Pochettino: 'It's a dream come true'
Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino spoke to the club's official media channels about his joy at being on the bench of the club from the French capital.
Coach, you are now under contract with Paris Saint-Germain until 2023. How does it feel?
I am really happy. I am happy for myself but also for my staff. I think it is very important for us to feel the support of the club and of course I want to thank the chairman and CEO Nasser, Leonardo and Paris Saint-Germain for their confidence. We hope that all together we can achieve everything we want, win titles and achieve all the things we dream of.
We can feel you are ready to go for this new season...
I think everyone involved in the club project feels really good and is very excited to start this new season. I think when you are on the training pitch you can feel a good energy starting to come through and of course that is an atmosphere we have to keep throughout the season to win.
Twenty years ago, almost to the day, you wore the captain's armband for the first time. That must have been a special moment for you...
I remember very well the day I wore the captain's armband for Paris Saint-Germain for the first time. I felt very proud to be the captain of one of the best clubs in the world. I think it's an extraordinary feeling for any player. It's true that the responsibility was huge, but at the same time I loved it.
And today you coach the same team!
It was hard to imagine that one day I would be the coach of this team! But now it's a dream come true. We are experiencing incredible things here, so we have to enjoy it. After all the things that have happened in the last few months, I think we have to keep working hard, trying to build a very solid project together. It's an incredible privilege to be the coach of Paris Saint-Germain, it's incredible.
You speak of the joy of coaching here... How does that translate itself on the training pitch?
It's hard to explain! First of all, it's 12 hours a day spent on the training pitch, working and concentrating to try to help the players achieve the best possible performance. But above all it's our passion. Football is our passion. And working in football is a dream. So of course we enjoy every moment, because being part of the Paris Saint-Germain family is a dream come true. So we will try to give our best, and do everything to make our supporters feel proud. And, of course, for the club and our players to achieve all their goals.