It is as if the phrase “playing at home” was created especially for her. Irene Paredes, the PSG captain, will be in her element in the Spanish Basque Country for the Final 8 of the Women's Champions League. After the Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastián, theater for the quarter-final against Arsenal this Saturday (8 p.m.), the 29-year-old central defender intends to see the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao for the half Wednesday (against the winner of Lyon - Bayern Munich) before returning to San Sebastian on August 30 for the final. Two speakers that she knows by heart having walked them in her childhood and having played in La Liga with Real Sociedad de San Sebastián (2008-2011) and Athletic Bilbao (2011-2016).
La Parisienne since 2016 has grown up in Legazpi, “a small town of 8,000 inhabitants in the mountains between San Sebastián (60 km) and Bilbao (75 km) , where all (my) family still live, (my) parents, (my) grandparents, (my) cousins ”, specifies the one who considers herself“ first Basque ”, even if she also proudly wears the armband of the Iberian selection. “Unfortunately, because of the virus, they will not be able to attend matches, just like our supporters,” she laments in almost perfect French. It's still going to be special to me. I never imagined playing the final tournament at home, it's incredible. It's a plus, but the motivation to win the Champions League remains the same wherever it is. "
However, she has already taken advantage of her family by spending a month in Legazpi after the final cessation of the championship because of the coronavirus. “Usually, with football, I don't have much time to go back. This is the first time since my departure that I have stayed so much. It did me good to sit down with my family and enjoy everyone ”, she savored. She was able to return to the footsteps of her debut with the ball at the foot. “I played in the schoolyard and in the street with my friends. I was the only girl. I couldn't play in a club like them, because there were no women's teams, unlike today. Now, when I come home, it's nice to see lots of little girls playing. "
She had to wait until she was 14 to join a club
Little Irene had to wait until she was 14 to be able to join the club in her city, before joining Urola then Zarautz and finally Real Sociedad. She could also have tried a career in athletics. The former heptathlon specialist took part in the Spanish youth championships, once on the third step of the podium. “Childhood friends made the Olympics, including one of my best friends, Caridad Jerez, at hurdles. We will never know if I could have made a career, but I doubt it because they were the ones who won, not me, she laughs. I was doing athletics and soccer at the same time, and at one point, we had to make a choice. "
She also didn't hesitate for long when it came to the equally important decision to leave Bilbao for PSG. “I was fine, it was easy for me because I was in my comfort zone. We had just won La Liga and I wanted to play the Champions League with Bilbao, but I had more chances of winning it with PSG. That kind of opportunity, which one of the best teams in Europe calls you, doesn't come a lot in life. I always want to improve. My motto: if we don't move forward, we go back . At the beginning, it was complicated because everything changes, the language, the culture, the training methods, the way of playing. "
Extremely professional and dedicated in everything she does, the best Spanish player of the year 2018 for the Marca newspaper quickly won unanimous support in the locker room and on the pitch. Until recovering the armband last year. “It's not very difficult when you have a great team and a group that gets along well,” she says. I learned French very quickly and since we have a lot of foreigners or French women who do not speak English, I try to make the link between everyone. I like this human contact. "
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Its apparent discretion does not prevent it from being unifying and "very competitive". "I prefer to set an example and make noise in the field," smiles the adopted Parisian, under contract until 2021. "Besides playing in one of the best teams in the world, I like well life here. I live with my girlfriend (Editor's note: educator for the PSG Foundation) in Saint-Germain, a nice and quiet town, like most of my teammates. As we don't have too much time to go out, we meet often. "
In the race to win her first Champions League, three years after failing in the final on penalties against Lyon, Irene Paredes can measure how far she has come. “I could never have imagined having this career, it was impossible. There weren't many girls, and La Liga was a draw. Only the men's matches were shown on TV. We didn't have female role models. If I can be one for the little ones today, it is a source of pride. "
She supported the strike of Spanish players
A committed athlete on and off the field, she supported the Liga players' strike at the end of the year for the creation of a collective agreement and the establishment of a minimum wage. "Mentalities are changing, women's football is evolving, but we would like it to go faster," claims the captain of La Roja. There is still a lot of work. Me, I'm lucky to be in a top professional club. But there are still too many players under amateur status, who work all day before training at night. They are so tired on the weekends that people in front of their TV find the level zero. It is not possible. Footballer must be a profession in its own right for all, with minimum conditions, salary, medical staff available, etc. "
Three years ago, with her former Spanish teammate Vero Boquete, they were the first in France to join Common Goal, the foundation of their compatriot Manchester United, Juan Mata, and to pay 1% of their salaries to support associations charitable. “If we can help people in need in any way, I consider it an obligation because we have the chance to make a living from football, we are privileged. "