Lucas Chevalier, the 23-year-old goalkeeper who joined Paris Saint-Germain this summer from LOSC Lille, spoke to the newspaper Le Figaro. In this interview published on Tuesday, the French national team’s second-choice goalkeeper discussed his decision to sign with PSG and his far from easy adaptation.
Chevalier: “At the very beginning, it wasn’t easy in general.”
“How is the adaptation going?
I’m feeling better and better. The first month and a half, there was a bit of discomfort. I was still staying in a hotel. And then, I’m quite a creature of habit, quite methodical, and there, it was a bit of a freestyle situation (laughs). But, at the same time, I was excited, I felt it was the right time to leave Lille. It’s true that, at the very beginning, it wasn’t easy in general. It was something I couldn’t miss.”
But now, I’m really starting to settle into a routine, whether it’s at the club, how I train, or outside of it. I’ve found my place, figured out what I like and don’t like to do… Little by little, it’s falling into place, and I’m really starting to be able to perform at my best on the pitch.
Chevalier: “Of course, it’s tough, it’s elite sport.”
Was signing with PSG an easy decision?
Not so easy. When you arrive at one of the best clubs in the world, the pressure is on a whole different level. So, there was a lot of thought involved, both for me and with my family. We know it’s different even before we experience it. Once you do, you realize it even more and you see other things. At the same time, it was the right time to leave Lille.
The project, a French club, the way PSG has been working for several years, a long-term commitment… Of course, it’s tough, it’s top-level sport, but if I want to progress in my career, it was the right time. I could have made other choices or even stayed in Lille, in my comfort zone, and not taken any risks.”
A very different daily life.
The difference here?
“I think that when you’re very good here, you’re really put on a pedestal, more so than in Lille. But if you’re not as good, you’re completely ignored. And in everyday life, people look at you differently. You have to adapt to that too. You try to remain as normal as possible, but you have to manage the changes in behavior. Of course, there are also advantages, things that make life easier, but you have to protect yourself from that environment.” “
It’s important to remember that football players, even if they often seem to exist in another dimension, are human beings. There’s a life off the pitch that influences performance, just like for all athletes. Without feeling sorry for them, because there are tougher jobs, it’s a factor to consider. Chevalier doesn’t want to use it as an excuse, but he was bothered by it.
Everyone needs time to adapt after moving, and that’s certainly true for a transfer. Here, the goalkeeper has also reached a new level in his career, with a whole new level of pressure surrounding him. This doesn’t change his work on the pitch, but everything that happens around it can have an impact. He has to learn to manage the demands and the media frenzy. And of course, he also has to adapt to a new group, a different staff, and a completely different style of play.
By arriving at PSG, Chevalier finds himself in a different context, both on and off the pitch.” He often has fewer saves to make in a match than he did at Lille; it’s a different approach and a different mental game management. All of this is part of playing at the highest level and the stages of a career. There’s no need to worry. Little by little, the goalkeeper is settling in and should be getting closer to his best form. A standout performance could help him “get going.” Tonight against Bayern Munich is a great opportunity.
