From sadness to blue smiles there is only one step. A very long step, certainly. But wonderfully surpassed by Christopher Nkunku, who finally emerged from a difficult struggle that lasted almost two years, between physical and psychological injuries. This Thursday evening, against Israel, it was the French team that the 26-year-old attacker saved from a (small) trap by scoring the 2-1 goal, a few minutes after the surprising Israeli equaliser. A very nice result for the former PSG player, now a member of the Chelsea squad, his first in the Italian jersey after eleven selections.
A Nkunku style goal, fast and technical. Found by Eduardo Camavinga, author of the first goal (7th), in front of the opponent’s area, the boy from Lagny-sur-Marne controls his back to goal, frees himself from the pressure of four Israelis and runs towards the opponent’s cage to deceive from the left Omri Glazer (28th). Enough to make the number 10 smile, the number printed on the back of a certain Kylian Mbappé in September, during the previous rally. Enough to also unlock the blue bench, therefore, two and a half years after his first cap.
Christopher Nkunku celebrates his first goal for France this Thursday evening. Sports Icon/Baptiste Fernandez
It was March 25, 2022, against Ivory Coast (2-1), the striker’s first of four matches as a starter for the French. A period during which he revealed himself in the eyes of Europe with the RB Leipzig shirt, to the point of settling into Didier Deschamps’ group. His presence among the squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is therefore no surprise. But, unfortunately, on November 15 of the same year: the lateral ligament in his left knee tore during the final training before flying to Doha.
“I’m hungry to show what I’m capable of”
It’s the beginning of a nightmare for the attacker trained at PSG. Because if this injury takes “only” three months to heal, it will bring others, to RB Leipzig and above all to Chelsea, a club that arrived in the summer of 2023. Result: fourteen club matches played by Nkunku alone over the course of the past season. “I went through very difficult phases psychologically, I was discovering this period, being injured for so long, it was the first time. These are adventures that make you stronger,” he admitted at a press conference in Clairefontaine on Tuesday.
The hardest part for him? “I miss the World Cup,” he added. But after months of work, “patience and resilience”, he says, here he is standing and in good shape, like this performance against Israel, which has to be scaled back due to adversity. “The life of a footballer is never linear,” he philosophized to the media. I try to savor this moment where I can train, where I can play, where I can have fun on the pitch. Because I missed it. »
For its fans, among the Blues of Chelsea or among the Blues of the French team, there is optimism for next season. In a club with a vague project and a bloated squad, he has already played eleven games (5 starts) since mid-August, scoring seven goals, including a hat-trick in the English League Cup. This Thursday evening in Budapest (Hungary), he almost doubled without Israeli intervention (33rd). He will be happy about it this time. Despite his age (26 years), Nkunku continues his apprenticeship with the Tricolores: “I’m hungry. I’m hungry to play, I’m hungry to show what I’m capable of. » We saw part of it, before his replacement with Guendouzi (76th), scorer of the Blues’ third goal. Didier Deschamps did not fail to praise his player’s performance at the end of the match. “Christopher has a lot of energy and freshness with Chelsea. With us too. He did good things on the left and later in support of Kolo (Muani). It’s very good for him. He has significant potential, but is hampered by injuries. »
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