This Saturday, Paris Saint-Germain take on Stade de Reims in the French Cup final (kick-off 9pm). The first of their two finals, the second of which is the Champions League final, takes place on Saturday May 31 against Inter Milan at Munich’s Alianz Arena. In an interview with France TV, Achraf Hakimi, the 26-year-old Parisian full-back, spoke about the two finals and the team’s progress throughout the season.
Hakimi “The city, the fans deserve it.”
“My dream now is to finish the season with PSG by winning this French Cup and making history with this Champions League. The city, the fans deserve it.”
What is the strength of this PSG team?
“I think the team is very united. We get on very well together, we help each other, those who play, those who don’t play, everyone pulls in the same direction and it works.”
Hakimi “He’s created a united team, a real family.”
You speak Spanish with the staff, with Luis Enrique it’s your mother tongue, can you explain the Luis Enrique method?
“I think he’s a coach who’s close to the players. He’s connected, he’s very human with us in good times and bad. I think he trusts us. He transmits that confidence to us, and we work well with him.
He’s created a close-knit team, a real family. People don’t necessarily realize his way of working, his method, but it works very well with me.”
Hakimi “I’ve got a role to play in the whole attacking department.”
What influence has he had on the way you play, both offensively and defensively?
“He’s been important in my evolution, in different aspects of the game. With Luis Enrique, I’ve improved my game and my statistics. I also play closer to the penalty area. I’ve got a role to play in the whole attacking game. It’s a good thing because ever since I was little I’ve been attracted to attack, but I mustn’t forget to defend well.”
What do you think of Ousmane Dembélé’s development this season?
“You know, as a man, as a footballer, he’s a spectacular player. He knows how to make a difference, and he’s built up a lot of confidence in the penalty area. His statistics speak for him, he’s in a good dynamic, he helps us enormously.”
Hakimi “I give my all to help the team win”.
You score a lot of goals, how do you explain that?
“As I said, the coach trusts me. I try to help the team as best I can, I take advantage of every opportunity and that’s how the goals come. I also take care of all my defensive duties. I give my all to help the team win and achieve its goals.”
You have a Coupe de France final against Reims, is that an important moment before the Champions League final?
“It’s one more title, we’re focused without forgetting the Champions League. We’re PSG and all titles count. We want to celebrate it with our supporters.”
Hakimi “They’re a solid team who work well and deserve to be in the final”.
You’ve never lost to Reims this season. What’s the strength of this team?
“They’re a solid team who work well and deserve to be in the final. They’ve had a great run. We’ll have to be focused, respect them and play our game to go and get this cup. That’s what we have in mind.”
On a personal note, this will be your first match at the Stade de France, how does that feel?
“I’m really looking forward to getting to know the stadium. Hopefully we’ll have the same outcome as in Lille last year. It’s one more stadium in my career. I’m going to give it my all and enjoy it. I hope we’ll be lucky enough to win.”
Hakimi “From now on I’m in Paris and I’m going to do everything I can to beat them.”
After this final, the Champions League final against Inter Milan your former club, how do you prepare for such a wonderful moment?
“It’s a very special moment. My first major European final with Paris. It’s going to be a very important moment, plus it’s Inter Milan. I haven’t forgotten that I wore this shirt and won a Scudetto with this club, and I’m happy to be playing against them. Now I’m in Paris and I’m going to do everything I can to beat them.”
What’s your opinion of this team?
“I’ve seen them knock out some great teams. They have a very clear game plan, with great players. We’ll have to be focused. We’ve targeted our strong points, and we’ve got ours. It’s going to be a very tough match.”
Hakimi “to make history, we need players with this mentality.”
Luis Enrique often reminds us that it’s important to make history. Has he created a winning culture in you?
“What’s in you is something you work on in training. When you lose you get angry, when you win you celebrate because those are special moments. You have to enjoy the good times.
You have to be competitive, it’s something you have inside you. That’s what champions have. And to make history, we need players with that mentality. I think today we have players who want to make history.”
Hakimi “We’ve got two games left to make history”.
There’s a lot of talk about a possible treble, what does that conjure up for you?
“We want to experience these incredible things. As I said before, making history with this club is something that will stay with us forever. They’ll remember us for life. That’s what we’re working for. We’ve got two games left to make history. Not just for PSG, but the soccer world, it would be incredible to achieve a treble.”
Hakimi “We discovered we could be a team”.
Why was the match against Manchester City the turning point of your season?
“We were coming out of a difficult period in the Champions League, we were playing well without winning, we had chances, but we weren’t scoring. And just as we got back to City, very quickly, we took two goals, we started to have doubts, and then we managed to tap into what had been our strength.
We discovered that we could be a team. That we were capable of pulling off a real remontada, that we were champions and that when we put all these ingredients in place, we were capable of winning against City. That’s probably where our team was born.”
Can Ousmane Dembélé win the Ballon d’Or?
“Now that we look at soccer through the statistics, I think Ousmane is having an incredible season. Not just in terms of goals. But in the way he plays on the pitch. He defends, he helps the team, he’s a real leader. He’s a candidate for the Ballon d’Or and I think he deserves it.”
