front of the opposing area, the kid from Lagny-sur-Marne controls with his back to goal, gets rid of the pressure of four Israelis and escapes towards the opposing cage to deceive from the left Omri Glazer (28th). Enough to put a huge smile on the face of number 10, the number plastered on the back of a certain Kylian Mbappé in September, during the previous gathering. Enough to also unlock the blue counter, therefore, two and a half years after his first cape.
It was March 25, 2022, against Ivory Coast (2-1), the first of the striker’s four starts with the French team. A period during which he revealed himself to the eyes of Europe in the jersey of RB Leipzig, to the point of settling in Didier Deschamps’ group. His presence in the squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is therefore not a surprise. But, unfortunately, on November 15 of the same year: the lateral ligament of the left knee was torn during the final training before flying to Doha.
“I’m hungry to show what I’m capable of”
The start of a nightmare for the PSG-trained striker. Because if this injury takes “only” three months to heal, it will lead to others, at RB Leipzig and especially at Chelsea, a club joined in the summer of 2023. Result: fourteen club matches played only by Nkunku during the season passed. “I went through very difficult stages psychologically, I was discovering this period, being injured for so long, it was the first time. These are adventures that make you stronger,” he admitted on Tuesday at a press conference in Clairefontaine.
The hardest part for him? “Missing the World Cup,” he added. But after months of work, “patience and resilience”, he says, here he is on his feet and in good shape, like this performance against Israel, which must be put into perspective due to adversity. “A footballer’s life is never linear,” he philosophized to the media. I try to savor this moment when I can train, where I can play, where I can have fun on the pitch. Because I missed it. »
For its supporters, among the Chelsea Blues or among the Blues of the French team, optimism is in order for the coming season. In a club with a vague project and a bloated squad, he has already played eleven matches (5 starts) since mid-August, scoring seven goals, including a hat-trick in the English League Cup. This Thursday evening in Budapest (Hungary), he almost doubled without Israeli intervention (33rd). He will be satisfied with it this time. Despite his age (26), Nkunku continues his apprenticeship with the Tricolores: “I’m hungry. I’m hungry to play, I’m hungry to show what I’m capable of. » We saw part of it, before his replacement by Guendouzi (76th), author of the third goal for the Blues. Didier Deschamps did not fail to praise his player’s performance at the end of the match. “Christopher has a lot of juice and freshness with Chelsea. With us too. He did good things on the left and in support of Kolo (Muani) afterwards. It’s very good for him. He has significant potential, but is hampered by injuries. »
