Hearts of Foot - So we'll go back a bit, the moment you join Saint-Etienne. It was hard to tell you to go from your heart club to a club where you had to continue to have the morale, the mind and to prove yourself precisely? How's it going in your head right now? Are you ok or are you apprehensive?
M.G. - Lyon is my heart club, I have always been for OL and I would always be. I had other opportunities, but Saint-Etienne had offered me a good project and that's what attracted me so I signed and then it's a family club so they're always there, for the wound they have always been there. And they offered me an extension. It proves that he is important to me. When you do not have the morale, it pushes you to smile, to continue and not to let go.
No, I already knew girls from Saint-Etienne, I had friends who played in Saint-Etienne so I had no worries about that, I knew that they were super nice girls and that my integration would be fine If I made the decision to go to Saint-Etienne, it's because I wanted a little, even if I remain Lyonnaise and I'm for OL (smile) but it did not me embarrassed more than that.
 


"I understood at that moment that it was dead and that I had left for nine months of stops."


Soccer Hearts - I imagine that it should not have been obvious to you personally, especially since we saw that you began to put yourself in place, and to be an indisputable holder. What happened that day when you had your injury?
M.G. - It was difficult yes (white). That's it, it's when you see that you're good, physically and mentally and that you play well, that's where you get a big injury and then it's hard to go back up.
We were already losing (against Lyon) and I do not know what happened. I do not know if it was a contact but I know that I was in a duel with Jessica [Houara] because I wanted to get her the ball and I had to take a bad support and my knee, I felt it crack and I felt it turn ... At first I did not realize, I did not think it was the crusaders. There were the docs and the physiotherapists of the OL and as I knew them a little, they immediately tested my knee and they noticed right away that my crusader no longer held (silence). I understood at that moment that it was dead and that I had left for nine months of stops.
 

Hearts of Foot - In your game or in your posture, I saw that you like to have strong shoulders, but that at the level of the chest and the basin if I can say, you remain flexible enough and it is this that makes you agile on the ground with precisely this technique that we know well in you. Does that describe how you play?
M.G. - It's totally that, I'm low on my supports and agile and that makes that technically I'm comfortable. I have a low center of gravity, which allows me to be technical. It was at Olympique Lyonnais that I was taught all that being young.
 

Hearts of Football - You lived big matches anyway with Saint-Etienne, you wanted to prove yourself quickly?
M.G. - Yes, my goal was to show myself, the objectives were to go up the highest and necessarily I gave myself fully, to win the team.
 


"I had crazy moments, I lived crazy things"


Football Hearts - So I'll go back to your selections in France's young team. You participate in the qualifications for the Euro U19 in 2015, which you play until this semifinal against Spain lost on penalties. Did this kind of disappointment change you in your temperament? What do we say when we live this kind of moment? How are we comforted after this disappointment? It is a greater desire to progress, improve his game?
M.G. - Yes, that's it (she has trouble reacting because of the disappointment of the result). In fact, I had never made a selection before my U19 premiere and frankly I had crazy moments, I lived crazy stuff and it's by playing big competitions like that that you realize this what is the high level. And play a competition like that, despite the defeat, for me frankly it remains only good memories.
I told myself that I had to enjoy a max. My goal was that it would be memories that remain engraved for life in my memory. I only keep the positive.
We already thought we had a great competition. Now for sure we always think about the same thing and if we did that and if it would have happened like that except that ... Do not think like that, we have to move forward, we have other competitions to play. After sure it's hard at the moment, we can not help thinking about what we could have done to win.
Exactly, that's it [we want to continue to progress, from perfect his game].

Football Hearts - You are reminded by Gilles Eyquem to participate in the U20 World Cup a year and a half later and we can say that you are an "old" compared to those who were called directly after the Euro 2016. How what happened then this "cohabitation" between you between that of 2015 and 2016?
M.G. - Very good. We knew they had just won the European Cup already. There was no embarrassment, no bad competition, it was really a healthy group, everyone was laughing with everyone. We had good times together, it was a real group and that's what brought us to the World Cup final. We were welded.

 

Hearts of Foot - In addition to other players like Thea Greboval, Clara Mateo or Laura Condon among others you have not had the opportunity to retry your chance at the Euro.
You found yourself in the same situation as Sakina Karchaoui, Marion Romanelli or Juliane Gathrat to be too "aged" in quotation marks to redo the Euro the year after. It was frustrating anyway?
M.G. - Yes, that's for sure, but it's the age categories and it's like that. It can not be helped. Now despite the age difference between some, there was no disagreement, everyone got along with everyone so we had a great time together.

 

Football Hearts - To speak about this U20 World Cup. Was it a stronger moment than the Euro for you? How did you experience this competition personally?
M.G. - The World Cup has been one of the best moments I've had so far. It happened in an already extraordinary country, the people there were simple. The stadiums were full. We quickly realized that it was high level and in addition we go to the final. It's still the best course we've done in our age category.
We knew we had to be serious on the ground, we had to enjoy and enjoy being there. We wanted to win this competition because we had the players for. Now of course we are young and we are also there to spend good times because these are perhaps moments that we will never live again.
Yes it is on the best teams of the competition (USA, Germany and Japan, with the last two who were largely more favorites and that North Korea did not face). For me, Japan was the best team of the tournament. In the final we were too tired.

 

Hearts of Football - The match against Germany, it's you (with Gathrat on the pass for D. Cascarino) that brings this movement in the penalty area of ​​the Germans, who also shifts them from the front of the goal, to leave a best typing space for the realization of Delphine Cascarino. Did you have a magic band anyway?
M.G. - (moment of hesitation, she is a little embarrassed) Yes maybe but I think everyone has brought to the team on matches like that, it's not a player who will make the difference. After certainly it's Delphine who scored an extraordinary goal, but I think the whole team won together.
Oh yeah, all the girls I think have become friends really.
 

Hearts of Foot - In addition you arrive at a better pallier finally after the semi-finals of the Euro, so we say that next time is the trophy?
M.G. - (smile) Oh well, we hope (laughs). I think we were on track because we scored the first goal (Grace Geyoro) in the final. Unfortunately [right after] we have more strength and Korea (which faced Sweden, Brazil and Papua then the USA in half), they are tireless players. Technically we are maybe stronger than they are but they are really enduring, that's what we lacked.
 

Soccer Hearts - Bricks are becoming more and more akin to women's football and you are the most glamorous showcase of it to date.
M.G. - We know that there are good young players who can reach I think the France A team, with the level that is higher and higher I feel. It's a very good thing for women's football.

 

Soccer Hearts - You are a very discreet player, it's hard to hear from you.
M.G. - Yes [I am] quite [discreet] me. There I am more focused on my football, on my rehabilitation there especially, which was difficult for me (white). So here I am not too much on the networks ...

Soccer Hearts - Are you as a "professional" player mentally preparing yourself to play football at your matches?
M.G. - Yes I prepare myself mentally, but I do not do anything particular, I do not have specific rituals. My goal is to make the best match possible, so I'm mentally preparing for that. On a match anything can happen. [The injury] it was hard mentally because I was good at that time, I felt good, I played well, but unfortunately after that happens to me, it's like that, it's destiny . If it happens to me it is to make me stronger, that's what I say so I did not let go, I continued. It was hard but I stayed strong.

 

Soccer Hearts - So I found a phrase that I think best describes you: "The path of victory includes hard times, you have to use them to your advantage." (René Lacoste) Is this talking to you a little this sentence? It makes you even more complete finally to live these kind of moments, even if they are difficult? It helps you mature and grow and it makes you stronger?
M.G. - That's a good sentence. Yes it speaks to me. It's a good sentence. It represents me a little me. Because despite the injuries that have happened to me, I made the ligaments crossed twice, once in Lyon (in 2013) and once in Saint-Etienne there, but despite that I will not let go. Today I start to resume training, it sure makes me feel good but there is still some way. I hope to return to my level, I work every day hard to get there, but it's certain that I have the goal to reach the France A team and if I can not do it, I'll have not reach my goals and ...
These are trials that make you grow up.

 

Hearts of Football - Last question, I was told that you came back in January normally, is that right? What can we wish you today?
M.G. - That's it, I resume I hope in January. I wish that I come back to my level as quickly as possible and that my team goes back in D1 (Saint-Etienne is currently 3rd with three points less than Dijon or Grenoble, in group B of the D2).


Photo: Pascal Souchon