France is preparing to meet Zlatan Ibrahimovic, at least Lille on Thursday evening during his trip to Milan during the third day of the Europa League (9 p.m., RMC Sport, Téléfoot).
Now a consultant on the Téléfoot channel, Christophe Jallet, right side of Paris SG (2009-2014), delivers to
Le Figaro
some of his memories of the locker room with the Swedish giant, present in the capital between 2012 and 2016. His character, his desire for perfection, the daily challenge offered to his partners or his eating habits, "Jaja" says a little more about the extraordinary personality of the future forty-something.
Is Zlatan Ibrahimovic missing in Ligue 1?
Christophe Jallet:
Of course, he was the figurehead of PSG and also of Ligue 1. Other stars monopolize the attention like Kylian and Neymar, but Ibra was still something else with a character, punchlines, a divisive, attractive attitude, a mess of goals.
Ligue 1 would not be worse off if it could still play in our championship.
Beyond his image which stands out in the football landscape, he is a competitor, he pulls the team upwards, helps those around him progress, he is irreplaceable.
You can't compare him to anyone.
There are other talents in world football, but there is only one Zlatan.
Ibrahimovic's top 6 goals at Paris Saint-Germain (2012-2016)
At 39, he continues to shine at the highest level…
I am not surprised at his level because I have seen him competitive at all levels.
On the field, the slightest little game in training or to be the one who would put his piece of elasto in the locker room trash better than the others with the foot.
In the debates for all the time winning in the end.
The only surprising thing is to have recovered so well from his injury at his age, but when you know the demands on a daily basis, you know why.
You have to drag her carcass for 20/25 years on the ground.
You can't imagine how much he puts in place to keep his body going despite his age.
He is almost 40 years old anyway!
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"Zlatan is a life of deprivation"
Did he have an ascetic life to stay at this level despite his age ...
Zlatan Ibrahimovic in discussion with Christophe Jallet before Marseille-PSG in 2013
In his diet, he is careful, not excess, when you get older, you need to exercise more to prepare your sessions beforehand.
If your body isn't ready when you start a workout at 39, it's not the same story as 20 when you come loose and relaxed, you hit a punch and you're good.
At an old age, you can't do that otherwise you will slap yourself (smile).
Zlatan is the very example, it is almost a monk's life.
I remember his cycling sessions, his sheathing, his care before training.
The general public does not realize.
They say footballers are paid to run behind a ball for an hour a day, but if it was that simple, it would be known… Zlatan, it's a life of deprivation.
You don't have this level at 39 if you go out 5 days a week and eat anything.
Him, everything is calibrated, his sleep, what is on his plate.
It's a lifestyle choice.
He is demanding of himself on and off the pitch.
Wasn't he a big eater?
Afterwards, you have to feed the beast anyway (smile).
I did not live with him, but I think he had access to a dietician, to see the best possible nutrition to avoid overweight, well he does not have any, to have an impeccable muscle quality to avoid injuries.
At this high level, if you are not at the top in nutrition, hydration, sleep, it's impossible to play every three days at 39 years old.
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My last salary "
"If you crash in front of him, you're dead"
Not a big party animal at PSG either?
Not a big party animal at all!
But we managed to take him with us to celebrate a league title, it's quite remarkable or a snatching qualification in the Champions League against Porto in the group stage, we all ate at the restaurant but he was one of the first to return.
Normal.
He wasn't the guy to hang out.
After that, I was not in his close circle of friends, it turns out he did, but I doubt it.
He was always in measure, always came for group meetings, but in moderation.
When you manage to keep such a level over time and at this age, you don't restrain yourself but you know better than anyone what you can and cannot do.
He at that level was an expert.
A requirement for himself but also for others ...
Of course.
I felt stronger with Zlatan by my side every day.
Already because he improved my actions very often.
When you have such a finisher, if you give him good balls, nine times out of ten he puts them in the back of the goal.
It shines but makes you shine.
I benefited from it on a daily basis in training.
He wants to win everything all the time.
In the morning, he arrives and he already announces the color in the locker room, saying that he will beat you in all the training games.
Consciously or not, it creates a permanent challenge.
You want to beat him, you give yourself twice as much and that makes you progress every day.
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Do you have any examples of players who have progressed alongside him?
I often take Blaise (Matuidi) as an example of incredible progression.
When Ibra arrived, he took Blaise aside and said: "You are able to run a lot, you scratch balls like no one else, you defend well, but if you want to pass a milestone, you are going to have to score goals so Project yourself, you have the ability to do it, make the calls and I will put the balls to you, you will score a lot more. "
And that's what happened, Blaise broke thanks to his talent, but Ibra helped him in that sense.
We all grew up.
Which leader was he at Paris SG?
Present on a daily basis… in its own way.
You had to learn to figure it out and read it because sometimes he said bad things, so that it stings you and you react.
Concretely with you, how did he proceed?
Lots of times he did it to me.
On passes, sometimes I didn't give him the ball, he looked at me showing me his feet and I heard "Jaja" a little vehement (smile).
I knew he wasn't happy.
After that, there is something you had to know how to do, it was not to crash.
If you crash in front of Ibra, you're dead.
He likes to have answers, to be constantly in a duel and if he sees that he has the upper hand, that does not interest him.
I rebelled against him, obviously it's Ibra, obviously you are our leader, but I am not your kid either.
You can tell me things, but there are ways to do it.
He loved being answered.
And he respected you all the more if you stood up to him.
It is characteristic of great champions.
I do not know of any who do not have a little arrogant, directive sides.
You have to tell yourself one thing, the guy imposes such a demand on himself that the others must also impose it on himself.
If you understand it, you will come out only bigger and better.
Zlatan can come across as hateful, he's made more than one suffer, a lot even if you lack strength of character, but it helps to see if you are fit to rise to the highest level or not.
"He was able to apologize when he hurt someone, I saw it with my own eyes"
Do you have a locker room anecdote on him?
I could get out of it a lot, some of which I could never say because it remains the privacy of the locker room and it is sacred to me.
In his attitude as a competitor and a winner, he was on top of the game in the morning.
I had not detected this mentality before the Qatari era at PSG, we were more in a French pattern.
The aliens brought this, Zlatan was an embodiment of it.
Some of his sentences were shocking ("France, shit country", "PSG was born with Qatar") ...
Obviously that can shock.
We do not have to drink all his words, it was not an Ibrahimovic sect at PSG either.
Some made him understand that it was a lack of respect and he was able to apologize too.
I saw it with my own eyes, there was no problem with that.
What bothered him was the lack of reaction, a form of apathy he couldn't stand.
By his words, sometimes clumsy and poorly pronounced, he wanted to sting people, arouse a reaction of pride, but when you know the character, you revolt for two seconds, but that's part of his personality.
You can't ask someone who wins you matches to be perfect.
You have to know how to accept the fault of great champions.
Afterwards, he knew when he had sucked, said it but in the next second you were confused about having won more titles than you.
In fact, you have to practice it.
If you stop at his image you can get lost in it.
How did he communicate in the locker room?
I spoke in English with him, we were next door all the time.
He also spoke French and a lot of Italian because a lot of players had played there.
According to the messages he wanted to convey, you knew what language he was going to use (smile).
When he got angry it was in Italian, or the swear words were Serbian.
Is his story definitely over with Ligue 1? Is a role at PSG possible?
Playing football in Ligue 1 is over.
After, having a role in Paris, a city that he liked, a club that he liked, why not.
"If you crash in front of him, you're dead"
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