‘My stomach was in knots’: Tiémoué Bakayoko opens up on Les Bleus
FC Lorient’s Tiémoué Bakayoko (29) was once one of the most promising midfielders in Europe. Having joined Chelsea from AS Monaco for a 40M€ fee back in 2017, the next six seasons would fade into a blur of loans with AC Milan (Twice), Monaco and Napoli as the Frenchman failed to live up to his enormous potential, having made just 43 appearances for the Premier League outfit.
Now back in France, Bakayoko evoked his solitary cap for Les Bleus as well as a possible nationality change in an interview with L’Équipe :
“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”
Bakayoko has made 10 appearances for Lorient this season, scoring one goal and providing one assist as Les Merlus sit precariously one point above the relegation playoff place currently occupied by Toulouse. A call-up for either one of the nations for which he is eligible seems remote at best and it seems like that time has passed for the former
Read on getfootballnewsfrance.com
