He cut all the rumors short. Those created since his interview with Canal +, during which he declared: “If I am called upon in the Algerian team, I will go there”. Three months later, Maxime Lopez changed his mind. Or rather refined his decision. This Sunday, the Paris FC midfielder took advantage of an invitation from Ligue 1 + to affirm that he would never represent the Algerian selection.
“I have this link with Algeria through my mother, my grandparents are buried there. But honestly, from a very young age I took a position on the selections, he said. I have always talked about the France team. Lately, a lot has been said about one of my interviews, where I said that if one day someone called me, I would go. But I believe that today I am reaching an age where you have to know how to be reasonable. »
“It’s a choice”
Maxime Lopez does not want to steal the place of other players in this selection which reached the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations before being beaten by Nigeria (0-2). “I think there are players who are more capable than me to represent Algeria, who deserve it more, more local players, who have a bigger connection than me. This is why there will be no selection in Algeria. It’s a choice,” he continued.
Despite the qualification of the Algerians for the next World Cup, the Parisian does not intend to change his mind. “There will be no Algeria team for me,” he repeated. I have a lot of respect for them, for the people, for the national team that I support because I have friends who play there. I wish them the best for the World Cup and for everything that will happen in the future, but there will be no Algerian selection for me. »
An international hopeful on 13 occasions when he played for Olympique de Marseille, Maxime Lopez was never called up to the French team. After playing in Italy, at Sassuolo then at Fiorentina, he returned to Paris FC in 2024, with promotion to Ligue 1 at stake.
