“I had a very good season and I thought I would be recognized” | Relief

Wednesday, four thirty in the afternoon. An audio message requests that the interview be delayed a bit. “I’ll let you know as soon as the meeting ends, it won’t take long, and we’ll make a video call,” the audio message reads. Two and a half hours later, a message came from this editor in which she said: “Please don’t forget!” does to Vincent Poirier (Clamart, France, 1993) return to reality. “Oh my God, I wish I had gone full speed today,” explains the current center of Anadolu Efes, a team that They face Real Madrid at the WiZink Center this afternoon (20:45). And it’s not strange. Because part of his life (and his family) is still here in Madrid. and he, quite logically, took advantage of every free time he had to spend with his loved ones.

His departure this summer was not easy. In fact, he admits it himself. “There is no other place better than Madrid”. But his good year meant that offers flooded him in search of a more important role, which, sharing a position with Eddie Tavares, was not offered to him at Real Madrid. Yes indeed If anything else is clear, it’s the best center pair Real Madrid can have: “Mine with Eddie Tavares!”“,” he exclaims between laughs during a telephone conversation with Relevo. A conversation in which, unlike what he does on the hardwood, he didn’t put any plugs in, He didn’t hesitate to respond without hesitation (as he still does via Twitter to those who write to him) or to get wet. even admit that “if there is an opportunity to return to Real Madrid, it’s good,” he will do it.

When you won the league last year, I was sitting in front of you and Yabusele on the train and you couldn’t stop talking about the NBA… Now do you see what he’s doing there?

(Laughs) Yes, I see. I’m very happy for him. It was a very big decision for him, but now we see that he behaves well, that he contributes to the team and can show his talent there.

It’s just little JJ. OO. did with France…

He’s always been a big part of Team France, and what he did this summer, as well as his dunk in the face of LeBron James, brought him to the NBA. It’s part of life and it’s great for him to have this opportunity.

Now that you’re both out of the game… tell me the truth, how did you feel about the fight with Partizan? Because there are people who continue to remember Yabusele…

He doesn’t care what they keep saying, it happened, he paid for his bad deed because he didn’t play the next five games. Sometimes these things happen, and people on Twitter, of course, say a lot, but he doesn’t care what they say, it’s the past and that’s it.

Speaking of Twitter, you’ve become very active on Twitter lately to respond to fans and criticism, and to call out what you feel is unfair, like when you were booed for that move against Barça… That’s because Now you are no longer at Real Madrid, do you have more freedom to do this?

I never had any restrictions when I was at Real Madrid and no one said anything to me about what I posted on Twitter. But now I have something to say (laughs). I think it’s a platform where you can say something and there’s a little bit of everything. So sometimes I’m bored and I answer people from Malaga, Barcelona… Well, they insult me ​​a little. I also comment on things I don’t understand, like a technical foul, but nothing extraordinary. I am always active in these matters. It’s like talking to fans a little bit, learning a little bit about everything.

You say it’s because you get bored from time to time, so the key question is: where is better to live: Madrid or Istanbul?

Well… when I came to Madrid soon after, I fell in love with the city, so I can’t say anything other than Madrid. Now I’m trying to enjoy Istanbul, get to know the city and feel good here. But comparing three years in Madrid and three in Istanbul… You can’t! (Laughs) I think that wherever I go will be better than Madrid.

What was it like for you to leave Real Madrid and why did you make that decision?

It was very difficult. I always thought about staying and all that, but that’s the way things are in life. Sometimes they don’t happen the way we want them to. But now I have a new challenge, a new stage in my life, and I like it too. The new challenge was to see if I could improve and it was perfect for me.

Do you think you deserved better on the white team?

Yes (laughs). I know that Hedy (Tavares) is a very important element for Real Madrid and I understand that too, but I had a very good season and I thought it would be recognized, but it hurts a little. And he was very happy too. That’s what hurts me a little. We had a very good team… But now everything is different. I’m in Istanbul and I’m happy, this is a new stage and I want to be as effective as last year.

Did you find in Efes what you expected when you signed a contract with the team? What are the goals?

Yes, yes, I wanted to be at the highest level in Europe, here they work for this, because they want to win. They know how to do it. I knew this before because I talked to the coach and the players here. We want to win as many games as possible and try to get to the Final Four.

What does it mean to you to be back at the WiZink Center?

I really want to play there again. It will be a little different. I’m playing against these guys, but hey, that’s how the sport is, and this isn’t the first time. But I love coming back, seeing the fans, playing in front of these people who have given me a lot of love and confidence in my game for three years.

You definitely have to meet Eddie Tavares. Do you understand how to protect him after playing with him for so long?

Well… Yes, I’ve had Eddie for three years now. It’s not easy, but I know a little about the way he operates and attacks, and I’ll try my best to stop him from doing too well.

You, who know the team and the club so well from the inside, what do you think is going wrong this season?

They have brought in a lot of important players this summer and there are players who are not easy to replace, such as Rudy or Chacho, who have been important in previous years. So always, when you invite new players, you have to find new rhythms and connections, and this is not done two or three times, it costs more. But wearing a Real Madrid shirt is always different. We know that when a team faces difficulties, they always come out and win important matches.

Do you still consider him the favorite to win everything this season?

I think they’re finding their groove a little bit now, but it’s only the first part of the season. There are turnovers like Dzanan Musa that are very important for the team and can change the game. So yes, I see them as a very dangerous team that could very well make it to the Final Four.

How do you see the younger ones, Elie Ndiaye and Hugo, those who shared the dressing room with them?

Now Eli is doing more because there are losses and he has always been a young player who wants to learn, impose a rhythm and play with energy, and that is important for Real to have players like that who are not stars. He does very important work for them. And Hugo is looking for his role a little bit, like Rudy, he has to come off the bench and give energy and things like that. Yes, he is very young and has time to grow and get better.

One of the people who always stands out the most is Chus Mateo, the coach who won all the titles with you (EuroLeague, Super Cup, Cup and League) with Real Madrid. Do you think this is unfair to him?

Being a Real Madrid coach is always like that. If you lose a match, it will be your fault; If you win three, we’ll forget about it the first time you lose… That’s how it is. There are teams that always win everything and sometimes it’s a tougher team, that’s what I said: when you change a lot of players, it’s harder to get the same performance, so it just works in training. It’s not always the coach’s fault. It’s a very difficult role at Real Madrid because he is always criticized, just like the players. But hey, now he’s still there, I think the club trusts him this year.

I recently saw you say in an interview that your plan is to return to Madrid sooner or later, and the truth is that you even continue to wear the shirt, but do you see yourself returning to Real Madrid?

Why not? Yes, always. This has been my home for three years, I love Madrid, I love this club. If one day I have the opportunity to come back and it’s good, I’ll do it. I have my family here and everything, so it’s kind of obvious to me.

As for the summer, you missed out on the Games due to injury, but do you see yourself back on the French team in the future?

I don’t know, I don’t think about it too much. I know the coach, he’s my friend, and we’ll see if he calls me or not. I don’t really care about that because right now I’m more focused on the season with Efes, and in February and summer we’ll see how things go.

The truth is that the youth team coming in like Zakkari Risaker and those who have already made it to the French national team like Victor Vembanyama, Bilal Koulibaly… indicate that the level will continue to be very high. How do you see the future of French basketball?

They are probably having a very good season. All the young people are playing important roles for their clubs and are showing that they can play and have a high level, which means we will have a generation of high quality and I hope they win a lot of trophies too.

And finally, the obligatory question: who will win this afternoon: Real Madrid or Anadolu Efes?

Well… (Laughs) Efes will win… Always. I can’t say that Real will win. My team will always win and we will do everything for this here, and it is also very important for me to come here and leave with a victory.