Eden Hazard, Les Confidences du Génie Belge – Zack en Roue Libre avec Eden Hazard (S08E43)

Émission du 08.08.2025

Timecodes:

00:00:00 : Début d’émission
00:00:36 : Introduction
00:06:06 : Qui est Eden Hazard ?
00:07:56 : Son cadre familial et l’arrivée du foot dans sa vie
00:09:57 : La Belgique : une terre de football
00:11:43 : Sa formation en Belgique, ses débuts très jeunes
00:13:52 : L’arrivée au centre de formation du LOSC
00:17:50 : Les débuts en pro à Lille
00:22:02 : Le match référence contre l’OL en 2009
00:27:15 : Ses débuts en Europa League
00:27:52 : L’année 2010/2011 et ses ambitions
00:32:14 : Sa liberté tactique et l’aspect défensif
00:34:37 : Le doublé avec le LOSC et sa décision de rester
00:38:33 : Fin d’aventure avec le LOSC : un départ mérité ?
00:39:25 : La recherche de son nouveau club (Chelsea, Manchester…)
00:43:51 : Ses débuts à Chelsea
00:46:04 : Une adaptation immédiate en Premier League ?
00:47:23 : Sa relation avec Demba Ba
00:48:59 : La victoire en Europa League et sa frustration
00:49:34 : La saison 2013/2014 et Mourinho
00:51:16 : Son rapport au but et le profil des offensifs actuels
00:52:46 : Le 1000e match d’Arsène Wenger : le beau cadeau
00:54:29 : Salah, Lukaku, De Bruyne… des ratés de Chelsea ?
00:57:04 : La Coupe du Monde 2014 au Brésil
00:58:59 : La saison 2014/2015 : son 1er titre de PL
01:02:34 : Le doublé championnat et FA Cup en 2015
01:04:55 : Les confrontations Chelsea-PSG en LDC : un classique ?
01:06:23 : La saison 2015/2016 : les dessous de cette année blanche
01:10:49 : La renaissance de Chelsea en 2016/2017 avec Conte et Kanté
01:17:26 : Le TERRIFIANT Manchester City 2017/2018 de Guardiola
01:20:01 : Son manque de référence en Ligue des Champions ?
01:21:47 : La Coupe du Monde 2018 : l’avant et le parcours historique
01:28:51 : La Coupe du Monde 2018 : La demi-finale France – Belgique et la médaille de bronze
01:31:27 : L’arrivée de Maurizio Sarri à Chelsea
01:33:41 : La finale d’Europa League 2019, son dernier match avec Chelsea
01:35:15 : Les clubs intéressés durant son épopée à Chelsea
01:36:21 : Les dessous du transfert au Real Madrid
01:38:45 : Les critiques sur son poids à son arrivée
01:40:34 : La blessure qui a tout changé au Real
01:50:12 : Se considère-t-il comme vainqueur de la LDC 2022 ?
01:50:54 : Sa relation avec Karim Benzema
01:53:06 : Le processus de sa retraite
01:56:55 : Son avis sur Heung-Min Son
01:57:30 : Les 3 défenseurs les plus marquants
01:59:09 : Suit-il encore Chelsea ?
02:00:04 : Fin d’émission
02:01:07 : Annonce

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Hello everyone, I hope you are well. Today we’re back with
Zack in free wheel mode, The 43rd and final episode of this year. I am delighted to be back with you
live from Belgium for a programme Exceptional with a magnificent setting. There is a little sunshine, etc. We may not have expected that. I was told that the last
few days weren’t so great. but today, it is. And it is for an exceptional programme,
because today, you know that as As a football fan, I was
lucky enough to receive a lot. Some big names in sport on my
set, some really great champions. And I am very happy to continue
this tradition today, because today, I have the honour of
welcoming Mr Eden Hazard. Eden, how are you? It’s okay, we’re here, at my place. We’re doing well, aren’t we?
We’re doing very, very well. I brought back the sun just for you. I heard you were coming, so I
had to do something special. You’re making me happy. Are you okay? It’s fine, it’s fine. Are you on holiday? When I receive someone who
has a job, that’s easy. If it’s a bit in season in
terms of current events. You’ve been retired for
just under two years now. What are you talking about right now? It’s the holidays, it’s the beginning
of August, how are you doing? Yeah, it’s the holidays. At that point, I would normally
have resumed like everyone else, But now, we can enjoy two
whole months of holidays with Children, let’s move around a bit. There, we went over to Belgium to
see everyone, the whole family. No, it’s cool, we do what we want. Yeah, is this retreat
also a bit of freedom, In the end, is August really different from the rest of the year? Actually, that’s exactly right. It’s the freedom to do what you want. You don’t have to wake
up to go to training, You don’t have to wake up to
go to the hotel for a match. You see, you’re here today, but
tomorrow, what are we going to do? Let’s do it. Tomorrow we’re going to
Greece, we’re going to Greece. So there you have it, there’s no We have to do this. We do what we want. Do you still play sports,
even just for fun? I saw a format you posted
two months ago that you had. made with Dazn about cycling. We are in Belgium,
legendary land of cycling. Do you like this sport? How is it for you? What else do you do? I play padel a lot. I play padel in Madrid,
Spain, and people love it. Afterwards, we try to stay in shape. I have young children,
so I don’t want to be the dad who doesn’t do much. So I’m going to do some running,
cycling and paddleboarding. When I can go play
tennis, I go play tennis. Cool. A game of football with
friends every now and then. We do a bit of everything, really. And the children, are
they playing anything? Are they following in
their father’s footsteps? Me, the three older ones
play Rayo Mahada Wanda. It’s a club near Madrid, there. They like each other. The older one is 14 years old. The second one, I had him. He
spent a year at the Real Academy. And now, I changed it
a year and a half ago. Same here, he’s at Rayo Mahada Wanda. It’s the Irish brothers’
club. They started there. Even Rodri, the Ballon d’Or winner. That’s so cool. No, it’s cool, they’re here, they
want to play football like Dad. Of course. When you’re little, you always
want to do what your dad does. Of course. And they’re
having fun, no pressure. Do you follow them a little, or do
you try to stay detached from that? Because of the infamous Bappé Project,
parents who want their children to become footballers or
perhaps, in any case, follow in their footsteps. Is this something that interests you,
or do you just leave them 100% alone? When they are free, do
they do whatever they want? No, I give them 100% freedom, that’s
for sure, but with a few tips. from my dad, who was a
pretty good football player. So, from time to time. Afterwards, whether they listen
or not is not my concern. But then again, I don’t want to be the
annoying dad either, telling you what to do. They do whatever they want. As long as they’re having fun, I’m happy. For me, that’s been the thread running
through my career: I’ve had fun. And if I’m not having fun,
it’s over. I understand. And that’s how it is with children. As
long as they’re having fun, I’m happy. Are you still following football
as closely as you used to? The football season is
starting again soon. The first league promises
to be absolutely legendary. Do you have a little hype inside you right
now, or are you just getting excited about the upcoming concert? You seem a bit detached from the
follow-up. What is life like in sport? I watch less football. After that, I watch other sports as well. I like the NBA, things like that. But I watch less. We watch the first league a lot here. We’ve always watched the first
league a lot because I find it more attractive, more appealing
than other lines. I have two little brothers
who still play football. Thorgan is playing in the final, so
we’re watching the Belgian league a bit. Absolutely. And Kylian too. After that, telling you that I watch
90 minutes every weekend isn’t true. I don’t want to. I’m
not going to lie to you. But in the first league, we watch a lot. Because children like them too. It’s beautiful. I’m telling
you, he’s the one to watch. Then there are the transfer rumours
coming out of the Premier League. I was watching another video by my
friend Willou a few minutes ago. days, who were discussing it. Even the transfer market for Chelsea,
Liverpool, etc., is looking promising. They’re a bit over the top,
but that’s just how it is. We’re happy, we’re going to
have new players in new teams. Who will be champion? In La Liga,
you know who will be champion. You have two teams that can be
champions, that can be champions. In France, it’s the same, you only
have one team that can do it, but in first league, you don’t really know. You have Liverpool, who are very strong,
you have Manchester City, you have Chelsea, who are recruiting. It’s never, that’s what’s great about it. The suspense is still building. Before we move on to C’est vraiment le
début, which is a bit more traditional, A quick note, perhaps, still on the
subject of cycling, have you been following the Tour de France recently? Of course. Three weeks on my sofa. These are the three weeks
when everyone knows not to bother me. Really? Each stage? From 2pm
to 5pm, I’m on my sofa. We go back and forth with
the children, but I watch. We went to Toulouse to see Remco
with the children because we was in the area there. That’s cool. I grew up watching the Tour de France. When we went on holiday, we were little. My father and my uncles were
watching the Tour de France. and they were not to be disturbed. It was the classic, four
o’clock in the afternoon. Yes, so we were there,
enjoying ourselves, watching. What’s more, Belgians are pretty
good cyclists at the moment, So that adds a little something extra. We were just talking about it earlier,
mentioning Remco and Van Aert. I even quoted Van der Pol. He told me: He’s Dutch, but he
was actually born in Belgium. and he also has French nationality. In short, it’s true that Belgium
is a great place for cycling. So, here’s to Belgium. To be honest, I studied here
for a year when I was 21. It was a country that I
always enjoyed visiting. So it’s cool to come back. And thank you for honouring
us with your presence. We are well received in Belgium. We have been very well received
in Belgium. We are ready to begin. That’s the classic question
I ask on all programmes. I’m going to ask you
to introduce yourself. Can you tell us who you are,
where you come from, and what your What is your educational
background, please? My name is Eden Hazard. Now I’m 34. I come from Brun-le-Comte, a
small village where we are today. And my academic record
isn’t great, but I have I completed my studies in Belgium. Then, when I was in Lille at the
age of 14, I did my fourth year No, the third and final
year of secondary school. At 14, is this the third one? Yes, I completed the third year of
secondary school and attended the first few months of the fourth year. at secondary school in Lille. And then I stopped because of all the
travelling and everything, the selection process. So, I did a bit of CNED. You know, home tuition. It’s a distance learning course. And then I quickly signed
a professional contract. You know what? There wasn’t any, but
I was a good student. You were pretty good? Yeah. It was from the moment I knew I was going
to be a professional that I started to think about it. that I let go a little. Logical. Which is normal, but otherwise
I was a good student. Did you still feel pressure from your
parents, perhaps because they had want to get a degree,
something like that, or them, they immediately understood that as soon
as there was a professional aspect to it who’s back, that’s it, it’s No, my parents, my dad and my
mum, they’re both sports teachers. So, we have always been immersed in sport. We’ve always been involved in more
than just football; I used to do judo. When I’m little, I do
quite a lot of things. And so I was going to
follow in their footsteps, Sports teacher or sports
instructor, something like that. But then it’s difficult when you have a
15-year-old son who signs a professional contract. You say: He already earns more than all of
us put together, so what do you want to do? I think so, as a parent you
always have the stress of injuries, you don’t know
how it’s going to turn out. But after that, it went pretty well. You mentioned your parents briefly. What was your family background? How many brothers did you have,
and what was it like for you? I have three little brothers,
but I have lots of cousins. cousins, all of them. There were a lot of people at
home, you know, a big family. But I have three little brothers. I have two younger brothers
who I was really close to. And then, when I left for Lille,
my mother had another one. You see? Ethan, who is only 21 years old. I’m already 34, you know? So, there’s a 13-year age gap, and
I left when I was 14, so I didn’t really grown up with Ethan. That’s what I was going to say, are you
still able to maintain a connection with him? Yeah, now it’s the myth. And I have children too. It’s always been family, but even
though I was in Lille, he was He was in Belgium, he came
at the weekend, he was small. We didn’t really grow up
together, but now he’s very close to my children. Naturally. He’s their uncle. When you come to Belgium, where is Ethan? It’s Ethan. It has to be. Even though we have our own organ. After that, we all pursued
careers in football. When he thinks about it, we
weren’t really together every time. That’s why, when you retire,
you spend time with them. That makes up for it a little bit. We’re trying to see each
other more often now. Of course, in general, when I
have someone who plays sports As a professional, I ask him
what brought him to his sport. But you, I saw, it was quite natural,
I saw that your father, Thierry, was a former semi-pro,
that even your mum, too, She played at a pretty high level. Were you immersed in football
right from the start? Yeah. You know, you say my parents, but
they’re my uncles and everything. My grandfather is my
grandfather, actually. Okay. On my dad’s side, who was into
football, and on my mum’s side, He was into cycling. We’ve
always been into sports. We were kids, not rowdy,
but we were kids with They had a lot of energy, so
we had to get them into sports. And I think that when I was
born, the first thing I did was Two or three days means going
to watch my dad play football. I don’t remember, of course, but
that’s what my mother tells me. We’ve always been into this thing,
football, football, football. We’re sitting around the table, talking
about football, we’re on holiday, watching football. We were going to focus on football. Belgium, land of bicycles, but
Belgium, land of football too. Yes, you still had some
great teams in Belgium. In the old days, there was Underleck,
the great Underleck, the great ones, I don’t know, Malin, Bruges
were still big teams. Absolutely. After that, the Belgian league is less
valued than certain other leagues, because we’re a bit short of money. But I think that for young players
who come to play in Belgium, It’s also a springboard. You don’t have many players
who are totally committed. Who left Belgium. Afterwards, we were also
lucky to have this generation. You see? We’ll probably
talk about it again later. But the thing is, I think we grew
up with the Mexico 86 generation. You see, even if there
are 91, 12, 13 of us. But we heard a lot about it. And above all, in spirit, you’re right to
say that at JPL, things are developing well. This summer, there were still many
transfers of young players who are left, precisely, from
the JPL to then go to Premier League clubs or elsewhere. Noah Siddiqui, Union Saint-Gilois,
Cercle Bruges and company. I think you’re right to say
that, the Belgian League, It seems to me that it has gained a bit
of prestige and status in recent years. No, but then again, it depends. The further they advance, the
more money they will earn, The right-wingers are still doing well. You know, you sign players
when you have a bit more money. And then you also pull the players when Bruges did well in the
Champions League last year, They weren’t bad, I think. So you have Underleck, and it
remains Underleck. Obviously. You see, you have two or three
clubs that should still be standard, a little worn
out, but still usable bad things for Belgium. You did most of your
training in the region. I saw the Bren and Tubiz
clubs before joining Lidl. How did it happen? Were you ahead of your age group? You’ve always played in the position we
know you best, as an attacking midfielder. Or have you tried a bit of everything? I’ve always played up
front, scoring goals. When I was little, I was already very
talented, so I played a lot with the older kids. That’s why at one point, I was Before, it was the RSB, Bren. My father was a coach, I
had the name of a coach, So everyone was there. I was playing with the one-year-olds. After that, the club became too small
for me to progress, so we moved to Tubiz. Tubiz, which is a good
little Belgian training club. My father left as a youth coordinator. Me, Torgan, and Kylian went there. After that, same thing, what did I do? Three, four years there, and at 14 When I was 12 or 13, I think Lille
was already following me a bit. We had a few contacts, but I
was still too young to leave. My parents said, “No, we’re staying
in Belgium, close to the family.” Okay. And at 14, when the project was
perfect for me, I said, “Come on, bye.” Was there something that
triggered this when he was 14? Like maybe a particular tournament
where you did well, or was it Just the logical next step
after 12-13 years old? No, actually, it was I think I would say exactly what happened. There are always regional selections. Yes. The Nord-Pas-de-Calais region is what
we call the Brabant-Walloon region. And I was playing with Braban-Walon and we
had a match, I don’t remember what it was. where we played against girls who
were four or five years older than us. And it was the first
time I’d ever seen a guy I had gone away with my uncle, and
it was the first time I had seen him. There’s a recruiter from
Lille who has started. That’s where we started
talking a bit, making contact. After that, I did some training,
played in tournaments and ended up the best player in the
tournament every time. There, they said to themselves And in the meantime, I could
go to Underlect or Ajax. But I didn’t feel like it. Ajax was Dutch. I didn’t speak Dutch, so I
didn’t really want to go. And Underlect, my parents
weren’t too keen because with School was complicated. So, after that, I left for Lille. Two or three years of contact,
internships, and tournaments. It’s funny, Lille offered better
continuity with school than Underlect? Yeah, Lille was the whole
project. I was staying there. That’s what I really liked. 14 years old, sleeping there,
making friends, playing. I was coming back for the weekend, and
Lille is an hour’s drive from my house. That’s what I was going
to say, it’s not very far. No, it’s next door. How did the reconciliation
happen when they came to see you? What’s the project they’re offering you? Do they tell you: You’re going to the
training centre with a long-term goal? Obviously, I think the purpose
of signing is professional, etc. But what are their arguments? Luchin. Luchin, it wasn’t over
yet, but it was coming. Lucien, for us, was the
new training centre, trendy, brand new, the grounds
and everything, you sleep there. Brand new. Yeah. In the first or second
year, we went to visit when Claude Puel was in charge. It was Claude Puel, the
coach, and I said, “Wow.” The facilities? Yeah, the facilities. Even the club in general
was a good Ligue 1 club. The proximity to Belgium was
also an advantage for me. And at 14, living there in a boarding
school environment, etc., did that make things easier for you? Did the distance allow you to maintain family ties easily? Yeah, but that’s what I wanted. I think it was harder, I say it a lot, But it was harder for the parents,
because their 14-year-old was leaving. I have a son who is now 14 years
old. If I leave home, it feels a bit You’d be a little sad, yeah. So, I’m leaving, but everything
is going really well. So, all the stress for
my parents, the family, They forget a little because
every weekend, I go home, They come to see me. They
can see that I’m having fun. that I’m good, that I play well,
that I’m happy to go back there. You know, every Monday morning. Because on Monday morning,
we had to leave here early. What were we doing? An hour, an hour and a quarter drive,
because I had an appointment at the school. Was it class? It was class time. And you were in a When you arrive in a generation with
certain players who have continued with you until you turned pro, or was
it a generation where you Are you the only one who got out? When I arrive, I’m not with
the Lilous at all, actually. I arrived at the training
centre, but it wasn’t really a training centre. There are
three of us sleeping there. It’s more like football, I
don’t know what they call it, where you go to school and
when the people at school, They’re going to play sports,
and we’re going to play football. Is it sports and studies?
It’s sports studies. There you have it, that’s what sports
studies is all about. Look up the word. So, let’s do it. This is only the second
year we’ve been to L’Ile. There, you go in with
the people from Lille. The first year, I trained with
people from the sports programme. and I was playing with my team, LOSC. I never trained with them. It was a bit strange, but
I was having fun, I was was making friends left and right. It’s only the second year. And after the second year, when she
finished, at 16, Luchin was ready. And once Luchin was ready,
you joined a team in Lille. which is also becoming a bit more
competitive. How are things going over there? Did you always have the same natural
talent that we know you have? Because from the moment you
started in Ligue 1 at 16 and a bit, I think so, you did show some things. But how does it work in practice? Did you have a particular trainer
who took you under their wing? How was it? No, it was
just business as usual. Actually, there were several I remember, my first coach was Alain. Wallyn, but he wasn’t a trainer. We were also close to
Jean-Michel Van Damme, the guy who was in charge
of the training centre. Then I had two, three. I had Pascal Planck. When
I arrived at CFA, I played A little bit in CFA, I had Rachid Chiabe. I had all these trainers who saw
me develop, but I was talented, So I was always outclassed. I was 15 years old, playing for the CFA. At the beginning of my 16th year, I was
playing with the CFA. So, I didn’t really I turned professional when I was 16. What’s it like when
you arrive at the pros? There is another well-known Belgian
there, Kevin Miralas, but that How did it go? No, but it went well. I was happy because there was a
Belgian, and he was young too. Kevin is four years older
than me. Yeah, right. So he started scoring goals. I say: That’s great, I’ll
have a Belgian with me. So we were very close.
After that, he left quickly. So, we drifted apart a bit,
but we always stayed in touch. not in daily contact. Yeah, but from a distance, you can argue. And he was the one who helped me
a little bit in the beginning. He is Cabaye. Because Kevin was close to Yohann. Yohann Cabaye, did he help you
out a bit when you started? Yeah, I spent a lot of time with them. When you joined the
professional team, was there Because we knew you for your
slightly flamboyant side, A bit of a helical, a bit technical. Recently, we have seen others who,
at 16 or 17, are already succeeding. to show beautiful things. It’s even going to be in the news, there’s
Rio N’Gumoa, the young player from Liverpool, who works in a similar position
and is very determined. When you were 16 or 17,
was there a physical gap? Or are you okay, have you already left? I’m already leaving
because I’ve been lucky. Ever since I was little, I was a bit I was pretty strong on my legs and
everything, so I did well in the duels. Then, at 20, I was stronger
than I was at 16 or 17. But I was fast, I was quick
off the mark, I did well. You had that start. I’ve always enjoyed contact with
people, people who get close to me. inside, it gave me a boost. I say: OK, you hit me, go
ahead, you’ll see what happens. I’ve always thought that. Were you already set on the first league? Yeah, not even. It’s just that that was my mindset. In 2007, at the age of 16, you made your
Ligue 1 debut, propelled by Club Puel. In total, there were four
small entries that year. What did she bring you, specifically? It was a bit of time, a bit of
discovery, just to scratch the surface? Yeah, I was impatient,
I wanted to play more. I was on the bench, I said, “Go
ahead, 12 minutes, 15 minutes.” I wanted more. And yet, I showed beautiful things. I was leaving with the CFA the next day. After all, at 16, you can’t expect
to play 90 minutes every game. You had Bastos in front of
you, you had Aubragnages, experienced players in Ligue 1. So there I was, learning, happy. I knew I was good, but I
knew my time would come. It was just when I When someone put me on the field, it was
up to me to prove that I could do it. even at 16, 17, playing. It was necessary to be patient. Yeah, but then I didn’t go. I said
to myself, “I’m going to do it.” a very long training period. Then,
the following year, the salt came. All right, we’ve started. How did they see you? You mentioned them yourself: Ludovic
Obraniak, Michel Bastos, etc. You were a bit of a threat to
them, so they accepted you. What was that? No, no, not Actually, you should ask them. Because I arrived We had a wonderful CFA group. Among the young people,
everyone got along well. And I arrived in the same state
of mind when I joined the pros. Very well. And I arrived, checking everyone
out, I was 16 years old. I was telling myself that, but I had this
side to me that was like, “Here we are, having fun, 16 years old.” And I think that for the older
ones, it was an older generation. Now it’s more convenient. The older ones are with the
younger ones and everything. But before that, especially the French
side of things, that’s what really got me In Belgium, we live in a certain way, But the French are a bit more Be careful, it’s more controlled. And I arrived with my Belgian
attitude: Here we are, having a laugh. You know what? In some respects, it didn’t go very well. But then, as I always say, it’s When you’re out there on the pitch,
you’re good, you know what I mean? It opens everything up.
It opens doors for you. You become friends with people
you might not otherwise meet. friend or something like that. And then I saw that you
were good, even very good. So then, at 17, I was
accepted by everyone. What is “Belgitude”? Is it laughter, smiles, and frankness? Yeah, you’re there, laughing,
joking around a bit. I wasn’t afraid to tease a 30-year-old
guy, but maybe the 30-year-old guy years old, he would say to
himself: Take it easy, kid. You were telling me, and I said,
“Go ahead, it’s fine, don’t worry.” This afternoon, I’m going to
give you a little break. You see? Things like that. And with some, it went well,
with others, a little less so. But at the same time,
that’s part of learning too. In 2008-2009, Claude Puhet left,
and that was your first real year as a professional. You’ve made your first appearances and
earned your first starts in Ligue 1. But what really made an impression
at the time was the beginning of in March 2009. Lille face Oël, two-time
defending champions, precisely in March 2009. Two times in three days. First in the French
Cup, then in the league. And any Lyonnais, hello, who
follows the club closely, still remembers that match because it
was one of the first ones where you will shine in the eyes
of the general public. One goal, two assists. You tormented the Lyon defence
for 90 minutes, starting with I found it, a YouTube
video that still exists, You can find it here: Eden
Hazard Show versus Lyon. It’s 16 years old and has 750,000 views. Don’t hesitate to go and see it because
I’m telling you, it’s a good example. what I’m talking about. Do you remember that match? Of course. As you say, it’s the
match that has changed. Not everything, but that’s where people In addition, Lyon at that time was What was that? 2000? I don’t know, it was Greater Lyon. They were the reigning
champions, after all. It was Lyon, what was it like? They had been champions
for six or seven years. It’s as if today, a 16-year-old
kid is playing in the arena. against PSG, he makes them
suffer. You think to yourself: P. G is the best team in France. Of course. It reminds me a bit of Kamavinga,
aged 16-17, who had been He was also excellent against
PSG. There you go, you see. And then, that’s when it all started. I remember The interviews have begun. The photos, the autographs, the
people who stop me in the street. Once again, it’s all part of learning. The change in size. The change in size, the way others
look at you in the changing room and in the little
17-year-old. It’s serious. My client is here and he’s not afraid. In that match in particular, did you have
a certain mindset that influenced you or something? Because shooting from 20 metres, decisive
passes and support play are already as we know you, with power. Or was it just your game? That was it, actually. Me, I’ve never counted big games,
small games, or anything like that. Have fun. That’s what I’m saying. That’s why I told you at the
beginning, it’s the thread. The red of my career, that’s it. Have fun. You see, sometimes you play
well, sometimes you play badly. Have fun, you’re there, you’re playing
against Sergio Ramos, the defender. Try moving it up a little
bit. You’re there, laughing. It passes, it passes, it
doesn’t pass, it doesn’t pass. That sums me up pretty
well. But that’s me, really. And Lyon, I tried to play my game. We won. Plus, that’s what people Yes, I’m doing it. It’s a big
game, but we’re going to win. Absolutely. Three, two,
last minute added on. Last minute, I don’t know
anymore. Who should I pass it to? You make a centre. That’s Fauvergue, exactly. It’s Fauvergue who’s cheating. I remember. What’s more, it’s a first-line centre
and everything, 80 13th minute. I had already seen it.
I knew it very well. Many people make centres at random. I saw it. Was it calculated? Yeah. And the YouTube account that posted
the compilation 16 years ago, His name is Eden Azardis. Did you already have fans
in 2009? That was me. Is that you? Just kidding. He’s actually a member
of my family. Really? I don’t know. I eat all the jokes. Me, really, I’m taking it at face value. You know, that was also when
YouTube was just starting out. That’s true. I don’t know when YouTube came
out, but we grew up with YouTube. We used to watch YouTube
videos, Ronaldinho, Zizou, All players like that.
The first compilations. And so, straight away, when I’m
doing the match the next day, I see things like that. I said, “Yeah, we were there
with the training centre, We were watching my compilations. I was proud. A little flex. A little flex. A little flexibility. You finished as the best prospect
that year as a rotation player. You played about 1,500 minutes. The following year, you
were a regular starter. discovering Europa. I think it starts, for example,
against Genoa, Liverpool. It was an attack involving
Tulio Demelo, Gervignau, Ludo O’Braniak, Pierre Alain Fraud. How was your first year
as a permanent employee? Because you finished fourth,
moreover, thanks to a last-minute The day you lose against Lorient,
you lose your place on the podium. How was it? I don’t think I was even there
on the last day, actually. Honestly, it was the fourth,
it was a great year for us. We played well, we felt that
there was fluidity in our game, We all got along well. Honestly, it was cool
to play on that team. But then the following year was
the one that changed everything. But that was the core of the
title-winning team, don’t you think? That was the basics. It had everything. Honestly, it had everything. Afterwards, you couldn’t say that you
were going to be champion that year. according to or that you were going to be But you had I don’t know if Gervais
was already there that year. But anyway, Gervais, he’s coming with He was already there? Yes, he comes there and eats
what he knows how to cook. I think it’s Bastos who’s
going to Lyon. That’s right. And you have Tulio there,
there’s Flo Balmon, maybe, who arrives or arrives after. Finally, I don’t know, you’ve got
some good Ligue 1 players coming in. You see, you have all three In Lille, people talk a lot
about the Deines, Gervais, All that, but what has also changed
a lot are the top three for me. The cabails, Balmon and
Balmain, and Mahvouba. They were the ones who did
a lot too. The Grand Rio. The Great One. Not very big, but We
understand each other. It’s them, you see. Captain, good captain,
good energy in the group. That’s what made us do it. What was it like discovering
the Europa League? It’s a European competition. We dream of the Champions
League, you know. But no, I remember a match
we played against Valencia. You were playing against
guys like David Silva, I think he was still there, or
Ron Matta, I can’t remember. I thought to myself, “Wow, this is it.” It’s not the Champions League,
but it’s European competition. Even the victory against
Liverpool. The victory. Torres, all that, Steven
Gerard who’s there. It’s a discovery of high-level sport. Liverpool is the cream
of the crop in football. In the year you won the title,
after two seasons, you were twice Best young player in Ligue 1, 2009, 2010. How are you approaching this year, 2010?
How are you approaching this year, 2010-2011? It was quite an extraordinary
team from the island. He was mentioned alongside Moussa Saut,
Gervignaud, Rio, Yohann Cabaye, etc. How was it this year? And what was the film like, and what
was the reality within this team? who managed to snatch the title. Actually, it’s just some small
missing parts that arrived. When I talk about missing pieces, I’m
talking about Moussa, a goal scorer. who could score 25 goals against us. He scored 25 goals. Sometimes it wasn’t We had a great year, but
sometimes, in a year, you have always matches where you’re not good. And then you have that striker who scores
the first goal and you get three points. People don’t remember,
but it was those matches that win you a league. Not the matches where you win 5-0. And Moussa, he managed to
take us to another dimension. All by himself, really? Not him alone. But in spirit We needed this striker who put Because Demelot, with all
the respect we had for him, all the quality he put into it He wasn’t going to score 25 goals. There’s definitely Pierre Alain Frot,
he was nearing the end of his career, He wasn’t going to score
25 goals against us. But they also scored some
very important goals. But for me, I tell you, what
also makes the difference is That was the atmosphere in the group. Afterwards, when you win matches,
the atmosphere is often good. But there, I swear, the
atmosphere was really good. What I noticed was that after a somewhat
lacklustre start to the season, the team seemed to have found its rhythm, with a
more balanced play and a more effective attack. The players seemed to be working
well together, and the team’s overall performance was much better. slow, no defeats between the 10th
and 24th matchdays of Ligue 1. A series of almost 13
matches with mostly victories and a few draws. It was a long time. Trust, too. You win one match, you win
two matches, you play well. You see, you have people
coming in, you had Landrau. For me, Landrau too, he’s
done a lot this year. He was the guy who caught the ball. For that, Lille, we played well. It wasn’t because Michael
Landrau was also leaving. You see, you had good defenders. You had two goals: to be the best
right-back that year and to score a goal. I’m not talking about Europe, but Ligue 1. You had Adil there, who was on cloud nine. You had Aurélien Shejou,
who was also really strong. It was a whole thing, actually. You were in your third
year at the time, you were felt more accomplished on the field? You knew a little better how it worked,
your relationship with the defender, your How to dribble, things like that? Did those first two years of experience
bring you back to where you started? Anything that helped you be even
more specific about your third year? I was riding the wave, actually. Do you realise what you’re saying? I wasn’t thinking about that. I was there, playing, I was good,
I was confident, I was having fun. We, the slightly creative players, when
you are confident, you can succeed. You can do lots of
things and be successful. The famous shot from the
car park, and it’s a goal. There you go. And even for me, it wasn’t
really on target or anything. It was more about dribbling,
dynamism, all that stuff. There were a few matches where I didn’t
play so well, but your Gervais was good. There was always that balancing act. And then, in the series you’re
talking about, we beat everyone 4-0. But it was when the two of us, the
three of us, were all hot together. There wasn’t one that wasn’t
as good as the others. And that’s where Actually, that was it. I think we scored 6, 7, 4-0, 4-1 in a row. And people started saying:
Lille is good, it’s not bad. That’s strong. So, you have confidence, you have
a coach who gives us confidence. What I was going to say was,
what was your relationship with The coach, with Rudy at the time? I was young, I wasn’t the kind
of guy who went to see the coach. I just wanted him to put me
on the field, that’s all. Okay. Put me on the field, if you want,
we’ll talk, we’ll talk, no problem. But I’ve never been close to Not that close, but I’ve never
been the type of person who needed to go and talk to the coach. There was this relationship where we
respected each other, but leave me alone, I’m not really into it Assistant coach, yes, that’s
my man, assistant coach. The physical trainer, that’s my friends. That’s interesting, you were closer
to the deputies and everything. I don’t like that aspect:
I’ll speak to the coach. People: There, you play
because you talk to the coach. It wasn’t really my thing. I play because I’m good, not
because I talk to the coach. And with Rudi, that was it. Afterwards, we developed a wonderful
relationship based on what we had experienced. Look, there he is, he’s the coach of
the national team, he’s calling me. He asks me things. But it was a healthy relationship. Tactically, do you think
you were listening? What were you asked? Or was it more like: I’ll do my
thing and you guys adapt around me? from the fight that I’m doing my thing? Yeah, that’s how I was. After that, tactically, you have
the basics, you know very well. I played on the left, but with
Gervais, I went to the right. He was going left, in front. Even in the years when I was My best years at Chelsea, with
William, with Pedro: Go on, Go right, go left. We’re doing
whatever we want, actually. When you have the ball, you just have to We’re behaving ourselves. It’s funny because we’re bound
to talk about those years, But you still had coaches where you
thought, “They certainly have a reputation.” to be tactically astute. Antonio Conte, Mauricio Sari, all that,
I’m not going to give you the details. No, but then you have coaches
who don’t like it very much. But then again, you have a coach, You don’t like that your player
goes to the right, but he goes On the right, he scores two
goals. What do you say to him? You can be the best tactician in
the world, you say: Go on, go right, We’ll score two goals, we’ll win
the match, it’s fine, don’t worry. Football remains a team sport. That’s it. And I’ve always been a bit like that. I wasn’t just doing anything
tactically on the pitch. I knew how to It was more the
defensive side of things for me. All right. But cheer up, you’re boycotting a little
because you have to boycott, that’s how it is. Good players boycott. But when you have the ball, get into
position, take a good run-up and jump properly. They’ll find you, don’t worry,
you’ll make a difference. Good players tend to boycott
defensive tasks a little. Yes, everyone knows that. I know a little about football. Yes. You’re a good player who
doesn’t boycott defensive plays. Did you at least Look, for example, at Benzé, he
was at least keeping to the line. Was he rushing a bit? I played with Karim for three years,
he boycotted too, I’m telling you. You know him well. Even
he might not tell you. Of course. He’s doing the bare minimum. I was doing the bare minimum. When you see, for example, PSG in 2025,
Dembouze in the Champions League final, the He follows them. in every sense of the word, thingamajig. Yeah, but that’s just a way of thinking. It’s the coach who instils
that mentality in you. All right. Afterwards, Dembouze, I saw him
this year, he was boycotting. Also, you shouldn’t believe it. There were two or three matches where
he came back to defend, yes, but I saw matches where he didn’t want to defend. But since he scored two
goals, people forgot about it. The context makes it so. That’s how it is. The context makes it so. Then there are matches, big
matches where you have to defend. You lose a guy who doesn’t
defend, it’s difficult. In our day, when you played against
Barça, you didn’t defend with 11 players. Even at 12, you sometimes
tried to add an extra guy. It was difficult. There,
you have to defend yourself. That year, to return to Lille, you doubled
up in the final with victory in the The French Cup, against PSG, no less. You were voted the best
player in Ligue 1 that year. Ligue 1 title, French Cup,
third individual title in one year, in three years. Many would have left after that. What made you decide not to leave? Did you want to stay in
Lille for another year? Did you perhaps There were some
requests, but that summer, the Was it not the right time
to do so? How did it happen? Don’t forget that I was only 20 years old. Yes, that’s true. And that I wanted to leave. I wanted to leave, but
then we decided to stay. Me, my friends and family, we I said
to myself: I’ll try to stay for a year. And there you have it, Gervé
was leaving, Kabaï was leaving, You had my friends leaving. That’s more why I wanted to leave. I thought to myself, “Go ahead, I’ll
just end up with my mates again.” Adil, he’s leaving, I think. But then I thought, “Go
for it, you know what?” 20 years old, let’s do another year. What’s more, I think this is the
year I’m taking the number 10. Yes. For me, the 10 was important. So Ludo, he’s leaving, I think. Ludo, he’s leaving for Bordeaux. I’ll take number 10. I said to myself, “Go for it,
let’s do a year with number 10.” Let’s see how it goes. It’s been a very good year. I don’t necessarily like to focus too
much on statistics or other things, But after this season, and not
leaving, you’re doing even better. 20 goals, 18 assists in Ligue
1, 22-22 in all competitions. What kept you motivated? Is it the 10th? Is it the year as well? It’s the 10th, and it’s me. Moussa and Gervais are no
longer part of the team. Okay, you’re the leader.
You make the difference. You can’t ask Yes, you have people coming. Dim’s coming, glitter. See? You know he’s a good player, you
know he can make a difference too, But it’s the first year and all. So I feel like number
10, the leader, you know? And I break everything,
actually. Trust me. Same here, the atmosphere
in the group is wonderful. You’re not going to finish as champion. I think Montpellier will
be this year’s champion. Exactly. That year, it’s Montpellier. But it plays at Honestly, I swear, we could
have done the double take. But that’s just nitpicking. No, I feel really strong, actually. At the time, I mentioned
the match in Lyon to you, Another goal of yours that
really made an impression on me. You scored against Sainté, but
you also scored against OM. The big hit, like that and
everything, I don’t remember anymore. if it was that year, but that goal No, that’s the year they won the title. In any case, it was your goal
that made an impression on me. Do you still remember that?
Actually, this is something similar. I’m telling you, I play on
instinct, I don’t calculate. Actually, Eden Hazard never
shoots from there, normally. But never. Then I said, “Come on, just shoot at
random, bam, go for it, score, that’s good.” That’s why, in the end,
my reaction is, “Wow.” I say: What did you just do? That’s not you. I scored two or three goals,
some nice shots, but it’s When a footballer plays in the moment,
it often hits the mark, it makes a bang. You had the same reaction as
Zizou to the return of the TR7s. That’s how it is. That’s what he does. Why is he doing that? He’s just doing it. He doesn’t think, actually. No, that goal is also what he does. My career in Lille isn’t just about that. Of course. The goal in Marseille was at the
Vélodrome, Canal. It was one o’clock on Sunday. This is the match where you have
to be good. All eyes were on him. Yes. It’s matches like these that
really leave a lasting impression. That’s the match where the
next day, on Monday or Tuesday, in town, we’ll get you some I don’t even go to training the next day. I said to myself: Leave me at
home, it’s fine, I don’t have I need to practise. Did you look at the
newspapers, the papers? Yeah, like everyone else,
you know? But not too much. To be honest, I’ve never
really been attracted to them. I knew when I had been good,
I knew when I had been bad, I knew when I had been very good. I knew people were going to
judge me, but I didn’t care. Okay. I was never in the Are you a social media guy, or not at all? No. Insta, Twitter,
that thing, not at all? No, I don’t watch it much. People tell me about it,
but I don’t watch it. When you’re 20, you watch a little, but
after that, you’ve got better things to do. Two titles for most promising player,
two titles for best player in Ligue 1, that you also shop there that year. So, four years in Ligue 1, two
titles as best young player, two titles for best player, we’re still Not bad. Yeah, definitely not bad. A well-deserved departure that year? I won’t even say it was a deserved
departure, I’ll say it was a necessary departure. Because I can’t I can’t do… Actually, I can’t do any
better than that. No. See? With all due respect to
him, the club isn’t going to enable us to do better. Because this year, we’re
playing in the Champions League The last year hasn’t been too good. So I say to myself: No, to get
past something, I have to go My dream has always been Real Madrid,
ever since I was a little boy. A fan of Zidane and everything, Bernabeu. But I wanted to be on the front line. The first league, at 18, we
watched the matches on Canal. and I was watching the first league. Even though Real was my club. So I said to one of my mates: No,
I’m going to go to the front row. League, that’s great. Actually, your departure from
Chelsea hasn’t been finalised yet. You yourself said at the time that you
thought you would be playing for Manchester. I have already said, and I quote: The
final decision will be made in a few days. Please be patient. What is the reality of the situation? How can you declare
yourself that you think you Are you going to Manchester? And
in the end, you’re at Chelsea. Because when I say that, I
have no contact with Chelsea. Because Chelsea I want to play in the Champions League. Chelsea, they finish In the first league, they are not in the top four,
but they are playing in the final of the Champions League. It’s real. My DJ is calling me
because I was with Gervais. No, that was the year before. It wasn’t even his last year in Lille. Who’s calling me? Is Didier calling you? Yes. Drogba is calling me. Gervais said to me, “Hey, there’s
someone who wants to talk to you.” That’s good for us, Drogba. It’s for everyone. I say: Drogba, he’s calling me. So, I’ve got a bit of Chelsea in me. I have Joe Cole doing the
year with me, the final year, who’s talking to me about Chelsea. What does he say when he calls you? He said to me, “My boy, you’ve got to
come to Chelsea, it’s the club for you.” And me, Chelsea, I was Yes, I know Chelsea because
the Drogbas are there. NLK are the people I like. But it’s not the club that makes me dream. I’m telling you now, people, they know. I was also a fan of Real
Madrid and Thierry Henry, so I I used to like Arsenal. I grew up with the Gunners. We’ll cut that out in editing. There is no editing. But the thing is, I grew up with Arsenal. The Frenchies, all that stuff. I was on the French side. But anyway, you’re right to say so because that anyone from our generation remembers the Frenchies from Arsenal. Personalised in Téléfoot. For me, it was Téléfoot. And the same goes for the elephants
of Côte d’Ivoire on Téléfoot. Both things were so heavily
emphasised at the time on Téléfoot. That gave us a bond of sympathy for it. That was my other generation. So now we’re at the hotel,
finishing up the last match. of the year, I think. I don’t know what we’re doing
anymore, we’re in the hotel. We’re here, eating and everything. And then there’s that Chelsea match,
the Champions League final, and he wins. So, after that, I’m going on holiday. And then I’m going to Abramovich’s. He says to me: He’s giving me the whole
routine, the tag, I want you and everything. And I’ve already spoken
to Ferguson on the phone. I went to see Man City’s training centre. You see, your It’s a company that was
playing there, so I went to see a match. The famous match, the derby where
the teammate scores with his head. I was there that day. I’m meeting Harry Redknapp from Tottenham. I meet everyone. So you really said to yourself:
I see all the projects. I look at all the projects.
I look at all the projects. Tottenham interested me at one point too. Because Tottenham, I think
in December, they are first things that come to
mind when I see Harry Rednape. I say to myself: I want
to go to the first league. I don’t know where I want to go, but
I want to go to the first league. The only big club I don’t
talk to is Liverpool. All right. Maybe because I played well against
them, they didn’t want to try too hard. It’s the only club where I don’t speak. I’m talking to Man City, Man United,
Tottenham, Arsenal, same thing. I don’t talk to them. Wenger, he didn’t tell me No? Arsène, that Arsène, no, I don’t know. I don’t talk to them. I say: Go ahead, never
mind. They don’t want me. Never mind. And so Chelsea, afterwards,
I meet Abramovich. And then I say, “Go ahead,
I’m going to Chelsea.” Okay. What is it? Is that the project? No, it’s also, I’ll tell you
the truth, it’s also, there’s De Bruyne, who is over there. You’ve got Courtois signing there, you’ve
got Lukaku signing there, all the Belgians. I say to myself: Go ahead, you know what?
We’re going there as a family, right? We’re going to go on a school trip. We’re going as a family. And as for adapting,
that should be easier. Because I think to myself: Manchester
United, I watch the French players, You have Evra there. I think to myself: French, a bit
older, maybe it won’t be easy. See? Tottenham, I can’t remember if there
were any French speakers, there was one to have, but I say to
myself: I don’t know. French speakers in Tottenham in 2011
and 2012? I’m afraid I don’t think so. There might be one or two. The chat, he’ll tell us. You had a company that was in the city. But I say: Go ahead, I’m going
with the Belgians to Chelsea. You had Malouda who was
still there, you had Essien, You had Peter Cech, I knew, he had
been to Rennes, he spoke French. You had quite a few French speakers. Unfortunately, DJ is leaving this
year, and Anelka is leaving too. It also means there’s room in attack. It also means that there is
room for improvement in attack. I signed with Oscar. I
think it was that year. Yes, that’s exactly
right. You remember well. And then everything goes smoothly. How’s the journey to London going? You find yourself at the heart of
Investir, fresh from winning the European Championship with Franck Lampard, Terry, Torres. The time of your arrival. You had Gaëlle, Gaëlle
Gakuta, who was there too? Yes. I got on well with Gaëlle
because Lille, Lens, We were already close. Monstrous, Gaëlle? I already told you in the
notes, you know, to Gaëlle. Everyone who has played with Gaëlle
will say that she was outstanding. Of course. And so, I’m here
with the French speakers. Thibault is leaving, Lukaku
is going out on loan, You have De Bruyne leaving on loan. So, in the end, I find myself a bit alone. I say: I came for everyone,
and everyone has abandoned me. Everyone is boycotting you.
Gaëlle is leaving too, I think. But really, honestly, great. In the physiotherapy department,
there’s a French speaker, you see? You have Christophe
Lollichon, who speaks French. Yes, coach. How’s the adjustment
going? Everything okay? We’re a young team, sort of,
with Lampard, Terry and all that. But it’s cool, honestly, we love it. You had two quite distinct
generations in the dressing room. One side with players in their thirties or
close to it, with the players we mentioned. Just before: Lampard, Torres, Raul
Meireles, Essien, Setch, Maluda. And a new generation is emerging with
your arrival, that of Haspi Huitar, Ramirez, Oscar, Mata, Steeridge, Gaël. Was it difficult to bring the two
generations together, or did it just happen naturally? worked well from the start? No, it worked well, I think. I don’t remember everything in
detail, but we’re a fun bunch, we Have a good laugh, we laugh with everyone. I joke around with the older
ones and the younger ones. I think they also like this slightly What also helped me was that in
the first two or three matches, I already have. It was very
good. Yes, I made a note of that. And that, in fact, helps. That’s what I just told
you. It’s the calling card. That’s right. If you take a little time, a month, two
months, it’s not working, you’re still there, You play one match, but you play three bad
ones, and people say, “We got screwed.” A guy worth 40 million can’t put
one foot in front of the other. But now, right here,
you’re doing good things. First match, man of the match, I think. Second match, man of the match,
third match, man of the match. That’s exactly right.
You have good memories. No, because I know very well. After that, I had a bit of a slump,
but then I got back on track. But it helps you adapt
to a club, doesn’t it? That’s what I was going to write,
you got off to a misleading start. In the first league, you
were elected multiple times. Man of the match and extremely decisive
right from your first games, precisely, with decisive passes, penalties won, your very first goals
in the first division. I think there was a match against
Reading, something like that, where really From the start, everything
is going very well. Did you feel that you
didn’t really need so much? APL adjustment? Or when you arrived, during the first few
matches, you said: OK, this is my game. Yes, I was a bit apprehensive because it’s
still a completely different kind of football. different, but I was armed. During her last year in Lille, she had
equipped me for quite a few things. It’s the size of the club
that makes the difference. But otherwise, afterwards,
I already felt strong. I was 21, but I felt strong and tough. I knew in the duels that I
was going to hold my own. The only thing you can’t know is
whether you’ll hurt yourself or not. That’s right. But at 21, you don’t
often get injured, you’re strong, You are in the prime of life. I gave it my all, I was happy,
I got on well with people. The first six months were fine. And then, what saves
me is Demba’s arrival. Demba, I’ve made a note of
that, but Demba is my brother. He arrives and I get along
really well with him. I don’t know if you’ve seen
it, but it’s out on YouTube. It’s a little less than two years old. That was when you retired. It was a programme called The Club
of Five, dedicated to my brothers. They did a programme about you
with Ludo O’Braniak, Demba. I saw it. He was just talking a bit about you and
Demba, he was talking about the relationship he had with you. What he was saying was that, basically,
he had a rather deep profile, that we throw from far away, but with
you, he has adapted and you play a little in small spaces in combination
and that he loved it. Yeah, it’s true that in football,
you have certain types of players. I’m not the kind of player who watches and I’m not Kevin De Bruyne, for example. It’s completely different. I think that sometimes,
adapting to my game, It may not be as easy
for attackers who have the habit of taking the deep dive. I have zero focus in my life. I’ve never done centre in
my life. I don’t centre. I think he’s adapted to it a bit. And hats off to him, because there
are people who just can’t adapt. You say you’re not centring. How do you think you get more momentum
in the box and in the small spaces? spaces, can you find that little moment? I need small ones, one
or two, small hooks. I’ve put a centre in my
life, that’s not true. Of course, we understand
that it’s really good. Sometimes I’d pass the ball to the centre,
the other guy would score, and I’d say, “Damn, It’s rubbish, actually. I would have preferred to see a little
bridge, a dribble, one, two, and then he scores. That’s my football. Sometimes I would make a pass,
but it was rubbish, actually. A centre puts his head in, his goals. That’s great for him,
he did well, but for me, It’s not great, it’s not my
game. It’s not rewarding? It’s not my game, it doesn’t
show me off to my best advantage. Demba, I told you, Demba, he arrived
in December and it was crazy. This first year is also an
opportunity to bring back your first European title
with the Europa League. A little frustrated at not
making it to the final? Yeah. I was sad. Afterwards, we
won, which was great, but There you go, now you feel useless. You’re there: Yes, I did some
good things to get to the final. There, I made it to the
quarter-finals, or maybe not. Yeah, the two minutes, all that. I don’t know exactly. But not playing in a final. It’s your first year, you’re
not playing in the final. I was a bit disappointed,
but hey, we won in the end. Good for the club, good for
Benitez, because it was Benitez. He hadn’t had an easy year,
so I was happy for him. I was happy for the player. The second year is always excellent
for you, especially with your first hat trick in the Premier
League against Newcastle, but also marked by a
Champions League campaign with a semi-final defeat in the Champions
League against Athletic War. There was also a clash with
Mourinho at the time, which made you some public criticism. How
did you experience that? Afterwards, well, because you
know, after a match, sometimes, You say things you don’t mean. You’ve got heat in your head. At that point, you think to
yourself: Because of that, we lost. It could be because of you, it
could be because of a murder. But then, Mourinho knows how I am. The next day, it was over. We were all disappointed to be eliminated,
semi-finalists in the Champions League, when there was a chance. If you’re down 5-0, there’s nothing
you can do, you say, “You know what? But now you’ve lost the return match. The match was over, I
didn’t play the match. I didn’t play in Calderon, I was injured. I only did the return trip. And we get a zero. And then Atlético scored three
goals, but they had a great team, Atlético isn’t Yes, of course. They didn’t have it against
the local team either. This is the team that should have
been champions if Sergio Ramos had Didn’t put my head in at the
last minute. There you go. After that, football is
all about the details. But it’s true that afterwards,
you say things that are a bit After all, we all know Mourinho. That’s what’s causing it. What’s
your relationship with him? Honestly, it’s great, perfect. After that, our last year together
wasn’t great, the third year. But tomorrow, I can see it. Honestly, there’s no
problem. No problem at all? I have no worries, even with people,
where people might think that No problem. I see people I may not have
gotten along with very well in my career, but I see them.
You’re not holding a grudge? No, not at all. You can sense it. No, no. It’s just the
way I was brought up. I quoted your first triplet in the first line against Newcastle,
it had a certain flavour. Do you remember? Yeah, it has a certain flavour, but you
know, I’ve never been into that kind of thing. from: You have to score goals. Like I said, I’ve always played. You’re there, if you score, great. If you can get others to
score, that’s even better. I am a team player at heart. I try to make my guys shine. I’m happier when he scores
than when I do, for example. All right. But who scores after one,
two, not after a long cross. With a nice move. With a nice move. But no, after that, a first
set of triplets is cool. When you put one on,
you’ll put two on, when you If you put two, you’ll
end up putting three. But I’ve never been the guy
who: I want to score, I want to achieve 50 goals each year. I think that in my career,
I’ve maybe I don’t know, 150 goals or I don’t know. I think that if I had had
that instinct a little I might have put 250, I
might have put 100 more. That’s how I was. I didn’t fall asleep. I slept
pretty well if I hadn’t scored. Do you think that today’s
offensive players are More conditioned to it? You have it. I think some of them don’t care either. Okay. Honestly, it’s After that, when you’re a striker, a
number nine, it depends on your style of play. One, I don’t know, I’ll
give you an example. If Haaland doesn’t score, it’s normal. He’s not going to be pleased. He was born to score. The guy is 22 years old, he’s
already had I don’t know how many. That’s what makes it so powerful. But I wasn’t thinking, “I have to score.” That year, there was also
a rather special match, Arsène Wenger’s 1,000th match. Arsenal vs. Chelsea. You’re leading 3-0 in 17
minutes, 6-0 in the match. It was a nice gift, wasn’t it? It’s a nice gift for Arsène. A very nice gift, yes. After that, there were some incidents in
the game, and they were down to 10 men very quickly. There is a penalty for someone who saves
your shot, but in a slightly unusual way Yes, but then again, that’s
just part of the game. Too bad for him, good for
us, I feel like saying. That match was a celebration, remember? No, but you know, against Arsenal,
it was always more Mourinho against Wenger against Chelsea
versus Arsenal. That’s true. Before the match, people were only
talking about Mourinho and Wenger. I don’t know what their relationship
is like, but it doesn’t look good. We were out there on the
pitch, trying to do our best, whether it’s against Arsenal, against
Tottenham, against I don’t know who who were trying to win the matches. Was there a match with
a particular rivalry? We are familiar with the famous North
London derby, Chelsea Tottenham, Chelsea vs. Arsenal, you know, those
matches that are supposed to have Let’s say, maybe a little more rivalry. As a player, did you
experience this as well? Or meh? I felt it after I scored
against Tottenham. The famous one that gives the
Élysée its name. There you go. And you know what, two or three years
later, you could sense the rivalry. more than the other teams. Okay. I don’t know if it was because of that
match, but you could sense that when It was against Tottenham. There was something
extra about the people. But then, Chelsea is
all about the big games. You’re playing against Liverpool,
people, they’re going all out. You’re playing against Manchester
United, people, they’re going all out. On the bench during the 6-0 match, I’ll
just quickly mention this to say that There is a player you have often been
compared to, who comes on at the end of the match. Mohamed Salah scores the goal. We know that at Chelsea, there
was also, and you told us this, Kevin De Bruyne, Lukaku. Do you think they were dates?
It’s not the right time. For them, to fail for them, Chelsea? No, I think it just wasn’t
the right time for them. There is no It’s a career, it has its ups and downs. Sometimes it’s better to make
a hem and then raise it than I think I’m playing at that time. I played with Kevin in the
youth teams in Belgium. I knew he was good. Obviously. But I would never have said that he would
become one of the best players in the world. There are many people like that. You knew he had qualities, but
you don’t say: It might be okay. the best midfielder in
Premier League history. Is this the best pitch in the history
of the Premier League for you? It’s difficult to always
compare different eras. The indie scene, anyway. Yes. Me, the Vieiras, the Yaya Tourés,
when I played against him, it was impossible to take the ball away from him. You can take the ball from him. You can’t take the ball away from Yaya. What’s more, the 2013-2014 season is
the season when Yaya is unplayable. Yaya was too strong. You’re even talking about Lampards,
Steven Gerards, guys like that. You can’t say that. It can’t be easy
to say Kevin is better than them. With all due respect to Kevin. But in spirit, one could
say that one of the In your mind, you can say:
Yes, it’s one of the best. A few words about Yaya? Was it really terrifying? He was above it. It was on top, but even I liked it. It was a bit of his nonchalance. When he felt like it,
he would take the ball. The guy is a bulldozer, he goes
straight ahead, you can’t stop him. You can try with three
people, it’s impossible. Didn’t you want to defend him? I don’t know if I didn’t want to. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. Desire isn’t everything. But when he was defending you? He can’t defend me either. There’s no one who can defend
me when you look at me. Is everything okay on both sides? Yes. Because that’s how it is. Imagine a 1.90-metre tall player
defending against a 1.70-metre player. A metre, that’s not easy. That’s true. What’s more, I was strong, so I
put my thigh in and he did too. He’s strong. I’m not saying I’m stronger
than him, but I don’t fall down. So it’s not easy. That famous combination of small size and
powerful centre of gravity, with big thighs. That’s what made me strong. It also talks about your
bottom, protection, etc. You were aware of all that? Yeah,
I was just having a bit of fun. I was abusing the phrase:
Put your thigh there. And people were falling. It was good. It was good for the highlights,
afterwards, on YouTube. Did it go well? Yeah. There has been a lot of talk about the
club, but there is also, of course, the Nation, the Red Devils, who are
still in contention. 2014 is the year of the
World Cup in Brazil. You’re there with players who will
form the foundations of the team. of the national team in
the years that followed. Romelu, Kevin, whom we just
mentioned, Dries Mertens, Axel Vitzel, Aldair Virel, Thibault Courtois. Tell us about this tournament. It starts with victories
against Algeria and Russia, then against the USA in the
quarter-finals, before losing to to the Argentine quarter-finalist. How is it global? This is our first time. Yes, I know. You see, because we didn’t make it
to Euro 2012 or the 2010 World Cup, We were all very young. So for us, it’s a tournament, I
wouldn’t say it’s just for fun, but it’s the tournament that
introduces us to the world professional relationship
with the country. Does it taste different? Yes. What’s more, Brazil is
the home of football. You play at Maracana, you
play in the land of football. But we’re off, like, we’re
going to do what we can. There you go, no one could
ever have imagined that we You see, for us, the
quarter-finals were already When people say quarter-final,
they mean you lose. against Messi’s team. So
there’s no shame in that. You’re playing against Messi,
the best player in history. Of course. There’s no shame in that. So, there you go, we
went, we did our thing. A memorable moment, perhaps
in a match or something else, because it’s still the national team. I think it’s a bit A memorable moment, yes, the
first match in the World Cup. You know, against Algeria. It was all new to us. You think to yourself: Wow, you’re a
global player, you played in the World Cup. You have millions of people who
dream of playing in the World Cup. and who cannot play it.
And you, you play it. An Algerian team that performed rather
well in the World Cup, showing great courage. Afterwards, the teams
at the World Cup are all They are not qualified to They are qualified for a reason, because
there is quality there after all. Of course. Even now, you’re going to have a
World Cup, it’s difficult to win. against the so-called small countries. Because everyone wants quality these days. After, precisely, after
being in the 11 types of APL, the previous season, you start
a season, I’m talking about from 2014-2015, of a quality rarely seen. No defeats in the first 14
games and only one defeat in 19 First, the matches where you were decisive
against City, Arsenal, and Tottenham. What was special about this Chelsea
team that went out and won the his first title? This is Conte’s first year. No, no. The year with Mourinho.
Exactly, the year with Mourinho. The second year with Mourinho. So, it’s not Chelsea’s first
Premier League title, but it is your first Premier League title. In fact, even in Mourinho’s first year,
you could sense that there was something different about him. has something going on. We finish, I don’t know, there are three
of us against one, four, I don’t know. I don’t know, but we’re
having a great year. And it’s going well. And actually, it’s the same thing. That’s what I was saying about
Lille, the atmosphere is great. People are young, they are learning. And you have the older ones
who bring us their experience. You have the younger ones
who contribute a little. It’s in Fouques, it’s
been a It’s a good mix. It was a good mix. You’ve got Drogba coming
back for that year. That’s true. So it created something,
even if he doesn’t play much. Were you happy to be able
to play with Didier anyway? You who saw him on the phone. I was happy, but I was also a little I would have liked to play with the real
DJ, because he was at the end of his career. with all the respect we
had for him. Obviously. He wasn’t the DJ he had been
five or six years earlier. No, Drogba. Even having him in the dressing room with
us, for us, he was like our big brother. He took everyone under his wing, even
Momo Salah, the Oscars, the Matta family, I think they left afterwards, but we
really enjoyed hanging out with DJ. For us, it only lasted a year. And likewise, you bring in players
who make a difference, in fact. Diego Costa scores goals. Yes. That’s what I’m telling you with
Moussa So last year with Lille. It’s true that this is a consistent
trait of this striker who comes in to That’s right. He scored 30 goals that year,
scoring the first goal in each game. He was playing, but no one wanted to play. He scores a zero. You see, Fabregas is
coming: What a player! In fact, at the start of the season, there
was a lot of talk about Fabregas and Diego Costa. I was playing with Fabregas and There you go, Fabregas, you put
him like the two brown ones, He is one of the best midfielders
in the first division. Was it really that intense, Cesk? Yeah. People don’t realise that, Cesk. I think he had less of an aura. that some people, the Modrichs,
the Tricks, the Tony Crosses. But he was no less strong than I mean, it was less technical,
maybe less beautiful, or I know Not you, but the ball,
you were going 100 metres. Over there, the ball was
coming towards your foot. It’s only with him that I’ve seen that. Perhaps with Tony Cross. Of course. But it wasn’t the same. Tony Cross was great at changing the game,
just like Fabregas, he would put you in your place. the ball in the box and you scored. Tony Cross, he didn’t
kick the ball in the box. He had a few, but Fabregas was You can ask Thierry Henry, by the way. And you, as a leader, And you, you
rightly said that you have a background Who is capable of doing that? Does
it encourage you to make more calls? Or were you more of a player,
always a bit on the defensive? No, I was still in Yes, I made calls, again,
it’s relative, but I I wanted the ball at my feet. But, Cesk, there wasn’t any
space, he found space for me. Give it to them in the feet. Okay. See? And that’s what I got with Kabaï. Yohann too. Yohann, he could give you There was that much space,
he put it between your See? You’ve got that with Kevin. There are few players
who manage to find the A It’s a class of players.
That’s what it is. And that’s why they’re above the rest. That year, you finished as champions, Only three defeats in the first division,
and even better, they won the FA Cup as well. You finished as the best player of
the season, it was your third year. in the first division at that time. Was that a form of What was your
defining moment at the age of 24? I’ll let you finish your drink, etc. But surely you’ve seen everything I
just mentioned, doubling in 24 years. At that point, it’s been three
years, so you have that experience. How was it for you? You’ve got it. I won’t hide
it from you, I was into you. I was there, I was in London, I was happy. The crowd liked me, you win shots. For me, KLC was the best club
in the world at that time. And you are the best
player in the first league. You say: Wow! A young man from Braine Lecomte, the
best player in the first division. That’s stylish. That’s classy. It’s incredibly stylish,
it’s classy. It’s classy. But you see, I didn’t think, “Wow!” I surfed on it, I was happy. It was the right moment, but
I knew that at any moment At that moment, it could have
Football can happen quickly. I knew it could I was enjoying the moment. What was life like in London? It was cool. Did you like it? Yes. But then we lived in Koubam,
we didn’t live in London. Koubam is Chelsea’s training centre. And I’m a guy who stays
at home all the time. I’m not the kind of guy who goes
to London to eat or anything. In seven years, I was in
London four times, I think. You’re not the type, are you? I’m at home with the children. We’re here, playing
football in the garden. Don’t ask too much of me. It’s more your lifestyle. Because you might think, someone
with money in one of the biggest cities in Europe or
around the world, it could No, the city is beautiful,
I won’t deny it. The few times I’ve been to London,
it’s been nice, a bit of shopping. I don’t care about shopping. I haven’t been shopping for 15 years. People bring me clothes. It’s true that there, with your T-shirts,
casual shorts and Air Max trainers, you’re not bored. It’s the holidays, there’s no Leave me alone with all that. No, that’s right. London is a great city. If you want to grab a bite to
eat, you have everything you need. You have restaurants from every
country you could possibly want. If you want to go out, you can go out. We’re not really interested. Did you have a good
relationship with the fans? Yeah, yeah, cool. Honestly, after the matches, you
see them, they’re like madmen, They bang on your car and everything. There you go, that’s cool, see? Folklore. This era also saw the emergence of a
little classic that was hard to find. The worst moment in the Champions
League was Chelsea vs. PSG. with all three repeats. You have faced each other three times in
the final stages of the Champions League. Tell us a little about these encounters. And do you think you have,
in your own way, sufficiently marked with your imprint? I think there is always
room for improvement. People remember Tiago Silva’s
head a lot, but honestly, There’s still a little something going on. If we are qualified, that’s it. PSG, otherwise there’s one where
I’m getting screwed, I think. There, Romand Tata, when Demba and Maru
were 2-0 up in that match, I was laughing my head off. So I’m not playing it. Opg, I remember playing some
good matches, but not that many There you go, you see. But once again, I wasn’t
into it: You have to See? You play, you play. I won the French Cup against
PSG, I can’t always do that. Do it again to PSG, though. That’s true. We should respect them a
little. Obviously, of course. Especially since it was a bit of a
classic, given that you released it in 2013 and 2014. After 2014, 2015, it
comes out, 2015, 2016 too. It was That’s why, since there were
three years in a row at the time, PSG Chelsea and PSG Barcelona, it was a bit of a crossfire. No, but we wanted to In any case, we knew that
PSG was a very strong team. With the players they had, it was tough. It was at the level of
Real Madrid and Barcelona. We knew the matches would be tough. We just mentioned 2014 and 2015, which
were your benchmark years for your standards, but conversely, the
following year, as you said, Football, this could be the
worst year of your career so far. 2015–2016, the season
of Leicester’s miracle. And a real drought for you with your
first goal of the season coming up. only in April, criticism
from the media, for your performances, supporters too. What do you think explains
this slump that year? Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t know. I think that after three great
years, we needed a little break. There you go, you see, maybe
you’re trying a little less hard, Maybe you’re not as motivated
anymore, you know. What is it? Was it a mental slump,
do you think, physically? It can be physical, it
can be: I was injured, even though I had never been
injured, almost, you know? I was injured, and it lasted a long time. That was it: Mourinho. People were starting to talk about
Mourinho, it wasn’t easy and all that. And we had such a wonderful year. Before you even think to yourself,
“How can we be so useless?” We lost matches we shouldn’t have lost. Of course. There you go. Did you lose confidence? You’re losing confidence. You say: Before, you
did that, and it worked. Now, it didn’t work quite as well. But again, you see, it’s I always told myself that yes,
you’re going through a rough patch, But the blow will stop. All right. I don’t know when it’s going to stop. It could take two weeks,
it could take two months, It could take six months. It took six months, but there you
go, it could have taken six years. How’s it going? How does that translate into a lack
of confidence for a player like you? That is, when you try to
dribble, it doesn’t work. That kick won’t work. There, the defender has more
confidence when facing you. For me, it was more like, “Go ahead,
I’m not feeling very confident.” Go on, play on the right. I wasn’t playing on the left side. You were running away a bit. Because when you have the
ball, you can’t get there. But then, that’s how it is. The next day, when you’ve had
a bad game, go to training, repeat the basics, play more simply. I’ve always thought: You’re
not confident, play it safe. You’re passing the ball, don’t try to do
anything fancy because you’ll mess it up. You’re not confident. Once, you’re going to close your eyes,
the goal will come, you’re going to score. A goal will give you back your confidence. You’ll pull off a dribble you didn’t
even intend to do, and it’ll be great. restore your confidence. Little things like that. And then something
clicks, Mourinho leaves. Gussiding is coming. When he arrives, he says to me,
“Go ahead, take a week off.” Is that okay? You give me a week’s holiday, you go
to Dubai with the kids and everything. I’ll be right back. I say: Come on, go ahead, it’s fine.
There are two months left, three months. You know what? Step on it a bit. I was a bit hurt. Get well soon. Get back in shape. And then, when you come
back, you give it your all. That little week did you good. Yeah, but here’s the thing,
just to change things up a bit. I’m not saying that it’s thanks
to that and that afterwards Of course. But then, you play a good game, you
score a goal, I come back, I put Two goals, I don’t remember against whom. I think it was Bournemouth,
if I’m not mistaken. In any case, there’s a double. You go to Liverpool, you score
a goal, you play a good game. You’ve got the match against Tottenham.
That’s what I was going to say. The fact that the goal
symbolically gives the title Did Easter mean anything special to you? For us at Chelsea, we couldn’t Tottenham couldn’t be
champions. Of course not. It was impossible. Even the supporter made that clear to you. No, Tottenham, that’s impossible. And so the match arrives I’m not playing that
match, I’m on the bench. I’m on the bench, we’re losing 2-0. It’s 2-0 and you can feel the
stadium, you say: They’re booing. And you’ve got Sidding tagging along,
saying, “Go on, you’re all fired up.” And actually, I say to myself:
Go for it, it’s all or nothing. You can forget about the bad season, just You have 45 minutes. That’s right, actually. I said to myself, “Go
ahead, you know what?” Let’s forget this rotten season,
because it was a washout for us. Yeah, sure. 45 minutes. And when people don’t talk to me too much
about the fake season, they talk to me about That match, wow, that was
great. It saved the day. That saved the day. And on top of
that, I scored a magnificent goal. What was the first strike? Was it instinct? Yeah, instinct, bam. Lukaan. I say: wow. You slide on your knees in
front of Tottenham fans, They are all disgusted. The next day, everyone is talking
about you, about Leicester. They said, “My season is over.”
Actually, my season was perfect. They finished, I think,
13th in the Premier League. No, we were rubbish that year. But it gave us a new lease of life. For the end of the season,
and for the end of the season and for the beginning
of the following year. Because next year, Conte is coming. Exactly. And bam. I was going to tell you about that,
because after that year when it was didn’t go very well, one might
think that Chelsea was going to make big changes, but in
the end, not that many. Antonio Conte is coming, obviously. David Luiz is back, and
N’Golo has arrived after all. That’s what I was going
to say, it’s not nothing. And Michi too. That’s all you need to say. You can say that’s all. But in quotation marks, it’s two
or three players and a new coach. Now, when a team wants to change
everything after finishing 13th, That’s seven, eight
arrivals, ten departures. In the end, all things considered,
it’s not that big a deal. And that was enough to make it
a legendary year for the club. Tell us about Antonio
Conte when he arrives. And N’Golo, of course. Honestly, Antonio, it was
difficult, I won’t hide it from you. Oh yeah, really? Yeah, we suffered. Do you have the famous
physique where it counts? That’s tough. How much is it? Is that 50 things? I don’t
know anymore, but it’s What’s more, I think we had gone to
Los Angeles, and it was 40 degrees. You trained in the morning,
you trained in the afternoon. It was tough, to be honest. But then, it allowed us
to do that year, I think. But then again, I’m always relative. When you do that, it’s to win matches. If you work like that and things
don’t go well, if you lose matches, What will the players say? Go ahead, let’s do all that
and then lose the matches. People are going to be a bit
disappointed, but we’re starting to win. We lost a match against Arsenal at the
beginning of the year, I think, 3-0. And then everything changes.
He switches to five defenders. Exactly. They change everything. N’golo was the one who made
the difference, actually. He is the best player this year. It is well deserved. It’s not just him, of course,
but he changes a lot of things. Did you get along well with him? Yeah. You have to get along well with Eunji. He’s quiet, he does his thing,
he trains, he plays matches. There you go, it’s a cream. Seeing him use his physical
strength, recover all his balls, have this large volume. No, he’s a special player, honestly. He has had a special career
because he is a special player. Did switching to five defenders
really make a difference? Yeah. Was it with Victor Mose and his companies? Victor was on fire. You had Marcos Alonso. Marcos Alonso is signing
this year, I believe? Yeah. And that’s really good for
us too, because the system It’s not players who say,
“Wow, but in this system, This year, you say: Wow. I swear, you’re better off
with Mati, you’ve got Fabregas. You have me, William, or Pedro.
Pedro is coming too, I think. Exactly, it was mostly
you or William and you, William or Pedro and Diego Costa. Your trio, which was pretty solid, though. But there was a time when we
played well and actually had fun. When I tell you again, the locker
room stuff, the year before, It was a bit less impressive, as
people started talking: Diego Costa, Fabregas, Eden, they don’t
want them, blah blah blah. It created a bad atmosphere. That they manage to create a good
atmosphere and we have a laugh. We say: Go ahead, it’s fine,
we’ve had a rubbish year. We’re not going to have
another wasted year. Pedro, did you get along well with him? Yeah, Pedro’s a good guy.
Honestly, he’s easy-going. Look, he’s still playing, he’s
going to be 40 years old, I think. And actually, Pedro is the player
you dream of having on your team. He’s never going to be You say: That’s crazy. He’s the one who’s going to
win you all your matches. But when he has to score an
important goal, it’s always He’s the one who’s going
to put it on. You see? That year, I really liked
Chelsea’s version of Antonio Conte, the 3-5-2
formation and everything else. I remember the match at
Etillade where you scored twice. where you give an outstanding performance. Yes, it’s a match in 2017, like at
Etillade, where you score two goals. No, I’ve never scored two
goals at Etihad Stadium. I can swear you scored two goals. At Etihad Stadium, Manchester City. At Manchester City, you
can check on Transfermarkt. We’ll check it out. Honestly, I don’t know who that is then. I swear, if you score
twice, Chelsea will win two. In a match, actually, it’s
Guardiola’s first year, 2016-2017, when he had not yet developed
his full defensive skills, etc. Then, in the summer, he fixes
it up, puts in 300 million, They will completely rebuild the defence. They’re going to say I didn’t double
up on Etiyad, I have to say it. I’m trying to find the match, but Go on, let’s see. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m almost certain. You’re not your classics. I’m right. Oh yeah? And if you’re
sure, is it at Etienne’s? It’s at Etienne, normally
in March or April 2017. Go ahead, I’ll look into it. I swear, Edet, I’m pretty
sure I’m right about this one. Go ahead. I’m pretty sure I’m right about this one. They’re still looking, they’re not sure. No, but that’s because the
co is rubbish in your lead. I admit it. Do you have it or not, Hugo? I beat him, but it’s
5:00 a.m. on the 10th. It’s at Stamford Bridge. Isn’t it at Etienne’s? I was going to say yes, at Stamford
Bridge, I scored twice against Coty. It’s because of that milk story
that you made me doubt myself. It’s my fault. No, no. But there’s a double against City. You didn’t study properly. It happens, mistakes are human. To err is human, exactly. It’s okay. In any case, there was that double, that
match, which really made an impression on me. Personally, he had made a negative
impression on me, precisely because of that Honestly, I mean, it wasn’t
one of my best matches. I remember that match in particular;
it really got me excited. Not necessarily from
you, but from Chelsea. That Chelsea team really got me excited. I think there have been better
matches than that one this year. If I remember correctly, I remember
the match more clearly, but Okay, sure, I accept. It was a good match on our part. And overall, in terms of how this
team has performed this year, which also led you to the title, etc. How was the offensive understanding with Diego and Pedro and everyone? In fact, we worked so hard
during the week that I swear, you could play with your eyes closed. We knew the guy, where he was. And that’s the thing, Kanté. Antonio Kanté, he makes you train a
lot during the week so that in matches, You can find players easily. And that was it, in fact,
you have a pattern, you see? And you repeat the same
pattern almost all the time. You see? And you know
Diego Costa will be there. You know Pedro and William
are going to be there. You know Fabregas is going
to be there all alone. And you, was it something you enjoyed
or did it seem a bit unnatural? It was lacking a little But I was still pretty free. He always managed to get me into The right conditions. And I often ended up alone with the ball. And I think that’s when I’m
at my strongest in a match. It’s when I’m alone with the ball
and I can run towards the goal. That’s where I’m good. And he was coming. And you had confidence, you had
Djego, I told you he scores goals, You made a poor pass to Djego,
he controlled it and scored. You say, “All right, then. You see?” And that was it, actually. So it was easy to play that year. I swear, it was too easy. The following year also marked the
beginning of Manchester City’s dominance. who was the Guardiola in England. A year when their team scores 100 points. Was it one of the most incredible
teams you’ve ever faced? Yeah, definitely. Honestly, I didn’t play I don’t think I played against
the great Barca with the Niestas, the Chalets and everything. At the beginning of my career,
I played a match against Spain. We lost 5-0 to Belgium. It puts things into perspective. And then you say to yourself: wow! The matches against
City were like that too. There’s nothing you can do, really. You’re there, you’re running after the
ball, you don’t touch it. You don’t don’t even kick the ball. We want to play, but you can’t, actually. For 90 minutes, you You know what? Get me out of here, it’s no use.
I’m not contributing anything. Did you feel helpless? What’s more, defensively, you’re not
the one who puts in the most effort. But on the other hand, they have
so much possession that sometimes I also enjoyed playing Con City. There are matches where I was
really bad, but there are matches also where I was really good. Because the coach told me, “You’re on
your own out there, figure it out.” Do what you want, but deal
with the consequences. And you’re there, you
have to hold the balloons. You feel strong. You’re up against three people. You’re responsible. Yeah. And I liked that too. And I remember one match. Honestly, one of the best
matches was the League Cup final. Last year, with Sari, we played
against City and lost on penalties. And he put me there all by myself. And before the match, I think to
myself: What am I going to do? All alone against City? It’s impossible to play. I swear, I played one
of my best games ever. Because you’re holding the ball, you
feel strong, you’re alone against four. Go on, sort it out yourself. If I remember correctly, it’s
Kepa who doesn’t want to. release this final? The legendary final. Not for the result, which
was zero, zero, but for Kepa. Big shout out to Kepa. We’re out in the field, and we’re
thinking, “What’s going on?” I didn’t understand at first.
I thought, “What does he want?” He’s injured, he’s not injured, he’s
coming out, he doesn’t want to come out. You see, I couldn’t say We were there, watching. How did you feel about Kepa
not wanting to come off? Afterwards, it was sadder
for Sari and Kepa, because It’s both, actually. You see? And you lose the match. Once again, you win
the match on penalties. Kepa isn’t there, and you save
a penalty, you say: Well done. But then, the next day,
the next day, it was tense. Yeah, was it dark? Well,
yes, that’s normal. What’s more, he didn’t save a
penalty. I told him, “Come on, do it!” But at least stop the penalty. From memory, he hits one or
two that come really close. I don’t know, but in the
end, we lose the match. In the end, we lost. It was funny, seen from the outside. Afterwards, from inside the club, it
wasn’t as much fun, I can tell you. This year, in the Champions League, you’re
doing well in the group stage against Atlético and Roma. There’s also the double clash with
Barça, where you lost the first leg. fairly solid before being
eliminated at Camp Nou. We often hear that one of the low
points of your career was Résidé, The word “heart” is missing from your
reference to the Champions League. What’s your opinion on that? And what do you think explains that? I find that people I think I played some very good matches. The only thing I missed was being
decisive in the important matches. Okay. See? I’m going to score a few more goals. It’s true that I don’t know, I’ve
played 50 matches, what have I got? Seven goals, six goals,
I can’t remember exactly. There aren’t enough goals,
because that’s what people want. Of course. There are goals You play 50 matches, you score 20 goals,
that’s already better than 7 or 8. But I promise you that all the
Champions League matches are available. He played well. Or, against PSG, you’re eliminated
from the start, but I swear, The match I played was solid. I take the penalty, I’m
there, I’m But you’re out. So people say, “Look, he’s out.” You can do the most It’s a
great match, but he’s out. It’s really a bit of luck too at times In the match at Barça,
you’re out, you’ve got Messi. Once again, you’ve been
eliminated by Messi. what you want isn’t You say: Well done, that’s all. And that Messi, back
then, was he on a mission? He’s the same. He was all alone. Yes. He was alone. Yes. He did everything, he
did whatever he wanted. I missed one or two matches,
it’s true, but that’s how it is. That’s what I want to tell you. Did you feel any particular pressure
when the Champions League came around? launched or no more than No. No, honestly I liked the big matches. Even when I was playing in the first team,
it was the big games that motivated me. The Champions League
was what motivated me. It’s just that things didn’t really
go my way in the Champions League. but I liked it. The Champions League anthem makes
you dream when you’re a kid. The end of 2018 is also marked by by an event, it’s the World Cup. A World Cup with a special
flavour for the Belgians. Sorry. No need to spell it out. You are comfortably in
control of your group. Before taking Japan out of the
game with a last-minute goal. Shadli, with the ball letting the
magnificent counterattack slip through. Before the landmark match against Brazil,
then the semi-final against France. And finally, third place
after beating England. People often forget that
last match in the end. Tell us about the World Cup. We haven’t forgotten,
you know, the last match. We haven’t forgotten, we beat them. They finished fourth in ’86. And our goal, after being eliminated, It was to win in order to defeat them. And you beat England twice
in the World Cup, too. We beat England twice, and in fine style. We beat Brazil. A landmark match, I
think, for all Belgians. Japan, you’re next. Actually, that’s all We experienced every possible
scenario during this World Cup. What was it like before the World Cup? Like a team meeting, etc. You were coming out of a slightly
disappointing euro because you were coming out from Wales. How’s the world front already? We play warm-up matches, and
we play good warm-up matches. There’s a vibe that That’s building up. You have me at the top of my game, you
have Courtois at the top of his game, You have De Bruyne coming into top
form, you have Lukaku scoring goals. We all arrive at the same time. You have Tottenham defenders who
are good in the Premier League. You have company. You’ve got all the great
Belgian players coming through. at the same time together. And that’s rare. It’s true. There’s always one who’s a bit hurt. And we’re all coming together. And even the others, I’m talking
about Meunier, Witzel, Félaini. Everyone is almost in top form. So, let’s go with it, go
ahead, let’s try to do it. a real good thing in Russia. And it’s happening. I’m talking to you. I’m telling you again, we’re still
talking about the same thing, but The atmosphere in the group is great. Martinez, he manages to find something
else besides Will Motz, because 2016, With Will Motz, it was
different from Martinez. Martinez brings a slightly more
tactical approach than Will Motz. But we’re keeping the groups. We have Thierry Henry joining
us as assistant manager. It’s just stuff, but we mustn’t forget. Did that help you, Thierry Henry? Or you who said he could hear
you well with your friends. It helped me, not in terms of
football, but it helped me. Like, you’re there, if you want to talk,
you’ve got a guy who knows about football. Like Drogba in the Chelsea dressing
room, he was a bit like a big brother. from everyone in the
Belgian dressing room. You were going to talk to
him, ask him questions. But then, it wasn’t really
football-related: Eden, you have to do that. Because in the end, that’s how it
was. He was a different player. de Bruyn, me, Lukaku. But we have The experience was the ultimate
experience of our career as Belgians. It was the 2018 World Cup. Did you expect the match
against Japan to be so close? Because wow, the storyline. I think we played a friendly
match, maybe one or two years ago. before, against Japan. And maybe we lost, I don’t remember. We knew that when you play against Asians, Whether it’s Japan or Korea,
they’re running. They’re everywhere. These are teams that should
not be overestimated. I know it can be difficult.
They have this fighting spirit. Yeah. They’re all good football
players, that’s all. I don’t know if it’s their region in Asia, Without lumping them all together, but it
really is a different kind of football. You have to play against them to find out. And it was difficult. And actually, I think we got there, we
might have said to ourselves: You know what? This is going to be a bit easy. We played three group matches,
which were magnificent. In the last group match,
some players rested, So we’ll all be in top form. And then you get slapped in the face in
the first half, and you say, “Wow, they’re everywhere.” It feels like there are
15 of them on the pitch. That’s what I was going
to say. And you’re at 6. They still have the ball, they
still have two against one. What makes it click? Vertongen’s goal. The goal comes out of nowhere, too. After that, I think I hit the
post, I’m not sure exactly. And we think: Lukaku,
he misses a one-on-one? I don’t know. You say, “Wow, that’s” We will revisit the
2016 episode for Wales. And then Bertongen scores a
goal completely by chance. And then everyone thinks:
2-1, he’s still in it. You look at the clock and think,
“I’ve got 30 minutes left.” There is time. Go ahead, we can still do it. You have Félanie making it 2-2. People are starting to get excited. Yes, to keep warm. After that, strangely enough,
he didn’t touch the ball again. It’s us, we’ve got all the balloons. You see? And then, what happens happens. You win three at the last minute. The counterattack is crazy.
Yeah, it’s magnificent. It was perfect, actually. Counterattacks to be shown in schools. You see, that’s what I mean? You have the other one who calls the
shots, parks the car, and doesn’t touch the ball. Magnificent. Romélu lets the ball pass. He lets him pass when he
usually pulls him back. You say: Wow, that’s good. Did you mention that to him? No, he had seen it. Don’t worry, because I’m behind
you, I shouted, “Don’t touch him.” That’s why he doesn’t touch it. And the same thing afterwards, the
feeling in the changing room, you say: No, after what we just
did, we can’t stop now. After that, in the quarter-finals. We’re
going to see it through to the end. You’re arriving pumped
up against Brazil, sorry? We say to ourselves: We’re going
to see it through, that’s for sure. People say it’s the equivalent of the
match against Zidane in Brazil in 2006. that for you, it was your
equivalent, that it’s a match where you played a gala match. Of course, there’s Kevin’s goal
with his magnificent strike, etc. But what’s the reality of your
match, from your point of view? Because you sent it. For me, it’s my match. If you look at my career, it’s the match
where I felt like I was finally getting there. Honestly, he’s untouchable. Was that your bonus? Yeah. That match. After that, even the semi-final
against France was just the result that changes. But those were the two matches where I
thought to myself: Wow, I was really strong. Without exaggerating, because we’re
here, we’re surrounded by water. That’s what they tell me,
because I don’t tell myself that. But I went back into the changing
room and said, “You’re too hot.” Even, you have all these people coming
up and saying, ‘You’re so cool’. No, you hurt them very, very badly. Yeah, and I even had my little
brother in the changing room. with me, Thorgan and everything. We were enjoying the moment, actually. We were enjoying the moment. After Brazil, you have
people crying and everything. You have the starters
crying and everything. You feel sad for them, but
you say: It was our time, That’s all there is to it. And for the country too, for Belgium,
which was experiencing its first times the elimination of a great nation. For the country. We had some good times in the national
team before, but against the big teams teams, we always had a bit of trouble. We were losing against Italy,
against I don’t know who, but There was always a lack of a
benchmark match for that generation. And that was the match. The semi-final against France. I saw a compilation of you yesterday
that I had seen on social media. against France. As far as I remember, I remembered
it quite well in the sense that where you hurt Pavard badly and
there was often this double tackle, Pavard-Pogba, facing you. From time to time, N’Golo
would also hang around. How did you see the match against France? Because you were excellent too. Several chances, a headed
shot blocked, your shot the one on the left passing right by, etc. Will it still be a source
of frustration for you? How was the meeting? Honestly, it’s frustrating because
you don’t get to go to the final, but it is also a source of immense joy. It’s a bit of a strange
feeling, because yes, the first feeling after a match You’re disgusted. You’re disappointed because you didn’t
make it to the final, but you gave it your all. I put it into perspective and said, “Damn,
we couldn’t have done something extra.” That’s true. We couldn’t
do anything extra. Perhaps a small detail that could have
worked in our favour, or against us, or something. Hugo’s stop on the pivot strike too. After Hugo, he spent his entire
career making stops like that. You see, it’s not But you say: Maybe it would be better to He scores from a corner kick. Or M’titi, he’s scoring
from a corner. Stop it. How many goals has Umtiti scored
from a corner in his career? Not much. I’m from Lyon, so obviously
he has to put it there. But then again, that’s
football, that’s how it is. Sometimes it’s the little things
that make all the difference. There you go, but we’re really happy. And we’re also thinking: OK, we
lost, but we have this little final to play to beat our elders in ’86. We’re not going to the last match:
Go ahead, we want to boycott it. We’re all disgusted. But the English, you yourself
play in England, etc. Did it add flavour? Yeah, for the coach, for Martinez. I think his wife is from Great Britain, I don’t know if it’s Ireland
or Scotland, I can’t remember. But then he coached
Wigan, he coached Everton. Roberto Martínez is also a bit English. You have players,
everyone knows each other, because many people
play in the front line. See? So it creates a little something. The English are also a
football nation. Of course. You beat the English, that’s great. In the end, she will always
keep this bronze medal. A certain flavour for you? Yeah. It was the apotheosis of that generation. Afterwards, I hope they will do better. It won’t be the same generation because
you’ve got young people coming through. But the thing is, he never
knows what might happen. When you return to Chelsea,
Mauricio Sari will be the new coach. What brings you here? Honestly, I knew it was going
to be complicated because I had given that Italians and everyone But I had Driss Mertens, who had it in
Naples, and he said to me, “You’re going to love it.” You’re going to love it because you’re not
going to love the training sessions; it’s always the same thing over and over again. It’s always the same Those
training sessions were awful. Besides, he knows that,
I told him every day. Why was it horrible? It’s the same thing over and over again. An hour, two hours, I
couldn’t take it anymore. Repeat in the sense that he’s
there, you make the pass there? It’s 11 to 0, and you keep repeating it. You have short matches, but they
go quickly, it’s touch football. For him, that’s why we
still had a good year. I think that was my best year, that year. You finish third in the Premier League,
you win the Europa League, after all. Yes, of course. He brings us that thing. On the pitch, it’s easy for Sari to play, because it’s the same,
a bit like a county. You know where everyone is.
You’ve got Giroud up front, You have another one there. You see, you know where everyone stands. And it gives you a lot of freedom. Really? You see, Morizu, he
tells me: It’s happening. There was Jean-Franck Ozzola,
his assistant, you know? And we talked a lot, just
a little bit defensively. And you’ll see that the coach
will put you in the best positions, in the best positions
for when you have the ball. And that’s exactly what he did. And I was often alone, one, two, all that. That’s why, that year, I
felt so very, very strong. You’ll find Il était top 3, but
still 20 points behind Poules. and City are neck and
neck at 97 and 98 points. Yeah, because we were losing
games we shouldn’t have lost. I don’t remember the matches, but
you were losing 2-0 back then. that you dominated the entire match. But Poules and City,
they were really strong. Liverpool was also the year
when they all started to be at the same time, at the top. I don’t know if they’ll win
the Champions League, actually. This is the year they won the Champions
League against Tottenham in the final. You see, you see. You have Salah on fire. Afterwards, sometimes you just
have to accept that the other team She’s stronger, that’s all. We had a very good team,
but Liverpool and City It was stronger than us that year. The Europa final was Was playing against Arsenal the
right way for you to say goodbye? Yeah, it was the last game. I knew it was the last game, so I said
to myself, “Go for it, give it your all.” And besides, to be honest,
people think I score two goals, But I don’t even play that
well when you’re watching. I wouldn’t put it in my
top 10 Chelsea matches. Yes, on what he brought. In terms of what it represents, yes. Yes, it may be the most beautiful,
because it is the last one. match, you score twice. There’s a title. There you go. But you’re not playing very well. For me, in that match, it was
more Arsenal who lost the game. They make mistakes. Oli scores a goal. It was a close match, he scored a goal. Little Piguet doesn’t have what
he’s wearing either, she’s gorgeous. He’s the one who makes the difference
on Europe Alley when you watch it. It’s Olivier Giroud. He scored I don’t know how
many times in Europa Alley. What’s more, you start playing from
the semi-finals because before, With all due respect, this is
not meant as an insult, but you You played Malmeux, things
like that. I didn’t play much. I wasn’t even going with the team. I was on the bench. But no, it’s true that
the last match was cool. That’s good. So that was the end of a beautiful
story that lasted almost 10 years? Seven years. He was like I arrived feeling a bit like a sick fan. I think the easy thing would have been to
say, “Go ahead, I’ll stay here for the rest of my life.” I was happy at Chelsea, people
liked me and everything. If I wanted a new contract,
I would get a new contract. with everything I wanted. My children were enjoying themselves,
my wife was enjoying herself. I wanted to My dream was to play for Real Madrid. I wanted to go to Real Madrid. Before we talk about Real, you
spent seven years at Chelsea. Overall, as we have just seen, we
have been discussing this for an hour. very good seasons and everything. Was that the only big club that tried
to poach you, or were there others? Have there been other opportunities
over the past seven years? Real Madrid? Real Madrid or others? During my time at Chelsea. Yes. Because we know you
went to Real Madrid. No. Could it be No. PSG? PSG, a few years. Did PSG try? I’ve always stayed in touch
with Nasser and everyone else. All right. During my last year in Lille,
I went to see a PSG match. I liked PSG and everything. But I simply didn’t want
to go back to Ligue 1. I understand. I had done it in Lille, and even for the
people of Lille, I couldn’t see myself playing. against Lille, score goals
against Lille and everything. It wasn’t done. I was wondering if, for example,
a United, a City, a Bayern, Barça, perhaps. At one point, they also mentioned
Bayern, but I didn’t have any contact. Me, when Franck stops. See? But But you stayed there? Yeah. I didn’t want to change everything. Afterwards, with all due respect
to Bayern Munich, I didn’t have desire to move from London to Munich. I wanted to go to Real Madrid, I swear. How’s the deal going for
your move to Real Madrid? Honestly, it was fine. It was easy, actually. It was easy with Pérez, all that. It was: We want you, Chelsea wants
this, we’ll give you that, bye. I already wanted to go the year before. The last year with Sari, with Marina,
Chelsea’s boss, I said: Go for it, Let me go. But Real hadn’t made me an offer yet. She said to me, “OK, go ahead, you want
to leave, but tell them to make an offer.” And me, on my side, I went to see
the real thing, and I said: OK, You don’t want to or what?
Put some on, all of it. I said to him, “Go ahead, OK.” Sari, he’s coming, I say: Go ahead,
you know what I’m doing, right? I tell Marina: I’m doing a year
with Sari, next year I’m leaving. 100%, she said: OK. And then, in my final year,
when I finished, on top of that, I’m having a great year with Sari. I think that if I hadn’t
had such a good year, I might not have gone to Real Madrid. It might have been one year too many. If you look, it was after the World Cup
that I was supposed to leave for Real Madrid. But anyway, that’s how it turned out. So, I arrive at Real, the discussions
are great, everything’s fine. There you go, I wanted something new. You arrived after Cristiano left, a year
later. Did you have any expectations? Are you his successor or not? I know people will perceive me
that way, because that’s how it is. But not me, Cristiano is
Cristiano, and I’m a long way away. I’m not at his level, but
I’m a long way from that. what he means to Real Madrid. I am a new player, arriving
with new ambitions. with a completely different style
of play, because Cristiano is not Not my style of play at all. Obviously. See? Perhaps Cristiano’s
start at Manchester, yes. but in the end, not at all. And so I arrive: Go ahead, do
your thing, do what you always do Stay as you are, you see? Don’t start changing just
because you’re at Real Madrid. in the biggest club in the world. Did you get on well with Zizou? Yeah. Great. I had it. I got it on the
phone a few years ago. Zizou, he was talking
about me when I was 19. And for me, Zizou was The legend. That was the legend. He represented football to me. So I got it on the phone
right after I signed. He said to me, “Go ahead, great,
see you in July when we get back.” Enjoy your holiday. We’re going to have a lot of work to
do after the season and everything. See you in July. The first thing that may be explained
to you when you arrive there is that It was your looks. What happened? Do you think you weren’t serious
enough when you got there? Or perhaps there were other
factors that we are not aware of? What was that? No, actually, I did what I do every year. For me, holidays meant I had
so much to do during the year. I was so focused during
the year that for me, On a football day, there are three
or four weeks of holidays left. That’s what I said. That’s
what I said, that’s right. Don’t bother me. I’m not
going to go running every day. I’m going to eat, have a
little drink, take it easy. I’m going to be with the children, we’re
going to play at the beach, we’re going to eat ice cream. There you go. But I think that year we had a bit more. So that’s why it It may have had a greater
impact than in other years. I’ve done that. It’s going to
be a week of too much of that. So I arrive, but I arrive with I see the photos and think, “Damn, this is
going to be excessive, maybe a little bit.” But you have five weeks
to get back into shape. Of course. As I always have. So we’re off to Montreal, I guess. And then I go into mode:
Go on, you know what? Yeah, you’ve put on 3 or
4 kilos, but keep at it. And just like that, you’re ready
for the start of the season. Do you lose them easily? Yeah, I pick them up
quickly, I lose them quickly. Okay, you see? So, if you look at the
photos that are circulating, that I saw at the very beginning,
yes, but then you have one or two photos that spin around. After
that, people can’t tell anymore. Of course. Because I was
at the top of my game. There you go, you’ve got a month or two to I’m not playing badly. Once again, we’re back
to the same old story. It’s a bit like the connection
with the Champions League. I don’t play badly, but
I don’t score goals. I scored a goal, I think,
against I don’t know who. You’re disappointed with Hébar, with
several small clubs at the beginning. By the way, if you want, you can
tell me what you think, but I, I followed Real Madrid a lot. I think your story really
hinges on a few moments. You’re off to a good start with a
streak in October and November 2019. where you sometimes make
decisions in La Liga, etc. Until the return match against PSG,
where you were quite excellent, but where you have an injury. And I find that there is a real
before and after this injury. I get the impression that this one really Because I simply don’t have
the continuity anymore. I got injured. I’ll tell you exactly. I got injured. I had already had exactly the same injury,
the same one in my first year when we Chelsea’s championship is over. At the end of June, I broke
my ankle, had surgery, People put a plate in the
surgeon, they put a plate in. and I’m coming back very well. I’m doing well in rehab
and making a good recovery. Can you play with the plate?
Yeah, that’s fine with me. Sometimes, I tell you, I feel a little
bit, but that’s no excuse, it’s fine. So, I get injured against PSG. When I was coming back really well. I was playing well, PSG, there was Hébar. That? The few weeks before? Two or three weeks, really great. People started saying, “Eden, he’s here.
He’s sharp and everything, he’s great.” I have this match against
PSG, I get injured. I’m doing my rehabilitation. It was decided that I would not undergo
surgery because, in the end, I did not have I need to have surgery. I’m
undergoing rehabilitation. How long does it last? Three months,
two and a half months, three months. I’m playing a match against
Real Sociedad and it’s 0-0. And I’m playing a top match. The second match starts,
and I get injured again. Let’s play We’re going to play Evante,
I’m going to hurt myself again. Exactly the same thing. Father’s broken nose and everything. He said to me, “That’s strange, it’s
happened twice in three months.” I was coming back, I was
in the mood, I felt good. You’ve got to find a way. I’m
going to have surgery in Dallas. We decide with the club to
go to Dallas for my surgery. See? We’re back, it’s COVID. I’m back, I landed in Madrid,
and two days later, COVID. You see? So no rehabilitation. Everything I’m at home doing exercises. March 2020 and company,
we know all about it. I’m here with the children. I’m boycotting rehabilitation,
but I’m all alone. It’s not easy. And people were already saying, “He’s been
here six months and he’s scored a goal.” I say to myself: You know what? Go for it. When I come back, after COVID,
we’ll start playing matches again. Are you serious? Games
behind closed doors, no fans? I didn’t come here for that. I came for the Bernabeu,
the 80,000 people. For the Real Madrid experience? You’re there, you’re going to play
at the stadium where there’s no one. Go on, you know what you’re doing. You’re coming back from injury, I’m
pushing myself a bit in the first few matches, I’m in a bit of pain. I play one or two good matches
because we were fighting to win. La Liga that year. So I say to myself: Go ahead,
push yourself a little. And on the day we win La Liga, I feel bad. I say: Go ahead, I’m done
playing, I’m quitting. I’m doing rehabilitation again. And so, after that, I had
a string of minor injuries. Zizou’s second year, which for
me was the most complicated, Because I was playing a bit, it
hurt, I played again, it hurt. That was really powerful. The second year was difficult. Do you think surgery was the
right thing to do right away? Yes, but I’d already had
surgery. In Dallas, yes. In Dallas, you know. But wasn’t there another
one to do, perhaps? Wait, let’s go back to that. Sorry. It’s because people know a little,
but they don’t know everything. Is that why you’re doing this? This is the opportunity to say it. And so I’m in pain. I said to the president,
“The doctor, at that time?” I said, “Doc, it might be a good idea to
have another operation because I’m in pain.” He said, “OK.” Because I had a lot of injuries. Whereas I went from zero injuries
in seven years to the first league, With all the blows I was taking,
the guy was still injured. There’s a problem. And people, yes, they found
the excuse: He’s overweight. That’s not true, is it? The beginning of my story at
Real: I arrived, and that was it. but then it wasn’t like that. So, I’ll rephrase myself. I have injuries that I didn’t
even know I had muscles there. I’m hurting myself there,
I’m hurting myself there. I think to myself:
There must be a problem. That’s why I tell the doctor,
“Go ahead, you know what?” We’re going to try to
have the operation redone. He said, “Yes, if you lower yourself,
we’ll have another operation.” I’m hurting again, but I’m not
going back for another operation. I said, “OK, the club didn’t want to.” That’s fine, I accept. It’s me playing, they’re
the ones paying me. That’s the evening protocol. That’s normal, no worries. But in my head, I’m thinking, OK, I’ll
keep going even though I’m still a bit injured and everything. I’m playing a few matches,
but it’s not going too well. Because in my head, I’m always
thinking: I’m in a bit of pain. But here’s the thing. One day, I wake up with an infection
on my feet, and I get spotted. I’m having surgery. I have a lump like that growing,
I’m going to have it operated on. What I was going to say, an infection is Yes, I have something, I’m going to see
the doctor, I’ll say: “You need to have an operation.” I say: OK. That’s what I wanted. I’m not saying that I wanted the
infection so that I could have surgery, but I needed to have an operation. So, I’m having surgery. And then there’s Euro 2000 coming up 2021. That’s who we are in
2021. That’s summer 2021. Zizou’s first two years were complicated. I haven’t played much, so
people start talking nonsense. So I say: You know what? I’m having surgery at that time. And with the Belgians, I say
to myself: You know what? I’m doing intensive rehabilitation. Because I’m very close to the physios,
doctors and everyone else in Belgium. They are really competent
people, not like the others. are not competent. In Belgium, we are known for
our excellent medical care. So I go to see the guy and say, “Before
the euro, we’re doing some serious rehabilitation.” And I’ve been doing this for a month,
as I told you, between us, I’ve never worked like that for a month. The king is arriving, so I don’t think
I’ll start the first two matches. because I’ve just had an
operation and I feel fine. We’re playing Portugal in the round of 16. Like my little brother and me, we both
get a zero and I play a great game. and in the end, I hurt myself. Really? Yeah, that’s why. And then, at that moment,
it gave me a real boost. I was 29, 30, and I
said, “This is intense.” That’s the 18th injury in
two years, I was fed up. Even though I had done everything right. Especially after this
month of rehabilitation. If we lose Italy, we’re out,
and I’m going on holiday. Ancelotti is coming. You have the fitness coach, Pintus, who
comes up to me and says, “We’re going to do a good programme for you and everything. And then I suffered another
injury, two injuries. And then, mentally, I let him go. During my last two years
with Ancelotti, I gave up. I played one or two good matches. I was doing three bad ones.
Mentally, I had given up a little. Did you also experience
Vinny’s explosion in some way? Rodolingote’s? Vinny, he’s here. For me, they were young
people arriving on the scene. They were good, so I
couldn’t complain: He must play, while the others are good. That’s how it is. It’s part of football. I let myself go a little. I enjoyed being with them. We got along really well. I was there, Alaba was coming,
you see, and Thibault was there. With Karim, things were going really well
with the Madrids, the Croces, all of them. In fact, I was in my own little cocoon. I didn’t play much, but
I didn’t hurt myself. So it was a win-win situation.
I had a very good salary. And I was fine, actually. And I thought to myself:
My career is over. Can I come back? That was the question: can
he return to his best form? You were aware of that, weren’t you? I don’t think I’ve achieved that
at my current level, top 2018. But doing little things, playing
good little matches and everything. But Real Madrid is not what they want. Real paid 100 million,
they want you to put Three goals in every match. Makes sense. And I could sense that this was going to
be complicated, especially since I was still a bit hurt. But I was in my little cocoon, I
was happy in Madrid and everything. On a group level, the
ultimate goal was still to As you said, get along well
so it doesn’t get weird. Yes, because often in a club,
when you earn a big salary, you Don’t play around,
you’re a bit of a burden. People say to themselves, “Go
ahead, it’s fine, get lost.” Yes. But I got along well with everyone. People didn’t want me to leave. They never said to me, “No,
we don’t want you to leave.” But when I left in my final year,
when I still had a year left, I gave them to them because
I thought: Out of respect, I’ve been here for four
years and haven’t done much. Out of respect, I give you
the millions I have left. I’m going to leave like
a lord, but You see? You make it easy. You didn’t have to, but
you’re making it easier. Even mentally, it allowed me to say to
myself: Go ahead, you know what to do. Do something nice for them, at least. It’s been complicated, but at least
you’re doing something good for them. I felt like the players were saying
to me, “Are you stupid or something?” Go on, stay with us for another year. Yes? Yes, we’re here, having
a laugh and everything. I say: Yeah, but guys,
I still want to play. A little, and I played more. In
the end, I really played more. So, I say: Another year? For a year, staying in hotels,
doing odd jobs, all that stuff. I have children at home. Yes, of course, it’s a lot of
money, but So what, is that why? I went to see the director
and said to him, “Listen, I’ll give you the last year,
but you have to let me go now. And they accepted straight
away. It suited them just fine. It suited them fine that
I wasn’t playing anymore. And afterwards, I had a good
relationship with the president, yes. You’ve been unlucky with
injuries. Vinnie, he’s coming. It’s the little things that ultimately
prevent you from playing more. But honestly, hats off to you,
you’re a good guy, blah blah blah. I asked Adil this question during
the World Cup, I don’t know. I can’t ask you that either. You did play a bit, you
made a few appearances. Do you still consider him the
winner of the 2022 Champions League? Or else, somewhere, it will
still remain sufficiently Unfinished, so you’re
not talking about it? No, I’m going to say no. I’m going to say no. After that, yes, I’ve got
it, the Champions League. But when people ask me, I say, “Yeah, me.” I won the Champions League, but
deep down, I have nothing to wear. I’m not bragging about winning it, am I? I won, OK, but you’ll never hear me say in an interview: Hey, I’m
the European champion. Okay, I understand. I follow the Europa League
because I used to be I won, I scored in the
final and everything. Even though I haven’t played
much in the Europa League either, But at least I was there. What was your relationship like with
Benzé, for example, and how did you see him? on his Ballon d’Or season? After that, I arrived You know, I always put the other players above me, especially guys like that. Even though I knew I
was good, I always put the Benzemas, the Madrids. For me, they’re legends. They are a bit older than me. Not much older than me,
but they are older than me. And with Karib, it was
great, straight away. On the first day, I remember him
saying to me, “Eden, how are you?” And we talk and play. I think he’s disappointed
for me too. Of course. How events unfold. Of course. But after that, we still
have a good relationship. His season, when he’s in
contention for the Ballon d’Or. This season is so exceptional. Every football player dreams
of having a season like that. Even Thibault’s season. Thibault’s season. Afterwards, the winner
is Thibault and it’s I’m in the club, I can
see that everyone is good, But what wins us the Champions
League is Thibault and Karim. And me, for the group atmosphere. People don’t know that. That’s underrated, guys. I have a small percentage in
what we’ve done this year. But no, honestly, hats off to him. In the end, you announce your retirement
at the end of 2023 at the age of 32. What process brought you back to this? Didn’t you think to yourself, maybe:
OK, you had the injuries, etc. But you didn’t say to yourself,
“One last drink in a club you like.” We know that Lille, for
example, occasionally opens doors for players. Olivier Giroud alone joined the
club this summer at the age of 37. Maybe a club in Belgium or maybe
to play with your brothers, I don’t know. Did you think about it? Or did
you ultimately decide that: Physically, it holds up better. At 32, I’ve done enough. I can retire. No, I haven’t really
thought about it, but I I said to myself: What am I doing? Do you still have I had some contacts in Lille, I could
have left. I’m not going to leave. in Lille, and I think they
would have welcomed me. Yes. But I had done so many good
things that I didn’t want to do One year, like Hiden, he comes,
he does whatever he wants. So I was a bit worried about my abilities. To dress up my images, yes. I was hurt a lot. That’s perfect timing, I’ll be there
for a year and I’ll play three matches. So, I didn’t want that
either, because I didn’t know. I thought about going back to
Belgium, pitching in Belgium, But it was more the idea of
having to move back to Belgium. I didn’t feel like it. I love my country and
everything, but I was so happy in Madrid that I didn’t feel like it. The MLS was tempting, but
I didn’t get the chance Arabia, there were
things, but I didn’t feel I didn’t really feel like
it. Okay, I understand. And as I said, I had looked everywhere. Physically, things were
starting to get a bit tough. But you know what? Go ahead, stay at home, you have
money, you’re in good health, even if you have injuries. Enjoy the children. Was it a solo decision, or did you
discuss it with your wife and family? Yeah, of course. After my parents, I think my parents, In the end, it was hard
to see their son hurt. I think he’ll stop that
too, which is good. We’ll be seeing more of him. Makes sense. He’ll be freer. They have been heavily criticised
over the last three or four years. For me, it doesn’t really affect
me, but it’s the people, they talk, It affects your family, it affects
my wife, she’s not really like that, but the parents, the mum. I think it was good for
them that I stopped. What is life like as a pensioner? Are you a bit bored,
or is everything okay? I think I’m bored. No, I think when you have a
lot of children like you do, There’s always something
to do. No, I’m not bored. I have a lot to do, I have plans. I have a large family too. See the family, see the brothers. I left home 14 years ago,
when we wasted a lot of time. Catch up on time, yes. Catch up on lost time and do lots
of things, play sports, travel. For me, travelling is something I do
with my children; it allows them to to discover lots of things. So no, I’m not bored. Perhaps one day I will return to work
as an assistant or something similar. Are you interested in football? No, not at the moment. Not at the moment? No. I’m not saying never, but I
don’t think I’ll do it again. something in the professional world. It’s a rather peculiar world. It’s not a world where I felt
comfortable for 16 years, but I won’t go back there. That’s it, history has been made. The story is in the
professional world, even coaches by a professional team. But on the other hand, what
I could do is be a coach. Little ones, for example. Yeah, for fun. At five or six years old, they
just want to play football. There is no It’s more my thing, I think. In the end, we’ve been
together for an hour and a bit. What you’re describing,
youth coach, is just for fun. Yeah, that’s right. When you told us about your vision
for the game, it was awesome. In the end, it represents you. That’s what I was trying to say
with that story about your life. That’s right. And I also quit football and the
professional world because of all that. Because I loved spending 90 minutes
on the pitch, but not anymore. everything around it. Go to the hotel, do the
three-week internship. You know, all the media. It was more my thing. I tried it and I liked it,
but it wasn’t really my thing. And now you’re telling me: In two years,
you’ll be a professional coach, travelling and doing Put it back in the washing
machine. Do it all over again. What’s more, coaches
work harder than players. They’re always on the computers
with the assistants, doing stuff. And I don’t want that anymore. So that’s why I’m saying, yeah, maybe. But now, I’m only 34. People sometimes think that Of course. He may be 42 years old, as he
has been retired for two years. No, you’re 34. I’m 91, I’m 34 years old. And if 50 years ago I wanted to be
a coach, that’s 16 years from now. You have time. I have time to see lots of
things, players passing by, Children, go to football practice. There you go, nice and calm. Magnificent. First of all, if I may,
because you did say that, Sometimes, the media, the stuff,
the things, it’s not easy. Thank you for letting me read
this passage. It’s a real treat. Thank you, your team, and everyone. Honestly, it’s a pleasure to
be able to discuss your career. We’re almost done, I just have
one or two questions for you. additional information, and then I
think we will have figured it out. all of this in a fairly
comprehensive manner. There was Minson who recently retired. Sorry, he hasn’t retired yet. He left for MLS and, in
fact, he left Tottenham. Sorry, we were talking
about retirement, I almost A few words about him, a
player you’ve faced, even if he was in Tottenham with the enemy, etc. Afterwards, Tottenham and Chelsea are
rivals, but the players respect each other. A top league player? Of course. No, but he was a notable player
because of his style and his kindness. People forget too, but you really
do have footballers who are We always say football players, but
you really have football players, They’re creams, they’re really
nice. And he’s one of them. The three strongest defenders you
have faced or the most memorable ones. We’re taking time to think things
through. I know it’s difficult. No, but there are many
in the first league. Three guys who, as soon as you
come face to face with them, You say to yourself: That
could have been boring. Even though you said it wasn’t
easy to defend yourself, obviously. It’s not even that I played against them. For me, the ones who made an impression
on me were playing with Sergio Ramos. For me, Sergio Ramos was all about his
achievements, what he accomplished. For me, it’s Once again, it is difficult
to compare different eras. but for me, he’s the
greatest defender in history. Perhaps. See? He didn’t win a Ballon d’Or
like some others may have done. The defenders had some,
but One of the guys. There you go, one of the
I played with John Terry. He’s someone, boss, and
I played with Kompany. I’ll name three central defenders. For the last 20 years,
they have been at the top, Come on, I’ll name five or six
central defenders from our generation. That’s true. For me, it was the three defenders who
made an impression on me, because of their that I did with them. After Kompany, I played
against him a lot too. That’s true. You see, there’s also this affectionate
side to him, he’s a Bel, he’s like me. There’s also John Théry, who I told you
about. We spent three years together, I think. I can mention Van Dey, who has been
in Liverpool for several years now. was very, very strong. I’m very good friends with Rafa and Vara.
He also left his mark on a generation in France. Of course. Perhaps less than Ramos, but
he’s had a great career too. So, we have a lot of defenders. Are you still following
Chelsea sitting in Le Mans? The club has changed
management, works differently, makes a lot of transfers, etc. We’re starting to get
back into shape, just won the Club World Cup, etc. Are
you keeping an eye on it? Yeah, because my kids love Chelsea. They’re Chelsea supporters. They are less supportive of Real
because I have not performed as well. played for Real, I think.
But they’re Chelsea fans. In a week, we’re going to
London to watch a Chelsea match. The recovery? Yeah, let’s go check out Stamford Bridge. They’re world champions, so That’s not bad. It helps. That’s not bad. No, but we follow the Blues, even
though I don’t know anyone on the team I’m not playing with anyone. I trained with Chris James, a little bit,
I think, and with little Shaloba too. But I’m far away, but I’m still Chelsea. As I am from Lille, I will
always support Real Madrid. It’s Belgium, you know. Obviously. But not like before, but I am. Thank you very much, Eden. Thank you. To be honest, it was a real
pleasure to be able to talk to you. with you, to discuss
your career again, etc. I think that, like many others, we were
lucky enough to follow you from the very beginning. the beginnings in Ligue 1, then after
that, this decade in the Premier League. On my streams, I often
talk about football, etc. For me, I’ll say it, you can In short, for me, in the decade
from 2010 to 2020, you are the most outstanding player
in the Premier League. I loved following him during that period. And then there were other great
champions, such as Mohamed Salah, There, we talked about Son,
etc. There’s no problem. But honestly, during that period,
you really did an amazing job. in the eyes of many people. And it is a great honour for me to have
had the opportunity to welcome you. Honestly, just for that,
thank you. It was my job. That’s right, that’s what I
played for, to make people happy. Whether you like it or not. That wraps it up nicely, folks. I hope you enjoyed this season 8
of Zack on Wheels coming to an end. on this interview with Eden, whom I thank
once again for taking the time to talk to me. It was absolutely brilliant, and I don’t
think we could have done it any better. finish in the best possible way. We’ll be back at the end of September,
beginning of October, around the time you return. of this ninth season, one of the
longest-running shows on Twitch. But do you really think
I’m going to end it there? No, friends, I have an announcement
for you because you know we love football, because you know I have
a dream and I’ve had a dream for I’ve wanted to do something on
Twitch for a very long time. I think we can do it. So, to conclude this programme
and this season, I’m going to leave a classified ad. I would like to thank Eden again for
watching, and I will leave you with this video and we’ll see you next time. In a few days, there will
probably be a short stream to give More details about this
announcement. Bye for now. It’s too hard. Yeah, I know, but we’ll find it. That’s his problem. He
has old-fashioned tastes. I don’t even know what he wants.
It was the same with my dad. For his birthday, I gave him a hairdryer. Wait, isn’t your dad bald? I don’t know what to buy. Brother, I have an idea.
Get him a football shirt. Who’s his favourite
player? You’re not stupid! He’s still playing. Benzie. Dude, you’re no better. C-r-7. Did you think you were on a
traditional diet or something, bro? They’re all You’re a liar, your players. Actually, you’re right. Since I’ve been in Saudi
Arabia, I’ve been eating Mcemen. So, technically, guys, Mcemen
doesn’t come from there. What’s he doing there? That’s not the real question. The question is, why don’t you
want to take these jerseys? Dude, you know they’re better than that. But have you seen them play recently? No, but it’s too much hassle. You know, IPTV, VPN, well, we don’t
even know where to watch them. Wait, guys, you need to plug in. Come closer, come closer. Listen, this is what I have to say. The Saudi Pro League will be free
to watch on my channel next year. Wait, wait. Did you say free? Free, guys. And personally, I choose
the jersey from the box. As a former resident of
Lyon, you know what I mean. But when you say free, you
mean you don’t pay anything? Yes. My little girl, baby. I can tell you my problems,
meditating in silence. But I keep pushing my
pin, rotating my stylist. Brokeness, feeling like
sin, not no Creflo dollah. Used to be left on red,
now all the girls go holla, Now all the girls go follow, all
the fake friends going to pile up. I need some peace, I’ll
get back to you tomorrow. Somehow all the fans cheer and
smile so much to hide my sorrows.