The calm and calm voice of Matteo Guendouzi in front of the press contrast with his biting and volcanic style of play on the pitch.
Faced with journalists, the OM midfielder affirmed his ambition with the France team, he who is still awaiting his first selection despite a fourth rally.
“
If I'm in the group, it's because I deserve to be there.
There is a lot of competition in the middle but it is very healthy competition.
I hope to be able to play my first minutes in the France team because it has been a dream since I was little.
I'm ready for that,
”he announced.
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For Guendouzi, the objective is above all to register
"in the long term"
within the France group.
“
I am alongside the best midfielders in the world.
Some have won the World Cup and major club trophies so there is a lot of respect but my goal is to have playing time, to win titles with the Blues and to stay in the long run
” , developed the 22-year-old.
"This grinta, I've always had it"
This time, in the absence of injured Paul Pogba, the OM midfielder has a real card to play to finally know his first cape under the tricolor jersey, even if Aurélien Tchouaméni and Adrien Rabiot seem favorites to accompany N'Golo Kanté in midfield. Nevertheless, the native of Poissy, in the Yvelines, has for several years cultivated assets particularly appreciated by coach Didier Deschamps: a desire to win and above-average physical qualities.
“
I have had this grinta since I was young.
I have always had this desire to win, to be the best on the field,
”said the former captain of the Espoirs.
"
He is the modern box-to-box midfielder with a lot of volume and technical qualities
", described Didier Deschamps himself when the player was first called in September 2019.
A new notoriety
If Matteo Guendouzi can feed the hope of a first selection in blue during this international break, it is also because of his successful debut with Olympique de Marseille. After two more difficult seasons marked first by conflicts with Mikel Arteta, his coach at Arsenal, then by an inconclusive loan from Hertha Berlin, Guendouzi is back in great form in the Olympian jersey this season.
Thanks to his successful performances in a very popular club in France, the former Gunners has made a name for himself with the French public.
“
I think that since my arrival at OM, the public identifies me more.
It was already a bit the case at Arsenal because it is a club that has seen a lot of French people but it is true that I have seen my notoriety climb in France since my signing in Marseille.
"In a selection where places are so expensive, Matteo Guendouzi will have no other choice but to seize the opportunities that his coach will (perhaps) offer him.