More than two years after his departure from PSG, Leonardo spoke at length to Le Figaro. The opportunity for the Brazilian to talk about his future, his strong attachment to France and of course PSG.
Leonardo comes out of the woods. Great timing at a time when the extension of his successor Luis Campos is still being negotiated. Former player and sports director of PSG, the 55-year-old Brazilian spoke last week to Le Figaro, which published his interview conducted in Milan this Tuesday.
Leonardo no longer sees himself as sports director
Without a position since his departure from PSG in May 2022, Leonardo wants to find a position in Football, but no longer sees himself as a sports director. “This will not be my future. I'm going to change my position and I'm starting to see things in a different way. I don't mean this in a mysterious way. Football is changing and will continue to change with the arrival of new owners, foreign investment funds, around new communication. This is why I see myself in a different position. I can't tell you how, but in another role where I position myself in a more institutional way. »
Leonardo on the new PSG project: “The path is interesting”
Admitting to still having a lot of contacts in France, but not having been contacted by Paris FC, which has just been bought by the powerful Arnault family, Leonardo spoke of the new PSG project: “Now the project is different, with young people, you are building for the future. These are less glamorous moments, but very important. I was complicit in this idea and I always said that a team is not built around one person. You can't do that. You can't do this anymore. The club must always keep its line, its philosophy and not be influenced by a decision. That's my opinion. I fought for this. This takes time and patience. The team is very competitive, even if for the Champions League you are not going to say that PSG are favorites this year, but you are respected, with a coach who builds. The path is interesting. »
Leaving PSG on May 21, 2022, the same day as Kylian Mbappé's extension, Leonardo returned to this club decision and confirmed that he was not in favor of it: “I was against it, at the level that was done. Always. From the start. I even think he was supposed to be sold at the end of the 2020-2021 season, when PSG had an offer from Real Madrid and he only had one year left on his contract. Focusing so much investment on one person was a bit much, in my opinion. My position was clear on this subject. No one should be above everything. Especially not from the institution and the club. »
“Coming back to PSG for a fourth time is perhaps a little too much, isn’t it? »
If he thinks it will be “difficult to come back” at PSG, Leonardo took care to recall that his love for the club remains ” huge “ and that he is still very close to the Emir of Qatar. Is its history with France really over? “Maybe, if we talk about the position of sports director. For the rest, it will never be finished because the links will always be there. In football or elsewhere. Afterwards, it's a matter of cycle, coming back a fourth time to PSG is perhaps a little too much, right? »
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