On the occasion of Real Madrid's visit to Atalanta in the Champions League round of 16,
Ferland Mendy
has given an interview to UEFA in which he warns of the danger of the Italian team and also reviews his career and the hard moments he lived in the adolescence, when a hip injury nearly took him away from soccer forever.
Mendy highlights Atalanta's game and punch.
"We have to be careful.
They have not come here for no reason. We know that it is a team that plays well and scores many goals
. It will be difficult and we believe it will be a very good game. We will have to play the best we can to win," he said in an interview with Uefa.
The white full-back praised his coach, Frenchman
Zinedine Zidane
, for whom he admires.
"He is a legend and, to be honest, it is an honor to be coached by him. When you stand in front of him he gives off charisma. It is good to see him and we have also talked about the French team. He has given me advice and I like to give my all in each match".
The Frenchman remembered his arrival at Real Madrid and an opportunity that he could not miss.
"When I arrived I knew what it would be like and that there were great players. At first you are shy and then you start to meet people and learn how the group works. Now I am playing more, but I only think about taking advantage of the games they give me. I would not say that I am indisputable. It
is also crazy and a milestone to go from almost leaving football to playing for Real Madrid
".
"I had to learn to walk again"
And he ended up remembering hard moments that marked him in his youth.
"It's a great story. I went through a difficult time, but I came out well. I spent seven years at PSG, started with the U-11 and got injured before entering the academy. I had
arthritis in my hip and I had an infection as
well. I had to undergo surgery and I was in the hospital for a long time.
I was in a cast there for two or three months. When they operated on me, the doctor came to see me and told me that football was over for me. He even talked about an amputation
. I had to being in a wheelchair for a long time, later on crutches and then I had to learn to walk again. "
Mendy acknowledged that despite the difficult situation, he never thought about not playing soccer again.
"They
took me from one place to another, but I thought I could walk again right away
. I tried, I got off the chair and fell right away. I had no energy left in my legs because I had not walked and my legs had not moved in a while".
"Despite this, I always thought that football was not over for me and I told everyone I was coming back. Most people thought it was impossible, but
I learned to walk again and played with pain in my hip for about a year and a half
. I was named the best left back two years in a row. So honestly I have done well. "
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