For several days, Patrice Evra has been touring the media to present his autobiographical book “I Love This Game“. The opportunity for him to come back to his difficult childhood and his return to his neighborhood. This Thursday, he was invited on the set of “Rothen ignites“ on RMC Sports. The opportunity for the former full-back to return to the Knysna affair in 2010 at the 2010 World Cup, which reached its peak when the players refused to get out of the bus to train.
He especially wanted to give his truth about the Gourcuff case. Considered by some to be the new Zidane, the midfielder has remained an eternal hope and never lived up to the expectations placed on him. Particularly because of the injuries and the too much pressure on his shoulders. During the 2010 World Cup, while France was in disarray, rumors evoking a fight between Franck Ribéry and the one who was playing in Bordeaux at the time had emerged in the media. The Bayern winger was then invited to the Téléfoot plateau to deny them.
“At that point, everyone wanted Gourcuff’s skin”, dropped Evra on RMC Sports, “There were lots of lies. It was said in the media that he was terrorized by scum. I had been to see Yo (Gourcuff) telling him that Ribéry had never spoken to him. I told him to speak.” Nicolas Anelka, also present in South Africa, and consultant of the show, in turn completed: “We made a legend about Ribéry, who supposedly hit or threatened Gourcuff, but that’s not true.”
“What is true is that people told him to stay in the background: ‘It’s going to hit the scum, you are the little French.'”, remembers Evra who feels that she has done everything to help her, “I was disappointed because I defended him. He was losing a lot of balls because he had too much pressure. Henry had told him that he had to sign for a big club after his season in Ligue 1 but he replied in a soft voice that he did not yet have the level. Everyone thought something was wrong. “
“He was happier not to play”
Patrice Evra continued by returning to a discussion he had with Raymond Domenech before the second game of the Blues against Mexico: “I said to him: ‘We have a problem, we have to play with two attackers because Nico (Anelka) needs support’, to which Raymond replied: ‘You want to cut off the head of the lamb? Don’t worry, I’m going to cut off his head, he won’t play tomorrow. ‘ It was not my intention because it is not my role “, explained the former Manchester United player, “I remember that just after this exchange, I went to find Gourcuff on the bus. He was laughing with Gignac. I said to him: ‘Yo, you realize that tomorrow, you are not playing while “Are you a phenomenon? Do you find that normal?” He replied that he had too much pressure, that he preferred not to play, that he felt happier like that. ”
Yoann Gourcuff did not play the second World Cup match against Mexico (1-2 defeat) before regaining a starting place in the last meeting against South Africa (also 1-2 defeat) during which the midfielder had been excluded.
