Pavard: "I'm excited, but now I play for Inter Milan. We want to win everything."

The French defender is ready to face his past: "Four fantastic years, but I came to Milan to win".

Benjamin Pavard, French defender for Inter Milan, spoke to UEFA TV on the eve of the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich, his former team:

“I’m happy and excited. I had four fantastic years at Bayern Munich, but I have to leave that behind because now I play for Inter. What I know is that I want to win. I knew I’d feel good here, playing in a back three, because I wanted a more central role.
Our playing philosophy is ‘give and go’: we do it often, and the coach gives us the freedom to play.”

“I’m a reflective person, I think more about the team’s balance. Sometimes people would like me to provide more offensive options, but in certain matches I know I can’t do that. I prefer to stay back to make sure the team isn’t unbalanced.
I don’t need to listen to journalists or fans to know whether I’ve played well or not — I can make up my own mind and self-criticize.
When you watch on TV, everything seems easier, like anyone could play: you have time, and after the first touch you think, ‘I could’ve done that differently’ — but from the couch, it’s easy.
We want to win everything, we want to go all the way, but we can’t think about trophies — we have to take it one game at a time.
We’ll do everything we can. We have the squad, the staff, and the coach to win a lot of trophies. We’re in the final sprint: we have to play our best.
The club’s ambition and mine are perfectly aligned: I came here to win.”

Then, describing his teammates in one word:

Barella? Energetic. “He has so much energy. This guy goes from morning till night, he never stops. He’s always smiling and full of life, I don’t know how he does it. Sometimes in the morning you feel a bit tired going to work — not him. He never stops.”

Mkhitaryan? Intelligent. “On the field he’s more than just an average player — you don’t realize it. He’s an inspiration to me, very professional, and a great player. Plus, he’s a really nice guy.”

Calhanoglu? The team DJ. “When I first walked into the locker room, the music was super loud. He loves music — it can be French, Italian, English, Turkish, anything.”

Bastoni? Relaxed. “He’s very calm, balanced, unflappable. And also a great footballer. Very humble, hardworking, cool, and laid-back.”

Thuram? Crazy. “He’s crazy, I swear! He’s a really amazing guy.”

Taremi? Kind.

Sommer? Model. “He posts everything on Instagram, he’s a model. I met him in Munich, we lived together for six months. He’s also calm and easygoing. Loves photos — before training he adjusts his headband, fixes his hair, and then he’s ready!”

Bisseck? Cheerful. “Always smiling, loves life. A really sweet person.”

Lautaro? Bull. “He’s a bull on the pitch with how he runs. He’s also pretty strong, so the nickname suits him well.”

Source: Fcinter1908.it