Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines (France) (AFP)

Seriously injured in February, Corentin Tolisso did not allow himself any "moment of bewilderment" in his convalescence, keeping links with the management of the Blues until catching up "his childhood dream" and regaining the selection before the Euro , he says in an interview with AFP.

Q: To end up starting for the first match of preparation for the Euro Wednesday against Wales (3-0), three and a half months after a serious injury to a thigh, was it unexpected?

A: "Of course. When the injury happened there was a lot of sadness. My childhood dream of playing Euro was going up in smoke. At first I thought it was totally dead, and then there is clicked when I let go of the crutches, when I started to walk again, to tighten my leg. I said to myself + Why not? +. When I hear the Marseillaise on Wednesday, I think of the place where I was three and a half months ago, to the effort I put in to get there. It gave me even more determination for the game, to be good. If on February 18th, when I get injured, we had said to me + Listen, don't worry, you will play in Nice against Wales +, I wouldn't have believed it. This period was for me the most complicated of my career. I have seriously injured three time,and this one, in quotes, was one too many times. "

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Q: When you get injured, what was the reaction of the Blues management?

A: "The coach and Guy (Stéphan, his assistant, editor's note), and even several physiotherapists sent me messages of support. They told me that I had to work, that I hold on, that they knew me, that they knew that I was strong and that I would do anything to get back as quickly as possible.I was also able to talk a little with the doctor, I sometimes wrote to him to tell him where I was. But I was not focused on that either, I would have entered a process that was not good. I had a bubble at Bayern, it was rest, eat well, take good care, work hard Anyway, I did everything to give myself the chance to get there, there was not a moment of distraction. Not once did I go to bed at 3 in the morning with thetraining the next day. If I wanted to have the chance to go, it had to be square in the process. "

Q: There was even a public statement from Didier Deschamps to affirm his sadness at your injury.

Did that touch you?

A: "When I got hurt, I cut myself off from social media, so I didn't see that. I saw it later, and at that point, yes, it touched me, that Made me want even more. My resolve increased even more. "

Q: Did having an irreproachable hygiene of life during this period make you arrive in the form of your life?

A: "The shape of my life, I don't know (laughs), I can't say that after a month of training! But it's true that I feel good. When you do physical work, I don't I'm not picking up. Maybe everything I've implemented is paying off at the moment. It's up to me to keep this pace to be as fresh as possible. One can think that some players will be tired during the Euro, then I might be cooler. "

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Q: Lucas Hernandez recently told AFP that he liked inviting you over to his house for barbecues.

Is that his specialty?

A: "It's true that we ate a few meals at Lucas's. At one point when I was personally no longer too much in the team because I was in care, absent from talks, team meals, gatherings, it made me feel good. "

Q: On June 15 in Munich against Germany, you will find other partners in the opposing team, who are also competitors for your post (Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka).

Does it increase motivation tenfold?

A: "Yes, especially in my situation. At the moment, we know very well that at Bayern Munich, it is they who have the most playing time and are in front of me (in the hierarchy). it's up to me to show them that I can do great things too, they are my teammates, of course, but that day we will be more than adversaries.

Interview by Antoine MAIGNAN and Jérémy TALBOT.

© 2021 AFP