He is the only new addition to the French team’s list for the World Cup. Called up by Didier Deschamps as a third goalkeeper, Robin Risser will discover the joys of participating in the most beautiful tournament with his country. An outcome that he could hardly imagine 18 months ago when he was third goalkeeper in Strasbourg. This call-up rewards his superb season and that of RC Lens, when he was voted best goalkeeper in Ligue 1 this week at the UNFP trophies.
“What if I had in mind being called up for the World Cup at the start of the season? It would have been difficult to believe it honestly, but I never hid from those close to me that I thought I was capable of it, and with a lot of humility, I am aware that there are very good French goalkeepers. What allows me to be here is the performance of our team, otherwise I would never have been on this list“, he said at a press conference.
Champions League, best L1 goalkeeper, and World Cup in 6 days
Risser knows this role of third goalkeeper well having taken on it at Racing, and he promises to arrive with the desire to put the number one, Mike Maignan, in the best conditions. When discussing his selection, the 21-year-old goalkeeper also had a thought for Lucas Chevalier and Alphonse Areola, also candidates for the role. “What if I’m surprised? I don’t know, the situation of the French goalkeepers today means that my name has been in the coach’s little papers for 3 or 4 months. I am disappointed for Lucas (Chevalier) who was injured a little before that, and for Alphonse (Areola) who had little playing time this season. As they say: one person’s happiness makes another person’s misfortune. Today, I am the lucky one to be the lucky one on this list and I am very happy about it.”
After such a week, it’s difficult to come down. Last Friday, Risser went to win with his teammates a place in the Champions League. On Monday, he was voted best goalkeeper of the Ligue 1 season, and yesterday, he learned of his very first call-up to the Blues: “It’s been a hell of a week emotionally, it’s true that I’ve been on cloud nine for seven days. I hope to stay there for another ten days, because that will mean that we will have finished this season well and that we will have done what we need to do on May 22 (date of the Coupe de France final against Nice) to reward our season. Requests? Of course there are… messages, requests, but I stay focused, I feel privileged by what is happening to me.» According to our information, the tricolor goalkeeper is on Aston Villa’s shortlist. His summer promises to be hectic on all levels.
