FRENCH WHIZZKID KINGSLEY COMAN SPEAKS EXCLUSIVELY TO EUROSPORT
Kingsley Coman is one of the most exciting talents in Europe. At just 23 years of age, the French international has already played for Juventus and is now at German powerhouse Bayern Munich.
Coman spoke exclusively to Eurosport about his development as a player, his future ambitions as well as his greatest influence.
On his development as a player
I’ve progressed. Physically it's different, I was younger and I had more energy. I'm still not old and I still have pep.
But at 18 or 19, I had not yet had an injury, except for small sprains when I was little. With every dribble, I really felt that I could accelerate. Physically, I had no problem.
Now I am getting older. I have played longer at a high level. When I arrived, I had less playing time and I did not know what it felt like to put together a number of matches in a row, playing every few days as a key player. Now I know that if I sprint every minute, I will not be able to make 10 matches in a row! It took a lot of maturity, I played a lot of games despite the injuries. I have progressed a lot.
On his future ambitions
I don't know what I want in five years so anything is possible. Bayern is a club where you can [win titles]. However the goals are clear. To stay at the top level and to win the most titles. Bayern is one of the clubs where you can do that.
On this season's Champions League
We said to ourselves that there was something possible because we felt really good. The team that did not seem unbeatable but the favourite in my eyes was Liverpool.
They themselves were starting to be in a worse shape and had been eliminated. So yeah, we thought there was the possibility. After we know that in two matches, everything can be played but we had good feelings.
We have worked a lot and if we stay two or three months without doing anything, the work done now will not have been useful. I really hope we can resume.
On his greatest influence
I would say Guardiola. Because he is the one who made me start playing a little more regularly even if I had played a few matches at Juve.
For a player in my position, a winger who likes to hit and provoke, he is the best coach we can have because that is what demands us the most. He creates systems to have one-on-one situations and it's the system where I can flourish the most. He didn't ask me to have stats. He just asked me to take, hit and centre. And that was what I appreciated very much.
On the fastest player at Bayern Munich
It’s Alphonso Davies! We’ve already done some testing at Bayern, it’s him. If it’s speed in slaloms or turning I think I’m a little faster but in a straight line it’s him.
Kingsley Coman was speaking exclusively to Eurosport. Head to Eurosport.com for all the latest news and views from the world of sport.