Thuram on Benzema’s influence, ‘grandpa’ Cannavaro, Messi’s boots and teasing Mbappé | OneFootball

Inter star Marcus Thuram admits Karim Benzema has given him advice on his style of play and reveals he once gave away Leo Messi’s boots: ‘He was just a friend of my father.’

The Nerazzurri star released an interview with Cronache di Spogliatoio, talking about his life and career on and off the pitch.

Son of one of the best defenders of all time, 1998 France World Cup winner Lilian Thuram, Marcus was born in Parma in 1997 when his father played for the Ducali and got to meet some of the best players in the world while following his dad.

“When you’re a child and your father plays football, you go into the locker room and see Ronaldinho, Henry, but you’re just a kid. For you, they’re your father’s friends, not world-famous players, because you see them every day,” said the Inter striker via FcInter1908.

“Even my father, I don’t see him as Lilian Thuram, he’s just my dad. If Messi gives me his boots, he’s just a friend of my father who gave me a pair of boots.”

Thuram on Benzema’s influence, ‘grandpa’ Cannavaro, Messi’s boots and teasing Mbappé

UDINE, ITALY – MAY 19: Fabio Cannavaro manager of Udinese Calcio looks on during the Serie A TIM match between Udinese Calcio and Empoli FC at Dacia Arena on May 19, 2024 in Udine, Italy.(Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

The Argentinean superstar played with Lilian Thuram in Barcelona and once gifted Marcus a pair of boots.

“When I went to Paris, I went to training, put on the boots, and one of my friends went crazy: ‘You have Messi’s boots!’ So I told him, ‘Take them if you want,’ and I gave them to him,” Thuram recalled.

“A few years later, I told Messi the story, and he sent them back to me. Of course, looking back, playing football tennis with Ronaldinho is incredible, but as a kid, I was doing it without really understanding what was happening.

“Henry? I always talk to him. When it comes to football, he’s on the same level as my dad.”

Lilian Thuram is also a very close friend of Italian legends Gigi Buffon and Fabio Cannavaro, two of his ex-teammates at Parma.

“Buffon? When he was at Parma with my father, I wanted to be a goalkeeper and pretended to be Gigi Buffon. Then, when he was at PSG and I was at Guingamp, I played against him,” Marcus revealed.

“Cannavaro is very close to my father. I talk to him often. He’s a coach now, and he even won against Milan. Do I call him grandpa? Yes,” he admitted, smiling.

“After every game where I score or assist, he messages me and says I’m not playing against real defenders and that if I had played against him, I wouldn’t have gotten past him. But I don’t think so. If I had played against Fabio, it would have been difficult for him!”

Thuram has made 25 Serie A appearances for Inter this season, scoring 13 goals. He’s a close friend of Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé, one of his teammates on the French national team.

“I love teasing him every chance I get,” Thuram revealed.

“We were at Clairefontaine’s football academy. I was born in 1997, he was born in 1998. He arrived when I was in my second year. I was 14, he was 13. That teasing has always been there.

“Does he tease me back? He can’t. He just can’t. I was in the second year, I was older. That first-year vs. second-year bond has stayed.”

epa11901923 Juventus’ Randal Kolo Muani in action during the Italian Serie A soccer match Juventus FC vs Inter FC at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy, 16 February 2025. EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DI MARCO

Thuram’s Inter faced Juventus this past weekend, so Thuram reunited with another compatriot, Bianconeri loanee Randal Kolo Muani.

“After his miss in the 2022 final, no one said anything to him,” Thuram revealed.

“It happens, people make mistakes, there’s nothing to say. It’s not like he did it on purpose. I think that when you lose, sometimes you want to let sadness take over, but losing happens to everyone.”

Thuram has 14 goals in 33 appearances across all competitions this term and has built a solid bond with his strike partner, Lautaro Martinez.

“For me, it’s easier to play with another striker, especially if it’s Lautaro,” he said via Calciomercato.com.

“I don’t know if I’d have done this well with someone else. Lauti loves doing things that I don’t, and vice versa. With France, I struggled a bit more because it’s a different style of play. At the start of the season, I was in the box more, playing more as a No. 9. Now, I’ve found a better balance with Lauti.

“Benzema helped me a lot. He also made me understand that I don’t have to change who I am as a player just because I take on a different role.

“He told me to keep dropping deep and moving from right to left. But it’s easier to do that with Lautaro because I know he’ll always be in the box. If I play alone and drop deep to get the ball out wide, who am I crossing to? I want to play like him in the No. 9 role.”