In Doha, Presnel Kimpembe is rebuilding and reinventing himself. Now under the colors of Qatar Sports Club, the French international defender is gradually returning to competition after long months of absence and discovering a new footballing culture, far from Paris but without ever turning his back on its history. In a long interview given to French Football Weeklypresent on site at the training center of his new club, the former vice-captain of PSG talks in detail about his daily life in Qatar, his adaptation to the local championship, and the stages of his return to the highest level. He also talks about his departure from Paris Saint-Germain, the European page closed with the conquest of the Champions League, as well as his role as big brother with the Parisian Titis, a heritage that he claims with pride.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the level of the QSL”
French Football Weekly: how do you feel in Qatar since signing for Qatar SC?
Presnel Kimpembe: beautiful, everything is fine. I’m very happy to be here. My integration went well. I am lucky to have a club and teammates who welcomed me very well. It’s a little weird for me since it’s the first time I’ve left Paris, so it’s quite special. I feel very good.
FM: From a more personal point of view, do you enjoy your daily life in Doha?
PK: it’s going well. I’m lucky to have seen my children recently since it’s the school holidays. We’re still close, we have to be, it’s important. I feel good in this beautiful city. I already knew it before because I had the chance, in the past, to come there several times, whether with PSG or on vacation. Everything is going very well.
FM: how would you analyze the level of the Qatari championship? In Europe, many people criticize it, but few actually watch it
PK: Now that I’m playing in the league, I have my own idea. I watched the championship a little from time to time from afar. Really, I was pleasantly surprised because the level is what it is. It’s not the same level as in Europe, that’s for sure. But I find that the championship is developing, that the league is also making sure to bring back great players, to have a competitive championship. We saw it, and I was the first. I saw that it wasn’t easy every weekend. It’s a real fight. And frankly, we like it there.
FM: Tell us a little behind the scenes about your departure from Paris Saint-Germain. How did the discussions with the leaders go?
PK: we’re not going to go into details (he laughs, editor’s note), but it was a bit of a special moment because it was the first time that I really entered into in-depth negotiations like that with the club. I still had one year of contract left, I had the possibility of staying in Paris as I already said before. Everything was going well with PSG. I had no problem with it. My only desire was to be able to play football again, to also rediscover my pleasure. Let’s say that I thought a little more about myself personally than about everything else, whether it was my family or anything else.
FM: why did you choose Qatar?
PK: I made the choice to come here. I also had a few offers still in Europe, not a lot either, because I was coming out of a situation which was very complicated for me from a personal point of view. I chose to come here because it’s a new challenge. In Paris, I spent my whole life there. I had the chance to grow up in a magnificent club with the best. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, find a new challenge, have the chance to have as many minutes as possible. Today, it’s done and I’m very happy with it.
FM: after several injuries and several rehabilitations, how do you feel today physically?
PK: I think I don’t even need to answer the question, just seeing that I play matches at 90 minutes, I think that answers the question itself. Physically, I feel good. I had the chance to speak with the coach and the staff when I arrived. I asked them to give me two weeks of preparation just to really come back well, to also be able to acclimatize to the temperature, because it’s not easy when you arrive. When I arrived it was maybe 48-50 degrees. The humidity is also not the same. We train at the end of the afternoon. All the conditions are provided so that we can be better. Despite the heat, I was put in good conditions.
“The pressure in Paris is not the same»
FM: let’s take a look back at this evening of May 31, 2025 and this victory in the Champions League. As a kid at the club, how did you feel at the final whistle?
PK: These are quite indescribable emotions. I trained at the club. I’ve been there all my life, I fought for it for several years. We had failures, we fell, we got up again. We knew how to show character. It wasn’t easy. As I have always said, the pressure in Paris is not the same as in other clubs. I would rather win one in Paris than five at Real Madrid or others, without disrespect of course. With all the respect I have for all the clubs who won it, it’s very special in Paris. Everyone was waiting for this for several years. We fought to succeed. It was something very complicated. We saw it against Manchester United, Manchester City or Bayern Munich in the final. These have always been quite complex moments. Being able to reach the Grail was an incredible liberation.
FM: what differences do you see between the PSG before and this new PSG which seems to be untouchable?
PK: of course there has been a change otherwise the club would not have gotten to where it is today. There has been a real change. I was lucky enough to be able to be there at the start of the project in quotes. Not at the end because it will never be the end. There will always be renewal. Afterwards, the PSG of before is incomparable, because the football of today is not the same as that of yesterday or that of tomorrow. But like I always said, times change. I had the chance to evolve with all these players. I’m not going to repeat the names because there were loads of them. I learned from everyone. Today, the club has really refocused on team football and on the fact that it is an institution where no one is above the club. In the past, it’s true that we had strong individualities. Today, the recruitment that has been made and the arrival of Luis Enrique have created another dynamic. Everyone contributed their stone to the building. I only had great coaches at PSG but I find that Luis Enrique also brought something new and different.
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FM: Ousmane Dembélé won his Ballon d’Or. Have you managed to see or speak to him since the ceremony?
PK: I got it on the phone. He also came here to Doha (for his rehabilitation, editor’s note). I was very happy for him. Frankly, it was a source of pride. He deserved it. And there you have it, seeing a Paris Saint-Germain player and a French player who wins the Golden Ball, it’s all to his credit and I think everyone was sincerely happy for him. This was also seen on the videos with the messages he received on social networks, etc. And really, even when we see him talking, he’s someone who doesn’t show his emotions too much either. So seeing him cry on stage also shows all the energy and all the ability he had to give to be able to win this ball.
FM: Luis Enrique is launching more and more Parisian Titis from the training center. After Senny Mayulu and Ibrahim Mbaye, it is the turn of Quentin Ndjantou and Mathis Jangeal to make a few appearances in the professional group. This must make you happy as the former big brother of these young players?
PK: That’s already good, it means that Luis Campos knows how to listen to me a little when I whisper two or three names in his ear. I am very proud for the club and also for them personally because they are good guys and good young people. These are little ones who listen and today, it is not enough to simply have talent to succeed and to be able to take a step. You have to have a good head, you have to listen, you have to think, you have to be constructed above all. You have to be well surrounded, continue to work and never give up. Young people, that’s what they do today. I know Senny (Mayulu), Ibé (Mbaye) and Warren (Zaire-Emery) a little more compared to Quentin (Ndjantou) or Mathis (Jangeal) for example.
FM: despite your departure to Qatar, are you still in contact with them?
PK: I always talk with them, I had this role of big brother and we’re going to say a little bit of example in quotes because I’ve been there, I know how it works, and I always advised them to be careful: what you can do, what you can’t do, act as if, do like that. I’ve always had that role with them, whether on or off the field. For example, sometimes they can call me if it has nothing to do with football, ask for advice or just chat. I know it makes them feel good sometimes. Personally, that’s what I like too. Having a different role and being there for the training center or for the youth is what has always been close to my heart. I grew, I learned. I didn’t necessarily have anyone with me in my time. I know that for them, it can only be more.
FM: You experienced a sudden, almost unexpected explosion at the start of your career. You were less in the spotlight than Kingsley Coman, Alphonse Areola, Mike Maignan or Adrien Rabiot. You even started your international career with the DRC U20s. What advice would you give to a young player?
PK: work, rigor, it’s discipline. even when you don’t like it, you have to do it, you have to work, you have to learn. You must always give the maximum of yourself, you must listen. There are always small details that will make the difference, even if you don’t see it right away. These are years of work and sacrifice. I think people can’t put it in the back of their minds. It’s never easy when you play in a team or in a club and you’re not in the spotlight. We are always either in the shadows or a collective player. This place has always appealed to me, because I don’t need to be in the light. I’m a duty guy, I’m a work guy and I know I sacrifice for the team. Having this role has never been a problem for me. I have always been a worker, a hard worker. And that’s what allowed me to be where I am today.
FM: just to conclude our interview on a lighter note. If I had to ask you to make an 11 of Paris Saint-Germain legends, who would you put?
PK: at each position? That’s very hard. Either I make a training center team, or I make a truly legendary team. Come on, we’re going to create a training center team like that, we’re not going to upset everyone. In the goals, I put Mike Maignan, on the right, I would put Youssouf Sabaly, in the center, I would put Mamadou Sakho and me. On the left, Ferland Mendy. I talk a little more about my generation because there are people who have passed. In midfield, I would put Adrien Rabiot, Hervin Ongenda and Christopher Nkunku. On the left, Kingsley Coman, on the right, I would put Jean-Kévin Augustin and in front, I would put Moussa Dembélé.
