Presnel Kimpembe, the 29-year-old defender who suffered a serious Achilles heel injury and is now close to a return to the pitch, spoke to Canal Football Club. He talked about his convalescence and the patience he has had to acquire. He revealed what his daily life has been like for over a year and a half, and explained how he has stayed as close to the team as possible.
It has been a long year” says Kimpembe
His injury
“It’s been a long year. Never in my life would I have thought I’d go almost two years without playing and be so patient. The only thing I wanted was to be with the team, because I did a good year and a half on the sidelines. I trained when the team finished, it was a rotation.
Kimpembe “ I gave my support, they gave me theirs”.
I managed to keep things in balance: always staying as close as possible to the team by making the Champions League trips, going to all the matches. I gave them my support, they gave me theirs. And I stayed in the routine of a normal player.
How beautiful is the city (of Paris)? It’s a love story, and I think it’s mutual. When you come from the Paris region, train in Paris and get the chance to play professionally in Paris… There aren’t many (who have been able to do that).”
Experiencing an injury like this at the age of 27 is the worst time. It’s also the worst injury. He’s suffered a lot and it’s bound to leave after-effects. Today, he’s hungry, he knows he can have a second chance, but that nothing will be given to him. He’s going to have to fight, but given the frustrations of his day-to-day life, he’s certainly acquired the mental strength not to collapse.
Kimpembe is in love with PSG, he’s never given up on the club, and he knows how lucky he is to have spent his entire career with this great club. The story isn’t over yet and this interview shows that he’s back, it makes things official and we’re delighted for him.
He’s going to have some competition to deal with from now on, but given his injury problems, it’s almost life-saving and exhilarating to have to deal with fierce competition. He’ll want to prove to himself that he can do it, but he’ll also want to show everyone that he can bounce back from a very big problem.
