How is your life in the United States?
It’s great, it’s going really well. As they say, I am living my “American dream”. I haven’t become American, I still feel French, that’s for sure, but I’ve adapted well to life here. I am very happy to have joined this club, which has great ambitions and which corresponded to my expectations for the rest of my career.
When you go from Guingamp to the city of Atlanta, what strikes you first?
Already, we say that the city is overpopulated compared to Guingamp (laughs). There are a lot more people and the city is very big. In Guingamp, we could quickly go around. Compared to sports, we play in a huge stadium (The Mercedes-Benz Stadium can accommodate up to 70,000 people), even if I loved and enjoyed playing at Roudourou. Furthermore, with all due respect to En Avant, here everything is also bigger in terms of infrastructure and equipment.
Between two matches, do you take the opportunity to visit this immense country?
Yes, I try to visit and move from time to time. I went to Miami for a few days, I also visited places in the state of Georgia, where I live. I try to do small activities, to simply learn a little more about the environment where I find myself.
Food is often the downside for an athlete there. Is this your case?
Frankly, in Atlanta, we are very well supervised on this aspect. We have nutritionists who come to the club. We also have chefs who cook for us after training. So, I’m doing well at this level. Afterwards, of course I still miss French food.
Coming back to football, what is the level of MLS, the American championship?
Frankly, those who criticize and say that it is for retirees, I invite them to come. Personally, I was pleasantly surprised by the level of competitiveness of this championship. There are very good players and very good teams. If I had to compare with what I experienced, it is well above Ligue 2 and it can easily beat Ligue 1 teams. The big difference is that there is no climbs or descents, it’s quite special.
How is football perceived in the United States and by Americans?
I would say that here, it is a developing sport. It doesn’t have the same popularity as baseball or American football, but I think it’s progressing. There are more and more supporters coming to see the matches and not just the stars of the championship (Messi, Suarez, Busquets, etc.). With the next World Cup in 2026, it will be a big boost in my opinion.
Do you see yourself staying here or is a return to Europe possible?
I still have two years of contract left, one of which is optional. So there, I don’t ask myself any questions about the future. I’m not closed to anything, but I’m very happy here and for now I want to continue with Atlanta United.
Do you still follow the results of En Avant Guingamp?
Yes completely, I have almost seen every match since the start of the season. What’s good here is that with the time difference, the matches are early in the afternoon for me, so it allows me to follow easily. And then, I still have friends in the locker room with whom I interact like Dylan Louiserre, Jacques Siwe and my little darling Hugo Picard. I wish them the best and I think there is something to play for them this season in this Ligue 2.
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