Zoumana Camara: 'All titles give you a special feeling'

Papus, what is your first memory at Paris Saint-Germain? 

"I would say my meeting with the club's President Alain Cayzac, thanks to whom I am still at the club 15 years later. A warm and pleasant President and I am still in touch with him. I always thank him. The fact that I have had the journey that I have had has been largely thanks to him and Coach Paul Le Guen who brought me to the club at the time." 

Your best memory at Paris Saint-Germain?

"There are lots of good ones, I have two particular favourites. The first, is from the pitch: a Europa League match against Twente where to qualify, we needed to win 4-0. And we won 4-0. I can still remember that day, the excitement, the joy with the fans. It's true that this match is still in my head. And then the second for me is the league title win in 2013 and the parade to Trocadéro. Because deep down, there is the pride to say to yourself that you were part of a team that was lucky enough to experience that. We were on the bus, we left the Parc des Princes, we went through the 16th Arrondissement to get to Trocadéro and it was incredible. It remains a special memory."

What would be your favourite memory at the Parc des Princes? 

"I'd have to say my last match... First of all, it ended with a victory against Reims, it's always good to close the circle with a victory, at the Parc in front of family and friends. And above all I wasn't prepared for it, I really didn't expect it, but Thiago Silva asked me to lift the trophy. It's a memorable moment for me and one that will stay with me forever.

Which match do you remember the most from the 2014-2015 season? 

"The match that won us the title at Montpellier. There were so many great moments, but that one was special. We celebrated it with the supporters, we went to see them on the pitch to celebrate it with them. We couldn't wait to get on the plane to head back to Paris to see the supporters. I can still remember us hugging each other, with David Luiz, with Ezequiel Lavezzi, that's the game I remember."

The lifting of the trophy that you mentioned, that must have been a very powerful moment...

"I have that image as a background on my computer at home. There was a photo with the confetti falling and you can see the whole squad and it's true that it's particularly special. When you do this job, you do so with a dream and that's to become a professional. And when you become a professional, you dream of having a great career and winning titles. I was lucky enough to do so and to finish my career lifting a league trophy in front of my city, given that I come from Paris and with my club. Everything came together, it's true that I am very lucky." 

You won three league titles with Paris, were they all equally special?

"Yes, I mentioned the one at Trocadero because for me it was a chance to experience that. There's the one from David Beckham's last game with the victory against Brest. I remember that we all painted ourselves before the match. There is also my last title, where at the Stade de France, we had the 4 trophies because we had done the quadruple. They are all a special memory, but always full of joy and emotions. They all have a particular story, but in the end, there's always the desire to relive it."

And there are the titles won while on the coaching staff...

"We have this joy through the players, we live it through them. It's a source of satisfaction. It's a bit like the co-pilot: the player is the one who has the steering wheel and we have a bit of a plan that we give them. We tell them where to turn, to accelerate, to pay attention to the bends and when you win the race, you are as happy as the driver because you are in the car. I'm painting a picture it, but it's a bit like that. The satisfaction is the same, the joy is a little different because you don't have the steering wheel any more, but you are in the car and you participate just as much as the driver and the joy and the emotions are there."