INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL
Lucas: "Spain gave me everything but France is my country"
The Atlético Madrid central defender debuted for France and made a move to clear up recent comments about feeling more Spanish than French.
Lucas Hernandez debuted with France on friday night and in the press conference after the game discussed his decision. He was tipped to opt for the Spanish jersey with reports suggesting the filling out of paperwork was all that needed to be done to make that so. The Atlético Madrid defender clarified that, "when the manager called me and asked me about my situation, I didn't have a doubt for a minute, not even thirty seconds. I said 'yes' to him, that I was ready to defend the jersey."
The defender explained on TVE prior to this decision that, "I am an ambitious player. I have no news from France and it makes you think about things..." He added, "They said that I would 100% be on the list for the World Cup and that's false, no player has that insurance. Also, they said that I said no to Deschamps and that is wrong."
Also, Lucas added continued, "The French don't know me like the Spanish. I am 22 and have lived 18 of those in Spain. When I say that Spain gave me everything, personally and professionally, it's true. I studied there, made my career as a footballer. When I say that I speak better Spanish, that's also true. When you don't practise a language for a while, you lose the accent a little but, you can hear it. But this doesn't stop my country from being France. Some words were misunderstood, but at no time did I want to say that my country was Spain and not France, it is the opposite."
He also says that Griezmann "gave me good advice and I am happy" after admitting that he is close to his teammate and they spoke often about the French set-up.
