FM: why did you choose to join Villarreal free this summer? Did you have other proposals on the table?
Pope Gueye : yes, I had several offers since I was free. I really liked the Spanish championship during my stay in Seville. Spain was definitely an option that I had in mind. There were a lot of French clubs, the top 5 teams outside PSG who were interested in my profile. Villarreal was concrete, it was one of the teams that showed very strong interest to my agents. I spoke with Marcelino, we talked for a few minutes, and he really showed me an interest that I really liked. I told myself that I’m going to go and confirm what I did in Seville six months, I’m going to confirm in Villarreal.
FM: you knew Marcelino in Marseille even though you had your suspension. Is that what convinced you to join him at Villarreal?
PG : I didn’t have the chance to play under him because I was suspended. But I was training every day and I was in a delirium, basically, even if I’m suspended, I’m going to give it my all. I think that by seeing that, he saw that this little one has something. He has a mentality, because in reality, four months, I could say to myself, Okay, go ahead, I’m going to choose my workouts or I’m going to work a little less. But he saw that I was really determined to come back in good shape. In the short time he had in Marseille, we got to know each other. He is a human person, above all. And I think that’s why we got along so well. Because in this environment, it’s complicated to find good people, honest people. And I think he’s a straight-talking person.
“Marcelino, we don’t really know the reasons for his departure”
FM: Marcelino is doing a lot of work with the yellow submarine this season. You met him in Marseille last year and it was a slightly more complicated story. For you, why didn’t it necessarily work? with OM?
PG : in truth, I don’t know why it didn’t work because he had very clear ideas. I wasn’t at the match, but in training, the team worked well. We made a lot of videos. When he left, everyone was shocked. If a coach does anything, we see that what he is proposing does not correspond, we will feel it. But then, everyone was surprised. We don’t really know the reasons for his departure.
FM: You liked the experience in La Liga, since you returned there a year later, this time at Villarreal. In your opinion, is La Liga the championship best suited to your style of play?
PG : I think so. Because when I was younger, I was often told, you have a Spanish game. When I was with the ball, I was good, I found passes, but I didn’t like defending too much. In La Liga, I discovered an open championship, where everyone plays. For example, in Ligue 1, you can find teams, especially at the bottom of the table, who are not going to start from behind. They will play long, win the first and second duels to score. But in Spain, everyone starts from behind. Even technically, I progress even faster because you have to be very technical to get the ball to the goal.
FM: For you, what are the most obvious differences between Ligue 1 and La Liga?
PG : physically, for me, Ligue 1 is harder. Physically, young people are stronger. Me, the Spanish, when they see me, for them, I am a machine. In Ligue 1, it wasn’t seen as much because there were more powerful, tall players whereas in Spain, they are smaller, but more technical. For me, the Spanish are stronger with the ball, technically. Physically, Ligue 1 is stronger, but technically La Liga is above it.
FM: which championship is the most complicated between La Liga and Ligue 1?
PG : I think it’s La Liga. When I was in Marseille, I thought that in Spain, there were only six good teams, people often think like that. You see Real, Barça, maybe Sevilla, Atlético, Villarreal, Betis, etc. In France, you play, against the last one, he will make a low block. He’s going to be scared, he’s not going to go out too much. Whereas in Spain, they will come and press you, everyone plays in La Liga. That’s what makes La Liga difficult. The Spanish championship should not be underestimated.
“We have to finish in the top five in La Liga.”
FM: You are currently fifth in La Liga, you are having a great season, securing the top 4 and the Champions League, is that the objective?
PG : yes, it is a goal. The club has been competing for European places for several years now, the Champions League, the Europa League, which they even won in 2021. I think it’s a goal, especially with the squad we have This year. All the experience we can have, young people with great potential. I think we have to finish in the top five.
FM: playing alongside Parejo, an experienced Spanish international player and above all a reference to his position in La Liga, does that help you progress?
PG : yes, of course, when you have players playing next to you and who have a lot of talent, it’s true that it makes your job easier. It makes it easier for you in matches, in training, we will understand each other without even discussing. I learn from his experience, because today he is over 35, so being that age and being at that level is strong. I try to gain experience from what he does and help him in matches.
FM: Nicolas Pepe, Thierno Barry, several Villarreal players are French-speaking, grew up in France. Did it make your integration in Spain easier?
PG : yes, of course, afterwards, I already spoke Spanish thanks to my time in Seville. It’s true that it’s easier when you have French people. You can joke, you can laugh in French. We get closer quickly because we speak the same language. Plus, since I speak Spanish and there are French players who don’t really speak Spanish, I can help them on a daily basis.
FM: Thierno Barry is having a great season, impressing everyone. When he arrived this summer from Basel, did you feel that he had great potential?
PG : I didn’t know him before he signed for Villarreal. When he arrived, I welcomed him, because he is a Frenchman. He didn’t yet understand Spanish well. I get along very well with him, we talk a lot outside. Like practically all the other French people on the team. Thierno is a hard worker. You see his journey. 3 years ago, he was in N3. Last time, I told him 3 years ago, were you in N3? He told me yes. It’s beautiful, it’s work. You may be lucky. But not at this level, not as a professional. Luck no longer exists at this level.
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“We have to finish in the top five in La Liga.”
FM: if you had to sum up your time in Marseille in a few words, what would you say?
PG : a lot of fun, a lot of experience, it was a discovery. When I leave Ligue 2, it’s true that I am captain at Le Havre, but no one knows me. When we thought about it with my family, I had opportunities in Ligue 1, clubs which guaranteed me to be an indisputable starter. And there is Villas-Boas who was clear with me. He told me ‘Pope, I’m going to be the coach of Marseille, I want you on my team. But I can’t guarantee you’ll be a starter. I guarantee you will play alongside Kamara, he is the team’s first number 6. You are going to be second. But since there are a lot of matches, there is the Champions League, you will have playing time.’ I really liked his honesty. I thought about it, I’m 20 years old, I’m coming out of Ligue 2. If I go to Marseille, I’ll skip several steps. But I will learn, because in training, you learn, with experienced players like Mandanda, Payet. We thought carefully and rushed to Marseille.
FM: were you a supporter of OM before joining the club?
PG : my whole family was for Marseille. When I was young, I didn’t necessarily have a team. I watched the Marseille matches. When Marseille wanted me, I told my mother, she told me, go straight! It was a source of pride. Every day, you play in front of 60,000 people. There, I play a match, I no longer have any pressure. By playing and playing early in Marseille at that age, now I’m getting into a match at Villarreal or Seville. I can play against Barça and Real, I have more pressure.
FM: What do you think of De Zerbi’s first months with OM, would you have liked to play under him?
PG : yes, he is a great coach, what he did at Sassuolo is very strong. I watch the Marseille matches, it’s true that they play well. Every player wants to play with great coaches so yes, why not play under them.
“This year, I think OM can tickle PSG.”
FM: do you think OM will achieve their objectives and finish on the podium this season?
PG : I, frankly, this year, I think that OM can tickle PSG. I was disappointed with the Classic because at the start of the match, I saw them going backwards. I didn’t understand what happened. In fact, I told myself that every year, it’s complicated against PSG. I told myself that this year is the year where Marseille, with the squad they have, they can get ahead. PSG lost a lot of players. Neymar, Messi, Mbappé. And for them to lose the match like that, it’s true that it was complicated. De Zerbi has just arrived, he is learning, the new players are learning too. In any case, we’re on track to make the podium and I hope they do so. I still watch all the matches.
FM: Which season did you enjoy the most at OM?
PG : I think I would say, where I had the most fun, was the year of Sampaoli. Frankly, there were very good players, Saliba, Kamara, Payet, Gerson and we played great football. It was a treat.
“Saliba is one of the top 3 best defenders in the world”
FM: you played with Saliba for a season in Marseille. Are you shocked by his rise at Arsenal or were you expecting it?
PG : I’m not shocked because he’s very serious. He wasn’t a joker when he came to Marseille because it was complicated with Arsenal. In his head, I think he set goals for himself. He said to himself, one season, I have to get back to the top, I have to play. And he had a great season. For me today, he is one of the 3 best central defenders in the world. I think there is no risk in saying it, he is in the top 3 normally.
FM: Is it a regret not to have won a title with OM?
PG : yes, of course, it’s a regret. When I join Marseille, my goal is to win trophies. If you come to Marseille and you don’t have the objective of winning trophies, there’s no point in coming.
FM: who is the best opponent you have faced in Ligue 1?
PG : I played against Messi, Mbappé etc, but the one who really impressed me was Neymar. When we played against him at the Parc des Princes in 2020, it was my first match at the Parc. Boubacar Kamara, I remember before the match, he said to me “When you see Neymar, don’t back down. I swear to you, you must not back down. Because these players, they sense when you are afraid. ” He told me “even if it means going there, even if it puts a little bridge over you, go for it.” Because he had experience in Ligue 1. For me, it was my first match at the Parc.
