The world title and recognition that is difficult to manage, Steven Nzonzi has known it all. Now a player for Al Rayyan, in Qatar, since September 2021, he spoke, for Ouest-France, of the French team and the management of this world title, in 2018, which is difficult to assume mentally. The former Sevilla or Stade Rennais player came into play in place of N’Golo Kanté, ill, in the World Cup final. This success, he explains, was a real test for someone rather reserved: “What changes is people’s recognition. It changes the way we are looked at, but I never really paid attention”.
The post-title season was also difficult on a physical and psychological level, confided the Ile-de-France player, when he was playing for AS Roma during this period: “After certain defeats, some did not understand my frustration. Basically, I hit the holy grail so why do I get angry when I lose? But I am a competitor. After the World Cup, I moved on. I’ll talk about it when I’m done with my career.” The French midfielder has played twenty games with the Blues. But he has not been selected by Didier Deschamps since a friendly match between France and Finland in November 2020 (0-2), which is still the last French defeat today.
Eighteen months without the France team, again these are complicated times to manage for the 33-year-old player: “When you taste the France team, it’s a little drug. If you’re a competitor, you need that extra pressure. This feeling, once you know it, you want to relive it as often as possible. It’s something I miss.” Nzonzi finally explained that he had shunned the light somewhat in recent months, which he fully assumes: “I have remained true to myself. I did things on Instagram, but I really didn’t feel well, so I stopped”.