Juventus full-back Patrice Evra shrugs off criticism and targets Euro 2016. “I am not looking for cuddles. I play football because I’m a winner.”
The veteran gave an exclusive interview to French newspaper L’Equipe today and discussed his change of image since the tumultuous 2010 World Cup campaign.
Juventus full-back Patrice Evra shrugs off criticism and targets Euro 2016. “I am not looking for cuddles. I play football because I’m a winner.”
The veteran gave an exclusive interview to French newspaper L’Equipe today and discussed his change of image since the tumultuous 2010 World Cup campaign.
“Frankly, I am not concerned with my image. Whether you like me or not, that’s irrelevant. The only thing that hurt was when some suggested I did not love the Bleus jersey, because this shirt means a lot to me.
“I have not won anything with my country and I want that to change. The aim, now more than ever, is to win the Euros as hosts.
“I am only truly interested in what my teammates think of me. I am not looking for affection or cuddles. I play football because I’m a winner.
“In fact, I’m at an age now where it’s not even my performance that interests me. What I want to pass on to my teammates is that desperate hunger for victory.
“I’ve never really been affected by criticism, as I have other fish to fry. I do meditation, I am a religious person, and as long as my family and I are healthy, that’s all that matters.
“People said I had no heart, but that’s not the case at all. Of course I have feelings, but whether someone criticises me or not makes no difference to my life. And nobody has ever been rude or critical to me in the street. Never.”
Evra did confess he has been bottling up some of his emotions, including the sudden death of his sister.
“I did not shed any tears. Maybe one day I will explode. My mother said to me, ‘Patrice you should cry and let all your emotions out.’ But I can’t. It’s not that I consider it a sign of weakness, not at all, but for now…
“I do not feel that I am someone hard, no. Maybe this is the image I give off, but in life I am sweet. I’ve been meditating a lot since 2014 and that really helps me to reach out to others, which in turn helps me. When I take care of a team, I have more energy.
“I am not stubborn. If you are right, I will tell you that. Maybe my confidence seems like arrogance in the eyes of some people, I don’t know. But if I had a terrible game, I’d admit it. Conversely, if I had a great game, I’d say that too.
“I try to be as natural as possible. As young players you are taught to say things in a pretty formatted way, but if I speak, then I say what I think. It might be pleasing or displeasing for some, but I don’t take that into account. Maybe I should, but I just can’t.”
The France squad famously went on strike during the 2010 World Cup in protest after Nicolas Anelka was sent home due to a row with Coach Raymond Domenech.
Bleus captain Evra then had an argument with fitness coach Robert Duverne, prompting the players to sit on the team bus with the curtains pulled shut.
L’Equipe told Evra about the version of events provided by Djibril Cisse, who said their then-captain had decided to abandon training and the rest followed.
“He said that? If that’s true, I’ll make a note and call him. If he said that, then I am very, very, very disappointed, because I do not like liars.
“I do not have to lie. One day I will write a book on my career and I will come back to this story. I prevented the team going on strike for the next match, but they had to chop the head off a player to make a point and it happened to be the captain. I understand more about it now.
“We were in a bubble. We did not want to train at that moment. We wanted to sign autographs and go back to the hotel. If we had been allowed to do that, it would not have resulted in this mess.
“It was Domenech who confiscated the keys to the bus. The chaos would not have happened without that moment. All these stories about Yoann Gourcuff being stopped from getting down from the bus, it’s all lies.
“I stood up three times on that bus and said: ‘If one steps down, we all do.’”