Great, the World Cup is back this weekend! And the French will still play the leading roles there. We’re not talking about football, but obviously downhill skiing. No Kylian Mbappé or Antoine Griezmann at the start, but Alexis Pinturault or Clément Noël. Rising star of French skiing, but also keen on the round ball, the slalomer evokes his passion for football between Olympique Lyonnais, France 2018 and parallel with skiing. Interview at the top.
You are a big consumer of sports. What is the place of football in all of this?
As a player, I am very bad, very technically limited, unlike skiing. (Laughs.) I just watch on TV. It’s the national sport, we have to love. I come from the Vosges, and there is no big club in the area, the closest is Sochaux, if not Nancy, Metz, even Strasbourg … It does not make you dream. I could have chosen according to the results, but I rather made according to my adopted region: Lyon. I am more Lyonnais than Lionceaux. Well, afterwards, at the moment, OL are not very happy in terms of results either. (Laughs.) But we come out of a beautiful Final 8, it was nice.
What is your first memory of playing a round ball?
Like people of my generation, I was too young for France 1998, I’m more of France 2018. But I remember the 2006 World Cup very well, this final against Italy. It’s my first real football memory, not the best … It was hard. Afterwards, I don’t draw any animosity from it against the many Italians that I meet on ski. On the contrary, we have rather good relations.
“The only track that is really a football stadium is Schladming in Austria. It is the Dortmund of skiing. Kitzbühel is impressive, but less festive. It would be more like Camp Nou. “
If you had preferred crampons to skiing, which position would it be?
I only did one year of football. I was a keeper because I was already big. It was not necessarily my choice, but since I was bad, it was either goalkeeper or on the bench. And being a replacement in a terrible team … But I was very involved, very focused, I wanted to do well. Okay, it lasted a year. I have a bit of trouble with team sports. I prefer to rely only on myself, and only blame myself in the event of failure. On the other hand, I liked the pressure of the goalkeeper, the responsibility.
Do you see any similarities between skiing and football?
Footballers work hard to be good without a ball. For us too, most of the work is physical, mental preparation for events, recovery, etc. Afterwards, if we had to take something from them, it would be good to have as much means and media coverage as them. It is obviously impossible because we are a minor sport. But if we could draw inspiration from their professionalization, that would not be bad. Conversely, I think that, precisely because we are less publicized, we have more feet on the ground when skiing, we are more connected to the real world. But that’s normal: footballers are stars today, more than athletes, it must be difficult for them to manage.
Like footballers, you will play behind closed doors this season. What does it change for a skier?
It changes less for us. They have the public that wears them throughout the match, moreover home games have no meaning without an audience. We ski a little at home when we are in France. A ski race is rarely played under the influence of an audience, unlike football. On the other hand, they make us experience emotions in the event of victory. The only track that is really a football stadium is Schladming in Austria. There, there are really a lot of people, the Austrians are completely crazy about skiing. This is where there is the most atmosphere, Schladming is the Dortmund of skiing. Afterwards, crowd, history, prestige, Kitzbühel is impressive, but less festive. It would rather be Camp Nou.
Your main rival in slalom is Henrik Kristoffersen. If you were football clubs, who would be who?
I would be a fairly young club which has never won anything, which shows that it is there, which has its chances, and Kristoffersen a club installed, favorite. He is not necessarily above, but he does two disciplines, he is much more complete than me, but I have the weapons to fight. What club ? It’s hard to say. On the other hand, Marcel Hirscher would be Real Madrid, that’s for sure. And Alexis Pinturault, I would say PSG because he is French, very strong, but he has often narrowly failed in the quest for the big crystal globe, like PSG in the Champions League.
“Marcel Hirscher would be Real Madrid, that’s for sure. And Alexis Pinturault, I would say PSG because he is French, very strong, but he has often narrowly failed in the quest for the big crystal globe, like PSG in C1. ”
During your years in Val d’Isère, you never met footballers in Tignes or on the slopes?
Oh yes ! In June, Lyon often comes to Tignes, I have already passed them in the Col de l’Iseran by bike. We got off in the ski bus, and the players climbed. I saw their great abilities on the bike. (Laughs.) We will say that we skiers are ahead of the game and that there were a few players who were not very involved. We mostly meet cyclists too. It’s good to be able to share this great playground, to get out of the ski bubble, especially in June and summer, we like to think of something else.
Without a bad pun, you are known for your freshness in interviews, far from the formatted speeches of footballers.
When someone asks me a question, I answer naturally, and I don’t want to be intellectual either. Compared to footballers, we have to pay much less attention to what we say, we have less media coverage, therefore less pressure and a more personal speech. It would be good if they could free themselves in football, but we can’t judge.
You made your World Cup debut at 19. In 2017, you are champion of France in front of the big favorites. In 2018-2019, you are named best youngster of the season. You are very mature and comfortable in front of the microphones. Are you the Mbappé of skiing?
It’s a bit far-fetched, but it’s flattering to me. (Laughs.) Mbappé is a huge star, a great champion, very inspiring. It makes me happy, even if you can’t compare. If we talk about age, which he doesn’t like, yes our early career paths are similar. But he won the World Cup …
“When it comes to beauty, consistency, performance and merit, I think the crystal globe weighs more than the Golden Ball. ”
Besides, why does everyone not care about the European Cup in skiing?
Because it is already a little difficult to take an interest in the World Cup. (Laughs.) The European Cup is Ligue 2, a circuit with young people who are aiming for the World Cup. If we are already talking about the World Cup, and we manage to have more enthusiasm in France, it will not be bad. The European Cup, the less time you spend there, the better.
By the way, when you say “World Cup”, which one do you think of first?
To 2018 direct!
So football, not skiing …
Ah … Yes, because in the imagination of people, it is the football which comes first, besides one does not need to specify “Football World Cup”. In addition, we, the World Cup, is more of a circuit that can be compared to F1 for example, we are a traveling sport. The equivalent of the World Cup for us is more of the world championships. Between the two, I obviously prefer to win the ski one, even if I was very happy in 2018 when France won in football. Afterwards, I am a professional athlete, so a little selfish, and I want to win my World Cup! (Laughs.)
What weighs the heaviest: a big crystal globe or a Golden Ball?
It’s the Golden Ball, without hesitation. On the other hand in terms of beauty, regularity, performance and merit, here I think that the crystal globe is fairer and therefore weighs more than the Golden Ball. It is won on an accounting system which necessarily rewards the most deserving, the one who has won the most races. The crystal globe is indisputable for a skier, while the Ballon d’Or always raises debates, and is not always legitimate in the eyes of followers for various reasons. In skiing, the Crystal Globe winner has been the strongest all season, and no one can say otherwise.
Interview by Adrien Hémard
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