Warren Zaïre-Emery spoke with Téléfoot for a special feature on his birthday. The Paris Saint-Germain and French national team midfielder, who turns 20 today, shared his fondest memory, discussed his achievements, praised his coach, and expressed his desire to spend his entire career at the club. He also revealed his ambitions for the World Cup.
Zaïre-Emery: “It’s magnificent when you see the emotions of players like Marquinhos.”
Welcome to your little home. Well, not so little…
No, it’s big. If you start in the youth academy, the pre-academy. Then, as you grow, you climb the ranks and eventually join the first team. Being up there is simply a dream that I continue to live every day.
What is your fondest memory?
There are so many, whether it’s from the academy with the pros or with the youth teams.
The best part?
The best part: the Champions League. It’s magnificent when you see the emotions of players like Marquinhos, who was already crying before the 80th minute. You know what he went through is tough and that it’s a very difficult trophy to win.
Zaire-Emery: “I worked on myself a little bit and it happened naturally.”
You already have an enormous list of achievements, more than many great players, and you’re only 20 years old.
Yes, it’s magnificent. We have a team, a coach like Luis Enrique, it certainly makes things easier. Now, we always want trophies, we always want to win. We’re here for that and we live for that. It’s incredible, but we’ll never stop.
You’re making an impressive comeback, how did you do it?
I’d say I asked myself the right questions. I worked on myself a little bit and it happened naturally. I have the French U21 team, which helped me a lot, and coach Gérald Baticle called me. I said I wanted to go back to getting on the ball and playing with more confidence. I analyzed myself a bit, and I think I was lacking intensity and a certain carefree attitude. I think that’s coming back, and I need to keep going in that direction. It’s doing me good; there were times when it was really tough, but that happens in a young player’s career. Right now, I feel good, and I just want to keep going.
Zaïre-Emery: “Playing, regaining confidence, it’s done me a world of good.”
Does the interim period with Hakimi seem to have given you a lot of strength and confidence?
Yes, I hadn’t thought about that, but by playing regularly and consistently, the rhythm comes back. You put in more and more intensity, you make more and more runs forward. Playing again, regaining my confidence, it did me a world of good. I’m glad I went through that. I know it can happen, and it will surely happen again at another point in my career, and I’ll know how to handle it.
Are you the most used player by the coach?
It’s great, because I have the qualities, you can’t take them away, but it’s everything else around me, the lack of confidence, that makes it not work, and today it’s back. I’m very happy and proud to have gotten through this stage.
Zaïre-Emery: “He has his ideas, his goals, and he sees things through. He never stops.”
How do you experience the competition?
It’s a very healthy competition. Fabian is injured in the knee, and he encourages me in every match. It’s wonderful, and when I was on the bench, I was behind him. That’s what a team is all about.
What makes Luis Enrique different?
He has his philosophy and he sticks to it. Last year, he was told it wasn’t working, the journalists always said it wasn’t effective, and in the end, that’s how we won the Champions League. He has his ideas, his goals, and he sees things through. He never stops.
With the match against Chelsea coming up, will there be a sense of revenge?
I wouldn’t say revenge, because it’s a different competition. We want to win this match and continue our journey to win the Champions League a second time.
Zaire-Emery: “I already have Marquinhos’ goal and 500 matches.”
Does the idea of spending your whole career here at PSG cross your mind?
Honestly, if everything goes well for me, if everything falls into place, I’ll be proud to do it. I already have Marquinhos’ goal of reaching 500 matches. In the locker room, we’re all laughing because I keep playing, and Marquinhos looks at me and says that next year, I’m going to break his record, that’s it (laughs). I find it funny because it’s impossible, there aren’t enough matches.
Does it still motivate you?
Yes, all records are goals, and I’d be happy to spend my whole career here.
Are you thinking about the World Cup?
It’s every kid’s dream to play for the French national team, to be called up to the senior squad, to be on the list: you tell yourself you’re among the 23 best French players, and it’s a source of pride and pleasure, and you just want to be there. There’s going to be a lot of competition, but I’ll have to give it my all every day to
