Lucas Hernandez, the 29-year-old Paris Saint-Germain defender, spoke to PSG TV. He talked about his World Cup title, his arrival at PSG and his recent return from serious injury. He also praised the club, saying it felt like a second family. He also praised the fans, who are always present.
Hernandez “I’m still a very calm person”
2018 World Champion, how do you manage?
Knowing how to manage your emotions because when you succeed and play a World Cup final, everyone writes to you, everyone wants to know what you’re like. You just have to stay calm and be yourself and play your game, do what you know how to do. That’s what I’ve always done when you put it like that, it sounds simple.
But me, I like to have a laugh, I like to give it my all, but inside I know I’m calm and I’m going to stay calm. And no matter what situation I find myself in, whether in soccer or personally, outside or otherwise, I’m always a very calm person.
What do you think about when you win the World Cup?
I thought about my family, I thought about everything. I thought about my brother too. I started playing with him at home, in the park and everything. I said to myself, it’s all thanks to him.
I still don’t realize what we’ve really done in the world of soccer and in the world of French soccer. Talking to other former players who won World Cups, it’s only when they stopped playing that they really realized it.
Hernandez “I think I made the right decision to sign here because we’re on the right track to do great things”
What’s it like the day you become a Paris Saint-Germain player?
I was at Bayern and it was actually a long discussion. When I wanted to come here to Paris, I had a lot of meetings with the sporting director, Luis Campos. He told me a lot about the club’s plans and ambitions. I immediately made a connection with that.
When he came to talk about the project the club was creating, the coach who was going to come, the players who were also going to come, it stimulated me and I said yes straight away. It’s true that I was at a great club too, and we’ve also done some great things, but I also needed to change things up a bit once again, to rediscover a different ambition.
Another club that’s also looking for great things like PSG. That’s why I didn’t hesitate to sign here. I think I made the right decision to sign here because we’re on the right track to achieve great things.
Hernandez “Everyone is convinced that we all want the same result at the end of the year”
What’s it like when you meet your teammates and have to create a bond?
For me, it’s important to have this bond between all the players. Not just on the pitch, but off it too. It’s mysterious because you don’t see, you only see what happens on the pitch or in the match. And you don’t know that when we get here, I have breakfast together, the gym, the physiotherapists on the trips, I spend more time with my team-mates, with my wife.
It’s true. Between the training sessions, the trips, the hotels, you have to have a good connection and bond with your teammates, your partners. That’s what makes the difference on the pitch too. When everyone gets along well and there’s a good atmosphere. Because I’ve also known, unfortunately, that those who played were super happy and those who didn’t play weren’t happy.
They didn’t talk, they were immediately angry. No, there are 11 players who play, the others who don’t, they’re there. For example, we trained today. Those who haven’t played are giving 100%. Everyone is convinced that we all want the same result at the end of the year. We all want to reach the same goal.
You’re all one and the same, aren’t you?
It’s not that 11 players are playing more, the regulars and the others are on the sidelines, no, in fact, we’re all really in the same group, we’re all in the same boat and we’re all going to fight for each other.
Hernandez “I went out to warm up like a 17-year-old”.
Can you tell us about the moment you experienced on your return against Salzburg?
Mainly, I didn’t think I was going to play because I’d been training with the team for a week and when we scored the second goal, the coach came to me and said, “Do you want to play? I said, “Of course I do”.
So I went off to warm up like a 17-year-old, as if it were my first game. I went inside. It’s true that it’s not easy to come back from injury, but when you come back, you feel everything that a soccer match means, with the atmosphere. What’s more, it’s a Champions League match, which is even more intense. These are moments of pride and happiness.
What was it like playing against Manchester City at the Parc des Princes?
It was incredible. What’s more, I was on the bench. I watched and admired the CUP. They’re crazy. It’s true that from start to finish, they didn’t stop. They were our twelfth man. Even when we were losing 2/0, they were there. In other stadiums, when you lose, and you’re in a situation where you’re almost eliminated, people whistle and leave. But not here. We started to come back and then it was madness.
Hernandez “To have fans and audiences with you all the time is nothing but happiness”
Can you feel it?
Of course we feel it. You see when we publish behind you. And they don’t care about the result. They’re there from start to finish. Because when you go to another stadium, and sometimes the team isn’t as good and you see people whistling and stuff, when they get the ball they’re a bit more stressed. Because then the crowd turns against them. That destabilizes them. But having the fans and the public with you all the time is just great.
(On messages from supporters) It’s beautiful, it’s a lot of love?
Yes, it’s beautiful, very beautiful. In a career, you never know what can happen to you. Unfortunately, I’ve had two major injuries in my career. But when you go back to the very beginning, the most important thing is your mental state. If you’re mentally well and serene, you know that it takes time to get back to 100% or the way you were before.
At some point, you’re going to get back to where you were before. I know that and I know that mentally, I’m going to come back to where I was before my injury. It’s true that it takes time, that’s normal. When I injured my right knee, it took me a while to get back to 100%. And now with my left knee, it’s the same thing. I knew that after this injury, I was going to come back, and now I know that little by little, I’m going to get back to 100%.
Hernandez: “PSG has become like a second family
Is that what makes it even stronger?
Of course it does. In a soccer career, there are always ups and downs. In the moments when everyone’s going to be by your side, everyone’s going to be there to tell you: “yeah, keep going”, but when you’re in the low moments, that’s when you realize the people you’ve got by your side. The people who are really there for you or the people who are really there just in the good times. You have to know how to choose the right people in life to be by your side.
When you found out the sex of your child at the Parc des Princes, it’s clear that you’re having a wonderful time with Paris-Saint-Germain?
Yes, as I’ve told my family, for me PSG has become like a second family. It’s a great club, very family-oriented. When you talk about Paris-Saint Germain, people from outside the club, even the supporters, the ultras, they can say two things: “Wow, it’s a huge club”. It’s true, it’s a club, a huge club, but inside everyone feels the same, we’re all a little family and we’re all together. That’s what makes this club different from the others.
Hernandez “Honestly, it’s the best job in the world”.
What’s the most important piece of advice you would have liked to have heard when you were young, so that you could one day become a professional footballer?
I think the most important thing is that they continue to be the people they are. You have to be very rigorous. It’s true that when you start at 16 or 17, your school friends start going out, they get up a bit later… You have to stay focused, if you really want to become a professional player.
It’s true that players start to impose themselves a little older, but it all starts with youth. When you’re young, you’re not 100% focused on soccer, and then the years go by very quickly. And then it’s too late.
So it’s important to start young. You have to start young, concentrate and be focused as soon as you see the first opportunity to be a professional player. If the window opens, take it, because frankly, it’s the best job in the world. And if you can do that, that’s extraordinary.
