‘My stomach was in knots’: Tiémoué Bakayoko opens up on Les Bleus | OneFootball

“The national team? It’s mixed. I’m not exactly a French international as I only have one cap. When I was at Chelsea, I was disappointed not to be called up again. The French team was world champion and there is regret on my side that I wasn’t part of it. I believed in myself but there are so many French players of quality. You wait for the call, you work hard and you accept it. When I was called up, I was close to being called up for the Ivory Coast, but les bleus was the ultimate dream.  When you have dual nationality, you don’t realise how difficult it is to choose. Between the moment that Didier Deschamps called me and the moment I said yes, I didn’t eat for two days, my stomach was in knots. In a certain way, if I were to play for the Ivory Coast now, I’d feel like I’m disowning myself. However, I have evolved somewhat, I’m not saying no and not saying yes either”

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