PSG – Kimpembe opens up about the highlights of his career | OneFootball

Guest on the show Les Stratèges, Presnel Kimpembe, former Paris Saint-Germain defender (2005-2025), now 30 years old and currently a player for Qatar SC, looked back on several points in his career. From his beginnings at PSG to winning the Champions League, all the way to his departure, the Paris academy product spoke openly and without holding back.

Kimpembe: “It was hard, I felt isolated, but it became a real driving force.”

At the start of your career, did you dream of winning the titles you eventually won?

“No, of course not. At first, it was just about being a kid playing with friends, enjoying myself on the local pitch, simply that.”

Do you have a memorable story from your time at PSG’s academy?

“I had just finished pre-academy training, at 12 or 13. At the end of a meeting between the club officials, agents and parents, I was told they weren’t going to keep me. The explanation was that I was too small, too slight. Then a few weeks later they called me back to say they were keeping me, but without a contract, without a salary.

At the start of every month in the dressing room, the coach would hand out envelopes to each player. And as soon as he got to me, he would stop and move on to the next player. It was hard, I felt isolated, but it became a real driving force.”

When you arrived at PSG at age 8, were you surprised by the level?

“Completely. Compared to where I was coming from, I felt I was above the rest. But when I arrived in Paris, at my first training session, I was shocked—everyone was technically so strong, and I told myself, now I’m going to have to work.”

Kimpembe: “It was a privilege to be around the best.”

Your first professional contract came when you were 19. Were you surprised?

“Yes, and it was a real relief. That contract was very special. It was freedom after all those years of sacrifice.”

At that point, you were fourth in the pecking order behind Marquinhos, Thiago Silva and David Luiz. Did you think it was going to be difficult?

“I knew who was in front of me, but it was a real source of inspiration. I really focused on observing, on talking with them. It was a privilege to be around the best.”

You were 21 when you faced FC Barcelona and won 4-0. Was that the turning point?

“Yes, absolutely, it changed everything. For me it was a make-or-break match, it was all or nothing, and it launched my career. I didn’t hold back, I played with personality. I told all my friends to come because it was going to be the match of my life, and it was.”

Kimpembe: “I like the idea of being a one-club man.”

Was your dream to spend your whole career at PSG?

“I have no regrets, but the idea of being a one-club man was the goal. PSG gave me everything from childhood and I’m very happy to have achieved everything I achieved here. I like that idea, being a one-club man. I was born in Paris, I have that DNA. It’s something that runs through my veins, and I would have done it with great pleasure.”

Do you think more is expected of you, of the Titis, than of other players?

“Yes, I think so. I think more is expected of us precisely because we’re Titis. There’s an extra expectation. We’re PSG players, but above all we’re academy boys, so we have to set the example. But that pressure is good, it’s a driving force.”

Luis Enrique has taken PSG to another level—what’s his secret?

“He’s an outstanding coach, different from the others. He has something he manages to show every day that the players really buy into. He’s been one of the pillars of that change at PSG, bringing his grinta, his determination and above all that respect.”

After two difficult injuries, do you feel like your body is becoming your worst enemy?

“No, because if it were my worst enemy, I would have ended my career. There were moments of doubt, but it’s easy to give up. That’s when you have to be strong, tell yourself you still have the chance to make it, and set yourself goals.”

Kimpembe: “It was my dream to lift this trophy with the club I love”

What was the greatest victory of your career? The 2018 World Cup or the 2025 Champions League?

“Two great trophies. If I had to choose, I’d say the Champions League. A World Cup is magnificent, but I’m Parisian. It was my dream to lift that trophy with the club I love. It’s the DNA in me that made me choose the UCL.

It has a special flavor because it was very difficult to bring home the first one. I had the chance to be part of the team that brought that trophy home first and for me, as a Paris academy product, that comes above everything else, honestly.”

Was it your decision to leave PSG, or was it coach Luis Enrique’s decision?

“No, it was my decision. I needed playing time, to enjoy myself, to reconnect with the kid inside me. I was in a spiral where things were becoming complicated. Even though I always respected every decision, it was boiling inside me not to be able to give more and not to be an integral part of this team. I decided to speak with Luis Campos and let him know my intentions.

He told me he understood and, in the end, I had a conversation with the coach, who was very honest. He told me he would always count on me because I’m a child of this club, but that he also understood that I wanted more playing time.

He was clear in telling me that they wanted to sign another center-back, so he couldn’t guarantee me playing time. But that both he and the club would support me in finding what suited me best.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.