France Bleu Lorraine: a little less than a month after your hasty departure from Russia, a few days after your return to Metz, do you realize?
Grace Zaadi : I still do not realize. When we arrive in Germany this Saturday, when we warm up, I think I will become aware. Little by little, I feel that I’m starting to make my mark, I fall back into a certain routine that is specific to me. But it’s still weird.
France Bleu Lorraine: are you coming to a club you know by heart, or will you need time to discover certain teammates? Like Bouktit, Micijevic, de Paula…
Grace Zaadi : I watched the team’s games when I could. In general, I know how they play but to get used to each other, it goes through training. I’m not worried, I know the game plan and, as we’re all on the same wavelength, I hope to be able to adapt quickly.
France Bleu Lorraine: your return is special for the supporters…
Grace Zaadi : I try to stay a bit in my bubble, to be focused on me and on my work. It is essential to adapt quickly. I understand all the enthusiasm, it warms the heart. Sometimes some people get carried away a little and think that I am coming back as a messiah when not at all. I arrive in delicate circumstances, and things will be done little by little.
France Bleu Lorraine: you are not the messiah, but your presence will change the perception that opponents of Metz Handball may have
Grace Zaadi : I want to say yes and no. Because the strength of Metz Handball has always been its team. Metz Handball has never been dependent on a player in recent years and it will continue.
France Bleu Lorraine: is the Champions League still a dream? We say to ourselves that Metz has never been so close as since your return…
Grace Zaadi : we have always built step by step, and we must continue. Passing Dortmund will not be easy. Inevitably, the pressure is on our side because we are favorites. In 2019, overtaking the event was not easy so I can’t say that the final four is very close. It is a strong objective and we will do everything to achieve it.
France Bleu Lorraine: what part did this competition play in your choice to come to Metz?
Grace Zaadi : of all the proposals I had, Metz was the only club still in contention in three competitions. I didn’t just make an emotional choice. It is a choice first of all sporting, then emotional.
Mentally, how do you feel? Is your departure from Russia behind you?
Grace Zaadi : I leave time to time. I went through different phases. Arriving in Metz, I had a backlash but coming back to training, being in the heart of the matter allows me to move forward. This first game will unlock things. It was an unprecedented situation, I didn’t know how to handle it. I did things naturally. Today, I want to move on, to be allowed to move on. I am in Metz and I want to be concentrated to perform.
Borussia Dortmund – Metz Handball will be live on France Bleu Lorraine, this Saturday 26 from 5.45 p.m., on France Bleu Lorraine