<p>Thuram: “Win at all costs, that’s what Comolli said. Kolo Muani? Anyone would want Juve”</p>
The French midfielder directly from the Club World Cup: "I don't talk about football with my brother Marcus, at most about the NBA. LeBron is my idol"
SENT TO PHILADELPHIA - A spontaneous and genuine smile, which shows the enthusiasm for a competition in which he needed just 45 minutes to put his name on the scoresheet with two decisive assists, useful for putting the Al Ain case to rest well before half-time. Khéphren Thuram doesn't seek the spotlight, but he knows how to handle it very well, without hiding behind coded declarations. He arrived at Juve in silence with that stigma of "artist's son" that has too often ended up limiting several champions on the launch pad, crushed by the weight of a past that they were unable to emulate. However, he is becoming an artist in his own right, with naturalness and humility. Aware of having already carved out a special space for himself in the hearts of the Bianconeri fans: "I think I have adapted well to Italian football - says Thuram - and the credit also goes to my teammates, who have helped me a lot. I am happy with this first season at Juventus: among our objectives we had to qualify for the next Champions League and we achieved it... But it's not over: we still have this Club World Cup to play. Then there will be time to take stock».
The Bianconeri's tournament started in the best possible way, with a clear, severe 5-0 , certifying the sparkling athletic condition of Tudor 's entire team. A detail that is far from obvious, especially if you consider the first American matches of the other big European teams, in the midst of a technical slowdown that has its roots in the increasingly busy seasonal calendars. "I'm happy to be able to play in this competition - Thuram continues -. Doing it for an important club like Juventus is even more exciting. Here you breathe a different atmosphere compared to that of the Champions League, because it is a much faster tournament: you challenge the teams only once, and in an instant you can find yourself in the final and who knows, maybe win. I haven't had the chance to play a World Cup with France yet, so for the moment the first tournament that comes to mind - if I have to make a comparison - is the Under 21 European Championship. Let's say it's more similar to that competition, that's it... Do we believe in the final? Absolutely yes, but now we have to think game by game."
His brother Marcus will be busy this afternoon on the opposite coast, in Seattle , for the second match of Inter 's group against the Urawa Reds . Yet, Khéphren says he hasn't discussed with him the perception of the players of this unprecedented World Cup: "We don't talk too much about soccer. Our conversations range from life to our great shared passion: the NBA. I really like basketball, when I was a child I played on my school team. Today I'm a huge Lakers fan, but only because LeBron James, my idol, plays there. If he were to change teams, I would too (laughs, ed.). Then I love golf, even though I'm not a phenomenon. The Greenbrier is full of courses, but I only think about training and resting." And to those who ask him if his father Lilian - who, like Damien Comolli , has always had a special relationship with Arsene Wenger - gave him any advice on how to deal with the new general manager of Juventus, Thuram responds like this: "My father didn't tell me anything in particular. I spoke to Comolli directly when I met him at Continassa. He told us that this year we have to get back to winning at all costs, and it's normal that it's like this: when you arrive at Juventus you know that you'll have to work every day to win everything."
SENT TO PHILADELPHIA - A spontaneous and genuine smile, which shows the enthusiasm for a competition in which he needed just 45 minutes to put his name on the scoresheet with two decisive assists, useful for putting the Al Ain case to rest well before half-time. Khéphren Thuram doesn't seek the spotlight, but he knows how to handle it very well, without hiding behind coded declarations. He arrived at Juve in silence with that stigma of "artist's son" that has too often ended up limiting several champions on the launch pad, crushed by the weight of a past that they were unable to emulate. However, he is becoming an artist in his own right, with naturalness and humility. Aware of having already carved out a special space for himself in the hearts of the Bianconeri fans: "I think I have adapted well to Italian football - says Thuram - and the credit also goes to my teammates, who have helped me a lot. I am happy with this first season at Juventus: among our objectives we had to qualify for the next Champions League and we achieved it... But it's not over: we still have this Club World Cup to play. Then there will be time to take stock».
The Bianconeri's tournament started in the best possible way, with a clear, severe 5-0 , certifying the sparkling athletic condition of Tudor 's entire team. A detail that is far from obvious, especially if you consider the first American matches of the other big European teams, in the midst of a technical slowdown that has its roots in the increasingly busy seasonal calendars. "I'm happy to be able to play in this competition - Thuram continues -. Doing it for an important club like Juventus is even more exciting. Here you breathe a different atmosphere compared to that of the Champions League, because it is a much faster tournament: you challenge the teams only once, and in an instant you can find yourself in the final and who knows, maybe win. I haven't had the chance to play a World Cup with France yet, so for the moment the first tournament that comes to mind - if I have to make a comparison - is the Under 21 European Championship. Let's say it's more similar to that competition, that's it... Do we believe in the final? Absolutely yes, but now we have to think game by game."
Tuttosport
