What did you think of PSG’s elimination in Madrid?
Football is like that! They are two great teams. Madrid has a great history in the Champions League. In these types of matches, anything can happen.
Will PSG ever win the Champions League?
I think so. With the players they have you can do great things.
They won’t always be there…
No… I think it’s difficult for Messi because he arrived this season after many years in a completely different football, in a club that always played the same way. It only lacks adaptation, but the rest will come naturally. It is normal. He just needs time.
Do you understand the whistles to Messi like against Bordeaux?
No. I don’t understand. If you whistle Messi, there is nothing left! If you whistle for the best in the world, who are you going to applaud? I do not get it…
Neymar was also whistled…
Yes, but I think it’s not a Messi problem or a Neymar problem. The fans were not happy about not being able to win the Champions League. The two biggest names at PSG are Neymar and Messi, so it’s normal that they were a bit stronger against them. But I think the fans are unhappy with all the players, not just the two. But it is football and, in a while, normality will return.
What must Neymar do to succeed in Paris?
I hope that next season he doesn’t get injured and the rest is normal. Every year he wins something, in the national team or at PSG. Well, the Champions League not yet. But I hope that with Messi’s adaptation the three of them can write a great story.
The third is Mbappé?
Yes…
Why do you think he will stay in Paris?
Yes, I think it will stay. But hey, with football, a lot of things can happen quickly… But, the three of them together can do something beautiful.
Would you advise him to renew?
I do not advise anyone! I want to see all my friends happy, everywhere. But if all three stayed, it would be fantastic for anyone who loves football. The three best players in the world together, is what all football lovers want to see.
Going back to Neymar, what is missing for him to have an even more prestigious career?
I think he already has a very strong history in football, right? He is a player who has done many things. He is our main idol in Brazil. I hope I win the World Cup and a Ballon d’Or. I hope I win everything to go one step further. Later, in football it has always been like that. Ronaldo also went through difficult times. But, in our time, we end up winning everything, especially the World Cup.
You regularly travel around the world. What era do people talk to you about the most?
To tell the truth, everyone asks me why I don’t play football again. So I say I’m old. And then we started talking about my time in Paris, Barcelona, Milan…