Elohim Prandi, who was stabbed a year ago, is aiming for the World Cup with the Blues
Elohim Prandi no longer has nightmares. He has flashbacks to the New Year’s Eve stabbing a year ago “clear” behind him. “I focused on beautiful things that I would forget”, he told us in mid-November. A few days later, the extension of his contract with PSG until 2026 became official, putting him at the center of the project. It was not easy.
There’s the 24-year-old left-back, who was loaned out by the rising star label three years ago “I made a mistake”. “I had high ambitions, but I didn’t do what it took to achieve them,” recognize the one “grew up” since this attempted murder. An athlete who received six stab wounds in a restaurant near the Champs-Elysées on a festive evening can lead to unexpected situations. On the contrary, he commits his sin: “There were better things to do than go to this party. As the best athlete, I should have stayed at home with my family. » He doesn’t want it anymore “to rub salt in the wound” ; he immediately understood the meaning of his words and started laughing.
He recovered physically
The drama has slowed his career as Euro 2022 will be his second major competition with the Blues. Coach Guillaume Gille didn’t blame him for his night run, but it “legal”Prandi says. The link was renewed in October. “Guillaume told me he expected actions, continuity and reliability; until then they couldn’t always count on me”, prosecutes the person concerned. The three-color team reached out to him in preparation for the world championship to be held in Poland from January 11. Will it be in the final selection announced on Friday? “I will be worthy with my attitude and discipline. We agree with that. »
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The best way to overcome adversity is to speak out
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Prandi has recovered physically “100%”. Shortness of breath disappeared. The diaphragm has completely healed. Above all, young “truly reinvented”. Once he talked to a psychologist, he was found there “a few keys” but did not endure. He continued this intimate affair with his relatives who knew him “since childhood”Like this former pole manager who accompanied him on long convalescent walks in Banyuls (Pyrenees-Orientales). “We still call each other”Prandi hums humbly, “hit” with disparaging comments he might have read. His mother having an affair “fusional”showed him the way to go: “The best way to overcome difficulties is to perform. »
In the summer, PSG lost Nedim Remil and Mikkel Hansen, armed at the back. For the third year in the capital, Elohim Prandi finally got into the outfit of the decisive player. “I always try to improve myself, I work hard and I don’t doubt myself”, it reads like a magic formula. In the All-Star League, his offensive stats nearly doubled. He scores 6.3 goals per game and takes on new responsibilities. “When partners of the caliber of Nikola Karabatic say, ‘Elo decides,’ it is gratifying. the former Nimes smiled. I can draw, but I can also make a lot of good choices, being more selfless than before. »
PSG trusts him more
He thinks he got it “lead in the head” 14 goals in 16 shots in a match in Dunkirk. His arm hurts like a hammer. It unites his personality. During a game that started badly in Créteil, he felt a change in the eyes of his teammates. “I had initiatives in hot times. However, leadership is earned. I wouldn’t have taken it if the team wasn’t after it. » Faced with tougher competition, PSG are more hopeful of winning their 9th consecutive championship title.
At a previous meeting, in 2020, Elohim Prandi was asked to rate his progress: he gave himself a 4 or 5 out of 10. What about today? “I’d say 6 or 7.” One of the great arms of the tricolor hand believes that he is not “plus a little” But “didn’t come” however. “I’m comfortable he said again. Now I’ll make sure it’s durable. »
