Fofana Takes on Table Football | Face Off: a Special Interview with our Number 29

We're off. I read that at one point you were almost ready to give up football. It gave me strength. The people I grew up with have always supported me, they told me that I had to continue, that they'd be waiting to watch me on TV, when they didn't know what level I was playing at and so on. They were just waiting for me to show up on TV. Close your eyes and tell us about your goal, your first goal in an AC Milan shirt. At San Siro, as soon as possible, though, I won't be waiting for a big match from outside the box but not a rocket, just accurate into the bottom corner. Youssouf, this is table football, but with a slight difference: every time a goal is scored, we're going to ask you a question. If I score, I'm going to ask you a question about your personal life, not about football. If you score, it's a normal question, let's say on your career. OK, that works? - Yes. It's not that great! The ball is acting a bit strange. It's the Italian ball, that's what it is. It takes some time getting used to. Did you play table football at INF? Yes, in the past. All right, it's been a while since you... You can tell. 1-0 A few years ago you were at Clairefontaine, maybe you were struggling to turning a corner and now you've just joined AC Milan. Is it a dream come true? It is, everyone knows AC Milan. I've been following AC Milan for a long time I've been dreaming about playing for this Club, for these fans in this amazing stadium, it's incredible. I'm really looking forward to getting started. Youssouf, you're 1-0 down. I have to bounce back - Yes, you do indeed. Well done, well done! 1-1. Black card, what do we have? You chose number 29. Is there a reason behind this choice? Yes and no, it was one of the numbers that was free which I really liked. My first number as a pro was 22 the second was 19. 22, 19, 29 that's it, that's all. You carry on, take a step forward and that's it. It's time to warm up. Owngoal, it's not possible! So it's 2-1, I'll let you add the goal. You're the latest French player to join the team. Have you spoken to your compatriots yet, your France teammates Theo, Mike Maignan and so on? Yes, over the summer I spoke a lot with the French guys who play here. They had nothing but good things to say about the Club, the stadium, the fans. And that helped me make my choice. It's not possible, 3 goals in a row. You really want to avoid the personal questions! Is there an AC Milan player, perhaps a former player, who's a role model for you? A role model, no, because they had different characteristics but I liked Gattuso, Pirlo, I looked up to Seedorf... For me, those three, with Kaká just above... These are my four players. I'll be forced to cheat at some point or the game will end 9-1 and I'm going to be fired. 9-1 is tough! 9-1 isn't great, yeah. So, this celebration, what does it mean? There is no one specific meaning. I have two friends with whom we have decided to make these 3 signs to say that I can't hear what's going on around me. I can't see anything, and I'm not talking. We let the pitch do the talking. OK, so 4-1. OK, this is starting to get tough. I had even opened the scoring and now it's 5-1. This is the second time I've scored an own goal. It wasn't the best goal. This means we can ask you a red question, well, black, because otherwise... - Yes, it's fine Let's go. We often talk about your impact and your consistency, but we want to imagine you scoring for the first time for AC Milan. Close your eyes and tell us about this goal, this first goal in an AC Milan shirt. That first goal... We're at San Siro, as soon as possible, I'm not waiting for a big match, from outside the box but not a rocket, just accurate into the bottom corner. Well placed - Yes, well placed. And as part of a victory as well because if I score and we don't win, it's pointless. So, in the last minute, 1-0 or not... It could be the first goal, the second goal, but we have to win because otherwise there's no point. And then I hope to score ten more or so. I like it!. - We take it, we sign it? Yes, where do I sign? 10 goals from Fofana... No! No! I hope. Let's go. I warned you, at some point I had to cheat. So that's 5 to 2 just like that. That's it, I'm closing the gap. Another red question. I read that at one point you were ready to almost give up football. What made you keep pushing on, what kept you fighting on to make this dream come true? What did? It's the people around me. We often have a bad image of the neighborhoods on the outskirts, especially in Paris. But as far as I'm concerned, it gave me strength. The people I grew up with have always supported me. They told me that I had to carry on, that they'd be waiting to watch me on TV, at that time, they didn't know the level I was playing at They were just waiting for me to show up on TV. So I had to do it for them and I hope they're proud of me today. I'm sure of it. Should I ease off a bit? Yes! No, no, go on, keep playing! - OK. Bravo. That's it, you win! I would have preferred another way of ending the match, but there you go. Deflected, you scored. Just one more question - Let's do it. Youssouf Fofana, in your own words, for those who don't know you, what type of player are you? Above all, I'm a player who likes to bring dynamism. I like the change of pace whether defensively and especially offensively. And that's it. I need to get the job done in both phases and cover as much ground as possible. In any case, this is what I aspire to become and I'm working for, and we'll see in the future if I manage to do all that; but if I manage to do all that, I think I'll be the best player in history. And if you play on the pitch like you're playing table football here there's nothing to worry about. That's 6 goals to start with, which is great. For a defensive midfielder, 6 goals in one season, that's not bad. You've almost hit the 10-goal target. Thanks again - Thank you.