A docuseries on the life of Michel Platini will soon be broadcast on Canal+ at the end of August. On this occasion, the former captain and coach of the French football team gave a long interview to the daily newspaper “L’Équipe”, in which he discussed the football of his time, but also today.
“Platoche”, now the owner of a restaurant overlooking the port of Cassis, in the south of France, has distilled some particularly juicy confessions and anecdotes. Particularly on how people looked at football at the time.
“In the 1970s, athletes, and by extension footballers, were considered imbeciles,” he says. The sport was not recognized. If you wanted to sleep with a girl, you shouldn’t say that you were a footballer because that was bogus. A sportsman, in France, was the lowest species on earth.”
Today, footballers are adored, are followed by millions of people on social networks and all their gestures and publications are scrutinized. They no longer have the right to make mistakes, under penalty of being criticized and receiving threats. Thus, many players now call on psychologists and the mental health of athletes is no longer a taboo.
“Superheroes can’t have flaws”
What Michel Platini struggles to understand. “They chose this path and they must accept it. These are the consequences of notoriety and money. If they don’t take responsibility, they should do something else. A player is judged on his performance, not on his moods, believes Michel Platini. We are superheroes to everyone. And superheroes can’t have flaws.”
There is only one subject that Michel Platini did not wish to address in this interview: his affair with FIFA. As a reminder, he filed a complaint against Gianni Infantino for influence peddling and slanderous denunciation.
