Koeman: I don’t want to quit the French national team yet, but if I can only stand in the stands, I will take the initiative to give up my seat

Hupu October 8th, a famous reporter from the French Media Team News Agency, exclusive interview with Kingsley Koeman.

[Must board] Koeman: Pay less attention to me! Bayern said he was willing to let me leave if he was short of money. Some people hoped that I would leave

How did Deschamps explain his attitude towards you?

He thought I would be ready sooner and wouldn't care too much about it. He wants a 100% state player. We had different ideas at the time. We couldn't explain it clearly at the time, and this might have avoided this.

So, during the game, would you say to yourself, "To be honest, it's better for me to be with my wife and children"?

When you don't play football, yes (laughs). From an outsider's perspective, you can say that playing football in the national team is already very important.

But when you first compete in the European Cup, when you are young, it feels different. This is my third time. I have had this experience and I have played in the European Cup finals. So playing football for the national team in the European Cup has not changed my life.

This is nothing new. We aspire to play a more important role. It is indeed harder to manage, but it has not yet reached the level people say.

Don't you want to stop?

No. After talking to the coach, I didn't want to quit. I had no decision before;

I want to have a good talk with him. After I came back in November, we chatted and straightened things out. I didn't want to call him before. I need time.

By September, my tension had eased. If he called me at the time, we would communicate in the same way and try to understand each other. Everything went smoothly; I understood his point of view and why we have come this far.

Are you willing to return to the national team now, even if you need to reduce the game time?

It is becoming increasingly difficult to be a starter now. I have made very short starts at the national team, but in major games, I always come on as a substitute, with the ambition to help the team.

You can say I'm used to this role. What's even harder is sitting in the stands, because there are 26 players on the roster, so some players will be absent on game day.

Now, obviously, I prefer to give my place to someone who has never experienced such a thing. I've participated in one World Cup, three European Cups... The coach knows this, but he also knows that if he needs me, he can rely on me. Since the European Cup incident, we have communicated a lot.

What do you mean?

When I was young, I didn't need much communication. I'm so happy as long as I can be there. With experience, I prefer to determine the game framework before the game. I definitely don't want to be a burden to coach. When you are at your peak, you must not be occupied by frustration.

How do you evaluate your career with the French team?

However, I am very happy. I've had some great time. But I think it might be better if I was a little more decisive at some point, or started in a big game.

This is a bit regrettable. Those two final losses—European Cup 2016 (0-1 loss to Portugal in overtime) and the 2022 World Cup—both made me feel like my career has not been completed. I'm just one step away from winning a French team trophy myself.

You played 59 times, but you never played a full game...What does this mean?

Maybe it's easier to replace me (laughs). I'm fine. I often sit on the bench, so I know that at a score of 2-0 or 3-0, your last 10-15 minutes of playing time may be a little good for others.

Coach knows that it is definitely not a problem to replace me. I also know that sometimes you have to discipline me because I'm full of explosiveness and you have to be able to accept that you can't stay in the best shape all the time.

Do you think you are less conceited than ordinary people?

I don't know. I am conceited and long for respect, but football is a team sport. I always think about the team.

I know what kind of player I am and what I deserve, but I will never put myself on the team. I like to win. If we win all 10 games, I will enjoy playing 10 games, performing well, not being eliminated, rather than scoring 8 goals but winning only 7 games. Then I'm not interested.

What I like is winning trophys, celebrating and parties. If you have an extraordinary season on a personal level and miss the trophy, you will certainly be happy, but the moments of collective celebration and sharing—the best thing for me—you can’t experience it.

As long as the management is consistent and my wishes are respected, I will be fine. If I played 100 times for the national team but never played a full game, that would be pretty good, right?