Javier Pastore, the former attacking midfielder for the Argentine national team and Paris Saint-Germain (2011-2018), retired from playing in 2023 and is embarking on a new career in football. Not as a coach, but rather in a management role. After undergoing training before taking on a position (even though he already had offers), “El Flaco” spoke to L’Equipe. He explained what he regrets about the evolution of football and what he would like to change.
Pastore: “At too young an age, money takes you away from your passion for football.”
“There’s one thing I regret about the sport: at too young an age, money takes you away from your passion for football. If a 18 or 19-year-old boy earns €10 million a year, how can he put his passion first? When you earn that kind of money, there are bound to be people who come around you. They talk to you about investments, about a thousand and one things, but they no longer talk about football. I played my entire life for the love of football. Investments, all that other stuff, comes later.
How can we correct this trend?
It starts with youth development. We need to rekindle the love for football. Today, we primarily focus on creating a certain type of player to then sell them. We don’t pay enough attention to what individual qualities each person has to become a unique football player.
Pastore: “We need to give young players the freedom to make mistakes.”
We are preparing athletes to play football at too young an age. I see it with my 7-year-old son who plays in a local club. I sometimes hear coaches telling the kids how to pass the ball, as if there were only one way to do it. My son likes to pass the ball from outside the box. If he wants to do it from outside the box, why tell him no?” We must allow young players the freedom to make mistakes. You can’t learn if you don’t make mistakes. If you constantly tell players to play with one or two touches, what happens when a player is in a one-on-two or one-on-three situation in a tight space? Does he just pass the ball away? Because young players don’t have enough dribbling skills anymore.
Pastore: “I never used my phone in the locker room. For me, the locker room was a place for communication.”
Aren’t you worried about being out of touch when you return to a club, given the current mindset of players?
I would like to try to gradually change this mentality, to make them experience football differently. Today, football is just a job. You go to training for two or three hours, you leave, you play on the weekend, you get paid, and that’s it. I experienced that in the last two or three years of my career. You arrive at training and there are thirty guys, all on their smartphones, looking at social media or whatever, without talking to each other. I never used my phone in the locker room. For me, the locker room was a place for communication.”
We can easily understand Pastore’s position, especially since he has always been an instinctive player. And with much less physical strength. Which tends to be quite rare these days, even though there are still players who are primarily creative. But there is a certain physical level required to play at the highest level. Which is understandable, given the importance of pressing, repeated efforts, etc. However, we shouldn’t destroy players’ natural abilities.
Football is played with collective effort, of course. Defense is important, obviously. There are “ways” to attack, certainly. However, there is also the enjoyment of the players, their creativity, their ability to surprise. These are also qualities that should be preserved, even developed. Pastore perfectly embodied these qualities and will certainly be able to pass on his philosophy of football.
We also sense that he places great importance on sharing experiences with his teammates and everyone around him. It’s not just about coming to the club, training, and then leaving. You have to enjoy the moment, savor it. Without forgetting the staff, the groundskeepers, and all the other people involved. We can only admire this kind of football, one based on passion and strong bonds. That’s the main idea, before money and social media.
Even though these things are part of the “game” today, especially for professionals. It’s logical; it’s a job, and you need to earn a living. But it’s important not to lose sight of the joy of playing football, both in training and during matches. It’s not for nothing that we’ve seen some players with fleeting careers, even though their talent seemed to promise something more.
We can only wish Pastore success in finding his place in a club so he can implement his philosophy. For this, he can count on the support of PSG.
Pastore supported by PSG.
“Does Nasser Al-Khelaifi know that you are taking this training course?”
“Yes. And he allows me to speak with people who work for him. I’ve had the opportunity to…”
