With 59 caps but no completed match, Kingsley Coman maintains a relationship with the French team that is like a song “I love you neither”. Now exiled in Saudi Arabia, at Al-Nassr, the 29-year-old striker is finding playing time away from Bavaria after a mixed end to his experience with Bayern Munich.
Summoned by Didier Deschamps for this gathering, during which the Blues will face Azerbaijan and Iceland, the former PSG player returned in The Team on his career with the A's. “I’m happy, all the same. I had some good times. But I think it could have been better if I had been more decisive at certain moments or if I had started in the big competitions. It's a slight regret. These two lost finals, Euro 2016 (against Portugal, 0-1 ap) and the 2022 World Cup, leave a taste of unfinished business. I'm just missing a trophy with the Blues. »
A realistic observation and a slightly tumultuous adventure, which does not seem to affect Kingsley Coman either. On the contrary, while he only plays three quarters of a match when he is started by Didier Deschamps, the French striker does not hold a grudge against his coach. “I’m not a problem. I've been on the bench a lot, so I know that the last 10-15 minutes that you play, when it's 2 or 3-0, can do someone else good. The coach knows that taking me out will never be a problem”he admits.
Kingsley Coman: “Forget me!” »
Thirty next June, the former Juventus player could experience his second and last World Cup in 2026, after that of 2022. But this is not enough to scare the player, aware of his situation. “There are two types of World Cup: the first, it's exciting, and the following ones, you experience them differently. I even prefer not to do a World Cup to make room for a young person if it is to come and do nothing. I made this decision with my head held high. »
This altruism, marked by a strong team spirit, can be explained by a new desire, that of being forgotten. “Forget me!” Less attention is good. If I left there (in Saudi Arabia, editor’s note)is that there was more stability, tranquility… It's more difficult than I thought. I knew that in terms of selection, I would be less of a priority. But I think it would have been the same staying at Bayern. »
