Mamadou Sakho, the 35-year-old central defender trained at Paris Saint-Germain, speaks to L’Equipe newspaper. In this interview, published on Monday, he talks about PSG’s new project, which he applauds, and also looks back on “phase 1” of the QSI era.
Sakho “It’s not nothing to wear this jersey […] The guys are fighting”
“How do you see PSG 2024-2025?
When I was asked the question at the start of the season, I said: “We need to give these young players time to get to grips with their new environment, their new status.” You know, it’s no mean feat to wear this jersey, it’s heavy. They’ve changed their philosophy.
And now you can see that they’re adapting to the coach, and the mayonnaise is taking. What I really like is that I feel the fans are proud to come to the stadium. The guys are fighting. There’s an unpredictability to the way they play, they take risks, there’s a state of mind…
Sakho “The team is beautiful, I love it”.
Is this the strongest team of the QSI era (Qatar Sports Investments, who became the club’s owner in 2011)?
You can’t compare it. It was an era that brought a lot of happiness to people. Seeing all those stars in recent years has made kids dream. And we mustn’t forget that. This is a new era, with a different project.
The soccer world is hypocritical: I’ve seen a lot of people change their minds over the last few months about the perception of this project. There’s a collective strength. Paris has built an exciting team. The team is beautiful and I love it. I don’t know if it’s the strongest, but it’s clearly one of the most coherent.”
We couldn’t agree more with the former Red and Blue central defender, now based in Georgia. After a period that was perhaps a little too “glitz and glamour”, and in particular a downturn (notably under Pochettino and Galtier), there is this new project.
It’s less about stars, and more about teamwork and helping young talents to establish themselves as world-class players. PSG is really on the rise, and it’s far from over yet.
Of course, we shouldn’t denigrate everything that’s gone before. There have been some important phases in the build-up to this project, with a certain image around the world and a clear ambition. There are also some very fine teams. Even if the last few years have been difficult at times. It’s good to be here today, so let’s enjoy it and hope it continues.
