Munich (Germany) (AFP)
"I never lose. I win or I learn". Driven by this motto of Nelson Mandela, Benjamin Pavard belies the skeptics who promised him a difficult adaptation to Bayern Munich, of which he became in a few months a permanent member.
Last August, during his transfer from Stuttgart to the club of the five Champions Leagues, a "German football expert" from a French radio station decided with confidence: "We know that Pavard will spend his year on the bench".
The response of the world champion is scathing: he has played to date all 36 of the club's 39 games this season (3 goals, 5 assists). Only captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and star Joshua Kimmich spent more time on the lawn than he did!
A suprise? "For the people who criticized me, yes, for me, no", retorted this week in the daily newspaper L'Equipe the former Lille native of 24 years: "I came to one of the biggest clubs in the world, if it is not the best, to play, I + hit + every day for that. It works well for me. "
Before the reception in Frankfurt on Saturday (6.30 p.m. / 4.30 p.m. GMT), Bayern are in the lead with four points ahead of Dortmund. Eight matches remain to what his teammates call "Benji" to win his first title of champion of Germany.
- Difficult after-World -
Admittedly, skeptics will always be able to argue that the serious injuries at the start of the season of the two incumbent center Niklas Süle and Lucas Hernandez were not predictable. But Pavard was able to seize this opportunity head on, thanks in particular to its versatility.
An axial defender by trade, this right-hander played on both wings and in the center, as needed. Since November, coach Hansi Flick has stabilized him in the position of right back, as Didier Deschamps did in the France team.
"Some people will say that there is no right back, that they put Kimmich in the middle ... But if I was not good at this position, I think they would have found a solution to get on the bench, "said Pavard recently on RMC, in response to criticism.
"It means that I am performing, that I have the confidence of the club, of the coach. It feels like I am having fun on the pitch," added the native of Maubeuge.
On Sunday, his goal from a corner kick against Union Berlin (2-0), for the resumption of the Bundesliga, demonstrated his return to form after the long period without competition due to the coronavirus.
Skepticism had been aroused by its "after World-2018". Returned tired from Russia, Pavard had had a difficult season with Stuttgart, concluded by a descent in the second division which had reached him morally.
- "Here, you feel the History" -
But man has resources, and depth. The motto of the former South African president Mandela, "I never lose. I win or I learn" is inscribed on his shin guard: "This quote inspires me. In every game, in every training and in many situations in life I always say to myself: you learn more from your defeats than from your victories ".
In this interview at the Bayern Munich site, published at the start of confinement in March, Pavard also mentioned his father, his first trainer: "He always told me what I needed to improve. It is from him that I keep this state of spirit, never to be satisfied. I was raised like that: self-reflection makes you stronger ".
For the moment, it is especially the offensive aspect of his game that Pavard seeks to improve, while last season in Stuttgart, he rarely crossed the halfway line ...
The young man, who had already appreciated the German mentality in Stuttgart, quickly found his place in Munich: "This is a club that suits me. The values are mine, he says. It is the discipline. is square. When you come in, you feel the History. When I see the French staying so long, it reinforces my idea that here is a real family. "
Uli Hoeness, the ex-president of Bayern, was convinced of it in October: "Pavard has already shown that it will be one of the best transfers we have ever made", had launched the old leader, who had previously recruited the Papin, Lizarazu, Sagnol and other Ribéry, become legends of the club.
© 2020 AFP