VIDEO. We followed Anaïs, 16 years old, professional footballer at PSG

From Monday to Sunday, Anaïs, 16, is boarding at the PSG training center. “I rarely come home. Most of the time, I’m there on Sunday, since the matches with the professionals are usually on Sunday. As a result, there is a greening on Saturday. But when I can go home, of course I go home” comments the professional footballer. “At the beginning, let’s say that it was a little complicated since I didn’t have my reference points, who were my parents. But then, I know where I want to go, I know why I’m here. I want to be spotted and sign as a professional, and I know that I have to go through these moments of difficulty. Here, it’s a big family, and so we all help each other together. When there is someone who is in trouble and who needs their family, we give them the affection that perhaps their family can give them. That’s what they did and it helped me a lot” explains the sportswoman.

“This is what I want to do, so I have no right to complain”

Despite her marathon days, Anaïs considers herself a teenager like any other: “I just have a different cycle, a different routine”. It was at the age of 9 that the sportswoman started playing football in her hometown club, in Pierrefitte, in Seine-Saint-Denis. “It comes from my brother, I’ve always been inspired by him. I saw him play football, it interested me a lot. So, we trained”. What he liked about this sport: “the connection we have between teammates. The fact of making defensive returns, because yes, I was a defender. Score goals too. That’s what made me love football. Afterwards, I started watching players like Ronaldo, like Ronaldinho. It wasn’t my time, but I was watching videos and it inspired me a lot” remembers Anaïs. To those who wish to take the same path, Anaïs advises not to “never give up, even if it’s hard. Work, work, work. And one day, someone will come see them and it will pay off”.

For her, it was quickly obvious that she wanted to make it her career: “I immediately wanted to be a professional when I started to like football. I had a lot of coaches who told me that you will have a great career, that if you remain rigorous, you have a talent for it. Also being at PSG was my dream. The French team too, it’s my dream”. “There are many things that could be said about Anaïs. She obviously has enormous potential, due to her technical qualities and then her athletic potential. It has a significant workforce. She is very mature, I think, compared to her young age, which can sometimes make us forget that she is only 16 years old and that we need to give her time to get used to the demands of the high level. . It’s a lifestyle choice. (…) Compared to young players of her age, she is above. To continue to challenge her and put her in a slightly more difficult environment so that she continues to progress, we put her directly into the pros”says Jocelyn Prêcheur, PSG women’s coach.