Idrissa Gueye: 'Make our fans happy'

At 14, you left home to join the Diambars Academy which Bernard Lama was instrumental in setting up...
"I had to leave my family because it was an opportunity which every young Senegalese had. Diambars was a boyhood dream for us. Every kid did tests right across Senegal. They dreamed of joining the youth academy created by Bernard Lama and Patrick Vieira, notably. There were rules to respect. You had to work hard at school, otherwise you couldn't play football. They wanted to teach us respect, that we become men before becoming players. That was the message Diambars wanted to pass on. There weren't just footballers who did well, there, there were also those who did well in studies. It's a good example for Africa and a good thing for young people in Senegal."

When you arrived in France, you already had that quality of tenacity, of going to look for the ball…
"It's something that came naturally. I'm like that on the pitch, I don't like losing. I love football and that's football, it's not necessarily only defending. To have the ball, to enjoy yourself and play with your teammates, you have to win the ball back. I have been able to do that since I was at Diambars, because there was a player who played in the same position as me and I learned a lot from him and his qualities. After that, I saw that to make progress in my career I had to push myself and change my way of playing. That's what made me do like him, work hard, give everything on the pitch and after that it came naturally."

You learned the fundamentals at Diambars and then applied them at Lille in Ligue 1. What did playing in England contribute to your game?
"Playing in England made me more mature and aggressive. You never give up because whether you play against the big teams or the littlest one in the league, it's never easy. You must never say to yourself before a game that you're going to win it, because every game will be difficult, there are counter-attacks. You can never say you're going to win when you go to this or that town. You can never win easily. That means you stay focussed every week. You know it's not going to be easy, so you stay focussed, always ready to give 100 per cent in each game."

The coach wanted you to come to the club. How did you react to his interest?
"I was surprised and happy. It's a reward for the work done over a number of years. And to see a coach say, 'That's the player I need, that's the one I want,' I didn't expect that at all. Even just getting the call from him, talking to him, getting to know him was good, but it's even better working alongside him in training every day. Everyone knows he's a good coach, but more than a coach, he's a good person who knows how to handle his squad, who talks to his players. As soon as I arrived, he told me to stay as I am, absolutely not change, and try to give that image to the squad. In football terms, it has allowed me to take a step up. I want to continue my progress and contribute what I can to the team."

What did you feel during your first two games with Paris Saint-Germain?
"Firstly, they were two good games as we won both of them! For me, playing in this stadium with this team, and to be surrounded by great players like Marco Verratti, who I like a lot, was great. He's an exceptional player. I'm going to continue learning alongside him as he's an exceptional player."

On Saturday, you're back at the Parc des Princes to play Strasbourg…
"It won't be an easy game, because Strasbourg are a good footballing side. Their players run a lot, are tenacious, and want to show they have the quality to match any side. They're not afraid, and I think that's good. They always try to play their game. They know that here, at the Parc des Princes, against Paris Saint-Germain, it won't be easy. It won't be an easy game for us either, but we'll do all we can to win."

And next Wednesday, you'll hear the music of the UEFA Champions League...
"It's one of the reasons I came here. It's the dream of every player to play in that competition. It's simply the biggest club competition there is. It'll be a great game. We have to try and enjoy it, but, above all, make our fans happy and give our maximum to try and win the match."