Her long unavailability, following a serious knee injury during Euro 2021, rhymed with a media diet which did not bother her. A woman of few words, Marie-Antoinette Katoto made her sporting return with Paris Saint-Germain last September against Bordeaux, 14 months after her injury.
For the Blues, she had to wait a little longer but the coach Hervé Renard, who was impatiently waiting for her, decided to summon her for the November rally. “MAK”, 24 years old, top scorer in the history of PSG, sat in front of the microphones of Radio France and France Bleu Paris. Interview.
franceinfo: How did you manage your long period of unavailability?
Marie-Antoinette Katoto: I really took my time, I really listened to myself a lot. In reality, it went by quite quickly (smiles). There were good and bad times, but I only want to keep good memories from this period.
What have you learned about yourself?
I learned to listen to my body even more. I also learned a lot about the knee, as a result (smiles). And I realized that the brain manages a lot more things than I thought. Finally, I assimilated other working methods which are very different from what I knew before. I thought I could gain strength and muscle very quickly. It actually took a little longer. I am a patient person by nature, but this time I needed a little more.
What do we rely on to keep us going?
“I relied a lot on the outside. I have a lot… (she pauses). I talked a lot. I don’t think I’ve ever talked so much in my life in a year and a half.”
Marie Antoinette KatotoAt FranceInfo
There was a lot of communication, on work management, but also on other aspects with those close to me. It’s been a long time since I took this much time with them.
“Hervé Renard played a very big role”
What was the role of national coach Hervé Renard in your return?
Frankly, I have never had a coach or a coach so much on the phone (smiles). We called each other a lot, at least I’m not used to having that many calls. He never changed his tune with me, Hervé Renard had a very big role. Afterwards, he’s like that, he needs that relationship with all the girls. It’s new, it’s changing, but it’s very good. I won’t tell you what was said, it will stay between us (smiles), but he gave a very good speech and it’s already very respectful of him to call me. He talked a lot more than me but he told me a lot of good things. It’s important to have a fluid dialogue with him, afterward it’s natural for him, it’s not forced.
How did your return to Les Bleues go?
Alright. It’s the novelty that’s a little surprising. A new staff, a new coach, new players too, players I hadn’t seen for a long time, that’s what surprises me a little too.
“I’m still very far from 100% , and I won’t know it for a while. I work hard and do everything to have my peak form in the second half of the season. My goal is to be ready for February-March to finish the season well and reach a level close to mine.”
Marie Antoinette Katotoat Franceinfo
Is it frustrating to be chasing your best level?
I am very patient by nature, I was prepared for that. There is of course frustration, but there is also a lot of calm and serenity. I know how I play, I know how far I want to go. It will come back little by little, and I’m ready for it not to come back now. I am aware of it, I have my feet on the ground. I don’t want to and I’m not going to come back in a snap. I accept it.
The sense of purpose, on the other hand, have you not lost it?
A little anyway (smiles). It came back faster than other aspects, but you lose it a little. Certain markers, certain placements or trajectories of the ball. It takes a little time to come back. And then also, I play in new squads, whether in Paris or with the Bleues. But I have the impression that things have changed more at PSG than here…
“In Paris, we are capable of the best and the worst”
At Paris Saint-Germain, how do you analyze this start to the season?
For me it’s quite disturbing, because I have the impression that everything is new. In the style of play. But also in relation to the results that we have been able to experience. I think that at Paris Saint-Germain, I have rarely lost so much in the first four months. This surprises me a little. I think we are capable of the best and the worst. There are things I don’t understand, maybe I will understand them with time. It’s also frustrating because I thought we had better goals, or at least higher ones, and that we had managed to reach a level close to the top before my injury. And since I’ve come back, I feel like it’s gone down a bit, there are things that I don’t really recognize. And that’s the question I ask myself: “What’s wrong?” There are positive things, especially in the game, we no longer have the ball.
Are the Olympic Games in Paris already in the back of your mind?
To tell the truth, I don’t think about the Games at all. I’m coming back little by little, I’m going to try to peak in form in the second half of the season and I’m not wondering about the Games. I’m not saying it’s a goal, but I have many others as priorities.
What can we wish for you?
Health first of all and then that I find myself little by little.