Lucas Hernandez, the 30-year-old defender for Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team, spoke to TF1 and in the mixed zone after Les Bleus’ 1-2 defeat against Ivory Coast on Thursday evening in a friendly match in preparation for the 2026 World Cup.
TF1:
Hernandez: “It’s still just a friendly.”
“We always want to win, we’re always hungry, but well, we’re in preparation. There have been a lot of changes, the team has rotated a lot. It’s still just a friendly. We’ll still have to improve some things. But this is the path to follow to start on June 16 against Senegal.”
You won the Champions League, is the morale still high enough to go and win the World Cup?
Of course. With PSG, we had an extraordinary season, one for the history books. But, as I’ve always said, that’s in the past. Now, the present is France and the World Cup. We’ll have to work hard to arrive on June 16th in the best possible shape. A World Cup is wonderful for the players and the French public; we want to make them proud.
Hernandez: “We’re ready.”
In the mixed zone:
How are the Parisians physically?
“We’re in top form. We haven’t had a day off, so we’re ready, 100%. If the coach and the team have what it takes from us, from me, we’re ready.”
