Romain Rouillard (comments collected by Jacques Vendroux and Cyrille de la Morinerie)
He left PSG with losses and crashes in 2019. Without being able to reach an agreement with the club to extend his contract, Adrien Rabiot was sidelined before being outright sanctioned following a “like” posted on a video by Patrice Evra, in which the latter mocked the elimination of PSG in the Champions League against Manchester United. Deprived of playing time, on bad terms with his leaders and taken in by part of the Parc des Princes, the midfielder had no other choice but to change scenery.
A time announced to FC Barcelona, it is finally to Juventus Turin that the native of Saint-Maurice in Val-de-Marne signs his signature in the summer of 2019. A club titled 36 times on the other side of the Alpes and in which Adrien Rabiot gradually rose through the ranks until becoming a captain. A development that the Ile-de-France resident tells on the microphone of Europe 1 while the Blues face Germany this Saturday evening in a friendly match.
“I recognize myself in the values of this club”
Rabiot particularly evokes the pride felt once the black and white tunic is put on. “I watched this club when I was small and to be able to play there now is extraordinary,” he relishes. An honor increased tenfold by his new status. “I am now vice-captain at Juventus, it is a very important step in my career because I have seen so many important players wear this armband in this legendary club and to be part of it, it means a lot.”
Among these former Turin glories, there is notably Michel Platini, three times Ballon d’Or between 1983 and 1985, and according to whom Adrien Rabiot has the shoulders to assume these new responsibilities. “I recognize myself in the values of this club. Every time I play, I try to give back the confidence that is given to me. And I think that all the players who have played at this club have been, somewhere, a little transformed,” he believes.
An experience in Turin that his current coach, Didier Deschamps, also experienced between 1994 and 1999. “I know that he is very attached to this jersey. Obviously, we talk about it and it brought us closer,” confides the former Parisian. Rabiot even has more matches with Juve than the former captain of the Blues. On February 25, he celebrated his 200th appearance (compared to 180 for Deschamps) in the Bianconero jersey, during a 3-2 victory against Frosinone.