Dream Team: Supporting France

Foot Mercato: 6 months after your arrival, how do you feel in Saudi Arabia?

Valentin Atangana : for the moment, I feel very good. I think my first six months have been very good. For now, the best part of my career is here in Saudi Arabia. I was very well received by the Saudi players and the European players. For the moment, I’m playing, I’m performing well and I hope that will continue.

“Leaving France and coming to Saudi Arabia is a big hurdle all the same. »

FM: Did the French-speaking players facilitate your integration?

VA : it really made my adaptation easier. In this club, there are quite a few players who speak French, Enzo Millot, Riyad Mahrez, Édouard Mendy, Franck Kessié and they welcomed me very well. Because leaving France and coming here to Saudi Arabia is a big hurdle all the same. We had to adapt to the culture too. So, obviously, they helped me. And it’s partly thanks to that that I’m successful.

FM: Is it a chance for you to play with a player like Riyad Mahrez?

VA : you still see him despite his age, his controls, his technical quality, you feel that he is above. And I think he’s not going to lose that. It’s a great pleasure to play alongside him. Above all, we young players, he gives us a lot of advice. And obviously, we listen to him, because when a player of Riyad Mahrez’s level speaks to you, you want to listen.

FM: how did you react to the amount of your transfer (25M euros)?

VA : for my part, I didn’t look at the price. I looked more at the conditions and the sporting choice. The amount of the transfer honestly didn’t matter to me. Today, I just know that I am the second biggest seller in Reims behind Hugo Ekitike.

“In a football match, anything can happen and even more so in Africa. »

FM: what do you think of people who criticize the choice to see a young person sign in Saudi Arabia?

VA : obviously, I think they will see the financial, in the first place, rather than the sporting choice. They say the player goes there just for the money. Whereas on the contrary, the player goes there because he has a career plan. The players who come here look at the sporting project above all. Of course, the financier also plays a role, we’re not going to lie. But my choice, in any case, was the sports project. You can see it, because I signed in Saudi Arabia and that doesn’t stop me from performing well and still being called up to the France Espoirs team.

“We should no longer be afraid to come to Saudi Arabia. »

FM: Playing against the biggest football legends, was that a source of motivation in your choice to join Saudi Arabia?

VA : of course, you know that in this championship, you find legends, Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, N’golo Kanté so obviously, that plays a role. I think that now we should no longer be afraid to come here to Saudi Arabia. The championship is being watched, Zack Nani holds the rights, so I think you should come without fear.

FM: how do you judge the level of the Saudi championship?

VA : for me, it’s a good championship. I think you have 7-8 good teams. Afterwards, the bottom of the table is perhaps a little weak. But overall, for me, it’s a good championship. If I had to compare to Ligue 1, obviously Ligue 1 is above. But I think that within one or two years, the Saudi championship will be able to compete with Ligue 1 without problem. There are a lot of good players coming here to be able to raise the level of the championship.

FM: do you think this experience will allow you to continue your progress?

VA : it will bring me more than just on a sporting level. Already, it will help me in terms of language. Because, obviously, when you leave France at 20, you have to adapt to speaking English, to understanding people. On a human level, it will benefit me. There are players like Kessié or Mahrez who give me advice. So, obviously, it will also benefit me on a sporting level. When you train with them every day, it benefits you. It also changes the context of Reims to train and play with players of this caliber.

FM: What shocked you the most about moving from Reims to Al-Ahli?

VA : VA : it’s a change from playing in a team that plays in the middle of the table or even maintaining it to one that plays to win titles. No disrespect to Reims, but you take more pleasure in playing in a team which will go for a title at the end of the season than a team which is fighting to maintain itself like us last year.

FM: a return to Europe seems possible in the future?

VA : In the future, I think it’s possible because I have goals. I want to play in the Premier League and play in the Champions League in Europe. I think my style of play fits well with the English league, and maybe even the Bundesliga. These are the two championships that I really appreciate. Afterwards, of course, I don’t close any doors.

“I will have to take on a leadership role. »

FM: in September, you were called up with the Espoirs, did you expect to be called up even after joining Saudi Arabia?

VA : before my first selection, in September, I spoke with the coach. He told me that I was going to be one of his “leaders” because, there it is, it’s a new generation with the 2004, 2005, 2006. And, obviously when you see that in A, they always called Théo Hernández, and even Kanté from time to time, I told myself that the door was not closed in quotes. In Saudi Arabia, in addition to me, there are Nathan Zézé and Saïmon Bouabré, who continue to be called up. I don’t think I ever told myself that I wasn’t going to be called again.

FM: what role will you have in this new generation?

VA : in group life, already, I will help to regulate when things are not going well. I’m also one of the “old guys” since I was called up with the Enzo Millot generation a year ago. So, obviously, I will have a more important role to play in this new generation. In group life and on the field, I will have to take on a leadership role.

FM: what do you think of your generation in Hopes?

VA : I think it’s a very good and beautiful generation. There are players in the making. It’s certain that there are fewer big names than the previous generation. But you have players like Éli Junior Kroupi, Ayyoub Bouaddi, etc. There are still a lot of very good players.

FM: who are the players who impressed you the most in Espoirs?

VA : not impressed, but you felt that he was very strong, there is Désiré Doué. Rayan Cherki, too, impressed me whether in training or in matches. I expected him to do well at Manchester City. He is someone who is not afraid, he is confident, sure of himself. There is also Éli Junior Kroupi, we don’t talk about him much. I think he is underrated, it is surely linked to the club in which he plays which is less exposed in the media. But frankly, he is very, very strong. He achieved great things at 19 in the Premier League. We’re starting to talk about him, but I still have the impression that he’s a player who is rarely mentioned among French talents, even though it’s crazy what he’s doing at his age. I think he already has 7 goals in the Premier League, even though he doesn’t have much playing time. We need to talk more about him, he deserves.

FM: is your dream to wear the French team jersey?

VA : I play football for that, to win trophies and play for the nation. That would be my dream. The French team is in my head. I made all my youth categories in the French team, and I tell myself that if I continue to work, maybe one day I would have the chance to play with the A.