Icardi Opens Up About Life in Paris, Cavani Competition, and the Champions League | OneFootball

Mauro Icardi’s relationship with the Argentina national team is, er, complicated let’s just say. That means when the international break rolls around, the former Inter Milan man has plenty of time on his hands to spend with family, recover from small injuries, and of course, speak to the media as he did with La Gazzetta dello Sport recently.

In the interview, the 26-year-old opens up about life in Paris, PSG’s chances in the UEFA Champions League, and the competition with Edinson Cavani to become Thomas Tuchel’s preferred striker. Icardi is currently on loan at PSG and the reigning French champions have an option to buy the striker at the end of the season for a reasonable price of €65 million per Bleacher Report. Known for his antics off the pitch, which are well documented here by PlanetFootball, many questioned PSG for even bringing in a player like Icardi with Neymar Jr. causing headaches with his desire to leave for FC Barcelona. So far though, everyone appears to be getting along and PSG find themselves at the top of Ligue 1 and their Champions League group with Icardi contributing in a big way to both successes.

Culture PSG has the full interview with Icardi but below are a few of our favorites quotes regarding PSG and the city of Paris:

With you, PSG now has an impressive attack.

Neymar Jr., Kylian Mbappé, and Cavani are all very strong. It’s nice to play with stars who can change the course of a game, even at the last minute as Neymar does. I discover them little by little. Even off the field. With Mbappé for example, I went to see the match in Lyon. But in reality, I found a good group here. Spanish is also spoken in the locker room, which helps me a lot.

Your direct competitor is Cavani.

It’s a positive competition. In recent times, Cavani was injured and so I had the chance to play right away. But when he comes back, it will be up to the coach to choose the best to send to the pitch, depending on the match and the characteristics of each. With Cavani, I have a great relationship, there is no rivalry, only healthy competition.

PSG is aiming for the Champions League. Is it possible?

PSG have the right players to be good in this competition, but the Champions League is a trophy coveted by all major teams. We will do our best to make fans forget the bad experiences of last season.

How is life in Paris?

At the moment, I live at the hotel, I am looking for a house and I have not had time to go sightseeing. I went to see the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. But I’m a quiet guy. I like to be with my family as soon as I can.

You are on loan at PSG with a purchase option. Do you plan to stay at the end of the season?

This year, I am at PSG and my goal is to give the best of myself for this jersey. Then, at the end of the championship, around May or June, we’ll see what happens. It’s still early to say.

How is it going with your new coach?

Tuchel is friendly with his players, he talks a lot, he jokes and has tried to put me at ease from the first day. I think I made a good impression on him. After, it’s obvious that he asks me to score goals. And I train hard to show him that I’m up to PSG.

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