On Wednesday, as part of the Champions League 2024-2025 play-offs (0-3 first leg), Paris Saint-Germain take on Brest at the Parc des Princes (kick-off 9pm, UTC+1). On the eve of this encounter, Parisian midfielder Fabian Ruiz (28) answered a number of questions at a press conference.
Ruiz “We identify with possession. It’s very positive.”
You had a great Euro, before a complicated start to the season. How do you explain that?
It’s true that I did very well at the Euro, but this season I started a little later. I wasn’t able to do the preseason. But I’ve grown and developed. I’m feeling really good. I’m always trying to improve and help the team and the club.
The last few months with PSG have been spectacular. Is this the team you’ve enjoyed the most in your career?
I think it’s a team where we have a lot of fun. We have the ball a lot, just as the coach wants. That’s what a player likes. I don’t have to chase the ball, nobody likes that. The most important thing is to have it. You identify with possession. That’s very positive.
Ruiz: “We’re a young team, hungry for victory, with great players.”
Has the Euro taken your experience and leadership to a new level?
I don’t feel like a leader, I just try to give my best. That’s what the coach wants me to do, to do what’s right for me and the club. I want to give him back the trust he’s given me, and help my team-mates.
Are there any changes in the squad, as you saw with Spain’s Euro win?
We play to win trophies, and we want to make that possible. But we’re a young team, hungry for victories, with great players. We have players with more experience, like in the national team. Our ideas for the game are also similar. The idea is to have possession, to play. It’s all positive.
Ruiz “We’ll have to play with great intensity.”
More efficiency from the strikers, less pressure on the midfielders to score?
I think we went through a difficult period in terms of scoring, even though we were creating a lot of chances. But that’s been erased, as has the pressure. We’re scoring more goals. That’s what we’re all working for, to get the ball to the strikers, to get the ball in the best possible position to score goals.
Has the coach warned you about taking it easy before the return leg?
Yes, we know that matches are always difficult, and even more so in the Champions League. All the teams give their all. Brest are going to give it their all, so we’ve analyzed the situation and we know we have to play from the start right through to the end.
They’re a team who have always made things difficult for us, and even if we have a big advantage here, there’s nothing set in stone. We’ll have to play with great intensity.
Ruiz “I’m very happy here and at the club”.
Do you want to stay with PSG for the long term?
That’s a subject I can’t really talk about. I’m very happy here and at the club, and so is my family. That’s all I can say.
How do you see the club and what message do you have for the youngsters?
The club is on a very good path, we’re making good progress. We’re developing a great game. Last season was already very good, and we want to do great things for this club, which deserves it, as do the fans.
Young people need to get the most out of soccer, it’s a game. We mustn’t put pressure on ourselves; it’s very difficult to become a professional player.
Ruiz “we know we have to give it our all or a teammate will take over.”
What is your relationship with Luis Enrique?
The coach gives me a lot of confidence and that’s important for me. I work every day to be ready. We know that there’s a large squad and that everyone’s ready, so we know that we have to give everything or a team-mate will take over. You have to work hard to maintain continuity.
Do you play in one of the best midfields in Europe? Or even the best?
The best, no. The players are very strong and young. They have great careers ahead of them. There’s a lot of youth and room for improvement. But we know that we’re in a very good dynamic, we’re doing well on the pitch and we’re in good shape. At the end of the season, we hope to see that we’re among the best.
Ruiz “I’ve always had a very good relationship with him.”
Did the coach say he regretted not calling you up for the World Cup? Was it difficult to have a good relationship with him after the disappointment?
No, I’ve always had a very good relationship with him. Of course, all the players want to be there and I would have loved to have been there. But we also know that our coach had a lot of great players. I was able to enjoy the Euro with him and when I came I knew he was one of the best. I’m very grateful to him, because he’s the one who called me up for the 1st time.
Are you a victim of modern soccer in the media, where there’s a lot of focus on numbers?
I think that in soccer, we focus a lot on goals and assists. Everyone does their job, so it’s normal that the strikers score more. But the team is a whole, each with their own space on the pitch. It doesn’t matter who scores or makes the pass, we do our job for the team. The most important thing is that the team scores.
