He is as comfortable with microphones as he is with the ball. Arrived in the France team after the Euro last summer, the Monegasque Aurélien Tchouaméni (22 years old) is THE great satisfaction in Blue this season. Author once again of an excellent match this Friday in Marseille against Côte d’Ivoire where he scored the winning goal (2-1) for his 8th selection, the former Bordeaux player gave himself up this Sunday in press conference at Clairefontaine on his successful integration into the reigning World Champions.
It feels like you’ve been here a long time. How did your integration go humanly?
AURELIEN TCHOUAMENI. We are lucky to have a top group. When a player arrives, he easily blends into the crowd. This was my case during the first gathering. I take advice from the executives. This is what allows me to be a fulfilled player today.
What is your relationship with Paul Pogba whom you consider a big brother?
As soon as I arrived he guided me and gave me lots of advice both on and off the pitch. I thank him very much. Today, he is one of the people who made me feel good here.
Do you have the impression of having taken on another dimension and will it be necessary to change clubs to become a starter one day with the Blues?
I did not ask myself this question. It is certain that I am not the same player since my arrival in Monaco. I passed caps but I worked for a long time to get where I am today. Quite honestly, I’m not focusing on what’s next. I continue to work and progress and we will see later.
How is your complementarity going on the field with Paul Pogba or Adrien Rabiot?
It happens naturally. Paul has a great quality of passing and he is always carried forward. Since I arrived he is the player with whom I have spent the most minutes on the pitch. It’s natural. We manage to delegate certain tasks. There is a nice complementarity. With N’Golo and Adrien, it’s also easy because they are also great players.
Is it important to have scored a goal against Ivory Coast?
I play as a midfielder, so the goal is not as important for me as for a striker, but it’s always nice to score. You have to take what there is to take. It took me a while to understand that I had scored my first goal in the selection but now it’s good I realized (smile). I’m very proud.
“You don’t have to be a Real Madrid or Manchester City player to be called up for selection”
We emphasize your serenity on the field. Is it part of your personality or is it a temperament that you work on daily?
It’s part of my character. I’m not a problem person. I want to work and progress. When you arrive in a world champion group you can’t afford to make a racket. I remain very calm (this is also the case) in Monaco. I remain focused on work and progress.
Are you already talking about the World Cup in Qatar?
Not too much yet. We are competitors and we focus on the present moment. The most important is Tuesday’s match against Afsud. We are only in March. We will think about the World Cup in Qatar more in the weeks to come, even if it remains in the back of our minds.
N’Golo Kanté returned this morning from Mali. Were you able to chat with him?
Yes it is a pleasure to find N’Golo. He had an impediment (family reasons) at the start of the rally but we felt he was happy to be back. He congratulated me on my goal.
We are talking about you at Real Madrid. Taking a new course means going abroad?
I don’t know, maybe it’s a discussion I need to have with the coach. But, you don’t have to be a Real Madrid or Manchester City player to be called up for selection. We see players here who also play for very good clubs like Wissam (Ben Yedder) and me at AS Monaco. Today I had a few starts in Blue and I’m an AS Monaco player so it’s not a question I’ve asked myself for the moment.