Known for his fragility, both physical and psychological, Yoann Gourcuff was very sensitive to the notes sent by journalists. Too much.
Yann M’Vila probably did not have the career that the former Rennes midfielder seemed promised. In his opinion, his bad reputation had a lot to do with it. According to him, this dirty-mouthed offense would have particularly harmed him among journalists when they rated his performances.
“If I had this ‘dirty face’ problem, it’s because I wasn’t giving interviews. You see guys, before the match, at half-time, at the end of the match, they are in interviews. If you open L’Equipe or the newspapers that give the ratings, these guys will never have less than 5/10, he confided during an interview with Colinterview. Because they are available. The guy who will write down, he will say to himself ‘ah he is still there, always present’. And you, sometimes, you don’t want to talk, because you’re tired, because you have to talk. »
“I had withdrawn myself, I no longer gave interviews… And I felt it! I had a good match, but the one next to me was always going to have the best score… If I had 4, he had to have 5, if I had 5 he had 6, he explained again. I think it’s right. The guy in the editorial office says ‘oh him, he didn’t have a very good match, but he’s still available, so I’m going to be nice to him’. And conversely: ‘he had a good match, but he never gives an interview, who does he think he is?’ »
If he himself was very attentive to the notes, the former French international is convinced that Yoann Gourcuff was undoubtedly even more sensitive to them, which would have weighed on his career. “At a certain point, I was paying attention to that. There are a lot of players, it made their heads spin, I can tell you that. I don’t really like talking about people, but I think Yoann Gourcuff worked a lot on him, he asserted. And unfortunately because, pfff… For me, when we talk about crack, it really was one. The player in Ligue 1 who pissed me off the most was him. But it plays a role, and it depends on how you are mentally. »
