Areola: 'I will never forget it'

Alphonse, how does it feel to finally be a full France international?
"It's great! Throughout my young career I've been preparing myself for this moment. I have been impatient to earn this first cap. I earned it against a very good side, a great football country. I think I did the job. But this is just the start."

How did you approach the match against Germny?
"We knew that they would be looking to prove a point after their World Cup. We knew we had to be ready, and play well, especially after our performances at the World Cup. We are still on a high, but you are always motivated to play an international, so it was hard to get focused."

On a personal note, how did you prepare for the game?
"I just went into my little bubble and prepared myself to play well. Didier Deschamps, the 'keeping coach Franck Raviot and my teammates all spoke to me in the changing room before the game. They all told me that I was one of them and deserved my place out on the pitch alonside them."

It wasn't too emotional?
"I felt a lot of emotion during the national anthem. I had already sung it with the France youth teams but never with Les Bleus, a world champion... it was very symbolic. I will never forget it. I thought about my kids, my wife, my parents, all my family and all the sacrifices I have made and they made too, throughout my career. It makes it all worthwhile, but I'm not stopping here. There's already another game coming. You have to enjoy the moment but not get carried away."

You weren't nervous?
For the first few balls, I had to make the right choices, stay calm and stay myself, do what I know how to do. The first save in the first half really got me in the match and then I had a few crosses to come for. In the second half, Germany really started to attack a lot. Reus curled one towards goal that I kept out with my fingertips. You are always happy when you make a stop like that, but you also know you have to keep going to avoid conceding a goal. Then I made a number of important stops to avoid defeat."

How did it feel after the game?
"Everyone congratulated me at the whistle. It was special with Franck Raviot because he was my goalkeeping coach at Clairefontaine and he led me all the way to this first cap. It's a great story. I gave him my jersey. I hope to make all my family and friends proud, and everyone else that helped me get here. You never forget your debut, but especially not when it goes like this."