After a final training disputed in the heat of Kennesaw, north of Atlanta, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi spoke for the first time since the start of the Club World Cup. While PSG will face Bayern Munich this Saturday in the quarterfinals of the competition (6 p.m.), the Parisian president is cautious, even if he aims for a final victory on July 13.
He also took advantage of this mini press briefing against the French and international media to enhance the season of Ousmane Dembélé which, according to him, deserves to win the Ballon d’Or 2025.
In what state of mind have you since your victory in the Champions League?
Nasser Al-KhelaïFi. It’s okay, we’re in our tournament. We are focused on our quarter -finals. It is an important match. Everyone is motivated. It is the first world of clubs, it is a competition for PSG. We want to enter the history of this competition. It is far away, because we will face a large team. It’s a difficult match, that’s for sure, but I have confidence in my players.
Winning this competition would be an exceptional performance and would enhance your season …
It’s still early to talk about victory in competition. We have to go there after match. We are only in the quarterfinals. We don’t want to think of the semi-final. This match against Bayern will be very difficult. But as I said, we are ready for tomorrow.
Do you understand criticism of this competition?
This is the first edition of the World Cup club. Of course, when you organize such a competition, everything cannot be perfect. But it is a new market for football, for us, for all European clubs. I do not understand people who criticize this competition. Players have the opportunity to play a World Cup with their club. We have to stop this negative climate and think positive. There are also a lot of financial challenges. We are proud to be there and play this competition.
Do you feel your players determined to go to the end?
Everyone is motivated. We are proud of our players. They are warriors, soldiers. We have 23-24 warriors, the coach, the sports advisor. Everyone is motivated, everyone is concentrated. We go there a match per game to go as far as possible. It is the most important.
Is Ousmane Dembélé your favorite for the Ballon d’Or?
Ousmane’s season was magnificent. For sure. If he does not win the Ballon d’Or, there is a problem … He did everything! I hope he will continue again tomorrow. But it is not the most important, the most important is the team and that everyone plays for the team.
You could meet Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappé in the semi-finals. Do you think about it?
Today we are only talking about the quarter -final. If we qualify for the next round, we can talk about it …
