Frank Emery, father of 19-year-old Warren Zaïre-Emery, spoke at length about his son’s early career (already his 100th match with Paris Saint-Germain). His professional debut, his time with the French national team, his Champions League appearances – he tells all, with emotion.
Father of Zaïre-Emery “As a father, how can you not be proud to see that your son has already signed a professional contract with PSG ?
“As a father, how can you not be proud to see that your son has already signed a professional contract with PSG, that he has been selected for the French national team for the Euro, and that he has his baccalauréat and driving licence in his pocket. What more could I ask for, except that one day, I hope, he brings me the Champions League with PSG.
The day he joined the first team:
As a former amateur footballer, seeing your son training with Messi, Neymar, Mbappé, Ramos or Verratti is wonderful. I was even jealous (he laughs). I remember, in the early days, I used to take him to training in an old grey BMW. It looked like a bandit car.
The fans waiting outside the Camp des Loges wouldn’t look at us because they didn’t know who it was. It was funny! When he came home, I’d sometimes ask him how things were going, but I didn’t want to ask him too many questions either. I always tried to leave him alone about his soccer.“
You can’t imagine what Frank Emery must have gone through in his son’s debut. It’s like a dream come true. We know that his family has always been kind to the player. There’s a humility about Warren that’s echoed in his father’s words.
Zaire-Emery’s father “During his training, everything went very quickly”.
The day he signed as a professional:
It was a great source of pride and a reward for my son, because I felt he had done a great job and behaved in the right way to sign as a professional. During his training, everything went very fast. I didn’t have time to say wow, he was already in the U17 national team, then the U19s and then the pros. I was happy every step of the way. I said to myself, ‘OK, he’s got what it takes. Now it’s up to him to go even higher.
Signing as a professional at such a young age isn’t for everyone. You need maturity to live it well, move forward and keep working. Because everything has gone so fast, there’s a fear that it’ll all come to a sudden halt.
Warren has the shoulders and the composure to deal with this, but it’s obviously difficult for a father to apprehend when he sees his young child exposed to the fans, the press and an environment that’s not always ideal and benevolent.
The day he scored his first goal at Montpellier:
I was in Lyon for a wedding and had booked a hotel room nearby so I could escape in the hope of seeing the match. Just as I was about to return to the party, I heard that Warren was leaving to warm up.
So I hurried out of my car and ran back to my room, but by the time I got back he’d already scored (PSG’s youngest ever Ligue 1 goalscorer at 16 years and 330 days). It was only around midnight that I returned to the wedding. The friend who had invited me that day was initially angry with me, until I told her I had to look at my son and that he had scored his first goal.
Zaire-Emery’s father “It was great to see your 16-year-old son already playing in Europe’s biggest competition”.
The day he celebrated his first Champions League start:
It was great to see his 16-year-old son already playing in Europe’s greatest competition (against Bayern Munich, February 14, 2023). My biggest fear was that he would do something stupid. I kept my fingers crossed that he wouldn’t do anything stupid. His mother and I were in the Nike box next to Sakina Karchaoui (PSG player).
We were in front of the team when the players came on, and I really felt proud when I saw him appear on the pitch. I was in zoom mode with my cell phone, trying to catch his gaze. I never thought I’d feel as much emotion during the Champions League anthem as I did during the Marseillaise with the French team.
As well as making his professional debut, like many in the French Cup, Zaïre-Emery has already played 100 games for PSG at the age of 19. These include Champions League matches, which means the player is already well into the professional world. No longer an up-and-coming rookie, he now needs to confirm and demonstrate his worth.
At such a young age, this can be a daunting task, and it’s important that he’s well supported. His performances have suffered from a lack of quality this season and even a little last season, but we must also recognize that everything moves very fast and that we must also give the boy time to find his way.
Zaire-Emery’s father: “I was blown away by him, especially when you consider Warren’s personality, as he’s more used to keeping to himself, reserved and humble”.
The day he took the megaphone in front of the Auteuil stand:
I was blown away, especially when you consider Warren’s personality: he’s used to keeping to himself, reserved and humble. I was at the stadium, in the family tribune, with Grandma Gigi, her mother and the kids. We all laughed so hard, because we were so surprised. He threw off his shirt and ended up shirtless. We said to each other: “He’s crazy, we need that shirt, we don’t have many (laughs).
Zaire-Emery is the epitome of the titi par excellence. Great potential, humble, hard-working, physically ready, he has all the qualities to be the darling of the Parc des Princes, which has undoubtedly become his garden. The fans love him, although they are uncompromising about his level, but Warren lets loose with them in a way he rarely does on a day-to-day basis.
It also shows that he’s opening the door to a relationship with the public, that he’s making the effort to give more. We may be witnessing the birth of a future great player. Let’s not deny ourselves the pleasure.
The day he was voted man of the match against AC Milan:
I loved that match (October 25, 2023, 3-0 win)! Warren put in a great performance, being involved in all the right moves. He impressed me with his impact, percussion, risk-taking, duels, everything! I’d like him to be like that every game.
Zaire-Emery’s father “I would have preferred him not to score and to play the whole match”.
The day he was selected for the French national team thanks to his performances at club level:
I was apprehensive that everything would go well, that he’d have a good game, and with his injury, I came away with a strange feeling, both happy to see Warren score for the national team before he turned 18 and sad that he was forced out with an injury after that goal (against Gibraltar, 14-0, November 18, 2023). At the time, we didn’t know if it was serious because we didn’t have a slow-motion machine.
It was only when we got back to the hotel and saw the images again that we got a bit scared (editor’s note: his sprained ankle kept him off the pitch for almost a month). At the time, we were just hoping it was nothing. I’d almost have preferred it if he hadn’t scored and had played the whole match.“
The French national team is the next level up, and inevitably you feel that things may have gone a little too fast. Obviously, when there’s talent, it’s not a question of age, even if reaching milestones is important in a career. With Warren, it’s everything, right away, and that puts more pressure on him. As we’ve seen, he’s not perfect, either with Paris or with Equipe de France, but he’s far from being ridiculous or far from the level of the others.
There are still achievements to be made, work to be done and growth to be made as a player. For his father, all this is a dream, a great source of pride, and celebrating his 100th match at the age of 19 is perhaps the start of an incredible story with Paris and Les Bleus.
