Exclusive: Thauvin on re-finding the magic, grudges and surviving tough times

Editor’s note – This interview was conducted in French by Eurosport France’s Julien Pereira and has been adapted by TNT Sports UK’s Pete Sharland.

The return of Florian Thauvin to Europe after his sojourn to Mexico was met with little fanfare.

Indeed many fans might be surprised to learn that one of the most magical players France has ever produced is currently plying his trade for Udinese in Serie A.

Yet Thauvin is thriving, playing more central under manager Gabriele Cioffi has brought out a new side to the former Newcastle, Marseille and Tigres man.

To begin with Thauvin was asked specifically about how things are going in Italy. Only striker Lorenzo Lucca (seven goals, three assists) has more goal contributions for Udinese than Thauvin this season (five goals, three assists).

A lot of Thauvin’s success has come from manager Cioffi moving him inside, either playing as a No. 10 or even sometimes as the second striker alongside Lucca.

Thauvin admitted that it was an unfamiliar role at first, but one that he is loving.

“I feel very good. It’s been a long time since I felt this good. As time goes on here at Udinese, my performances improve.

“I feel like I’m progressing, I’ve regained the level I had before leaving Europe. I’m very happy to be back at this level.

“It’s a role [more central] I enjoy. It’s a new position, so it took me some time to get used to it, find my bearings, and improve. Today, things are going really well because I manage to be decisive and I also have good performances in my matches.”

But speaking to TNT Sports, Thauvin says that things feel different now, and perhaps staying in Italy could be on the cards.

“Ligue 1 is an important championship for me. I’m French, and I’m not far from reaching 100 goals in Ligue 1.

“So, yes, I would like to come back to achieve this goal. But it’s also true that I’ve opened up to other possibilities. Now…why not stay in Italy a little longer?”

Thauvin admits he watches a lot of Ligue 1 games, and every match of former club Olympique Marseille, but is fascinating when asked to compare the differences between Serie A and the French top tier as well as the Premier League.

“Serie A is a very big championship. There are seven or eight top teams that make matches particularly difficult and highly competitive, which helps you to progress.

“It’s very tactical, defensive, but also very physical. It’s a championship where it’s difficult to be decisive. That’s why it’s even more satisfying when you manage to be.”

But there is a tinge of regret layered into the conversation with Thauvin about the way his career has progressed.

“I really went through tough times in the last two years [with Tigres in Mexico].” Thauvin admits. “I’ve come a long way. Now, mentally, I’m able to face challenges and come out stronger. It shows that hard work always pays off.”

Thauvin says that the time in Mexico was the toughest in his career but admits that his brief spell in the north-east with Newcastle was also really tough albeit “a great adventure.”

And whilst he says that he is at peace with how things have gone, he admits that he would have done things differently.

“It’s always easy to express things in hindsight. What’s certain is that with everything that happened and the experience I gained, I would have done things differently, I have no doubt about that. I took on a new challenge in my career and life: to return to the highest level. I’m achieving that goal. It’s a great satisfaction.

“The toughest moment was last year, when I found myself in that situation. My time at Newcastle wasn’t easy either but it was a great adventure. It allowed me to learn what high-level football is and that no one gives you anything. It allowed me to build myself as a man and as a footballer.”

When Thauvin announced in 2021 that he was going to Mexico it came as a huge shock.

Ignoring the Covid-19 cancelled 2019-20 season where he only made two appearances, Thauvin had scored 15, 22 and 16 goals respectively coming into the final year of his contract with Marseille in the 2020-21 season.

Yet not only did Marseille not offer him a contract, he found himself ignored by the biggest sides of Europe, something that he says stung.

“I was at Olympique de Marseille for eight years,” he explains. “I signed with Tigres in April 2021. I was effectively free to sign somewhere from January. I think the contractual issue should have been resolved much earlier. Not in January, but a year or two before.

“That’s why I ended up making that decision; I was a little disappointed with the attitude of the board. I reached a breaking point. I made a choice I don’t regret, but it certainly wasn’t the best.

“The situation dragged on. It should have been better managed by Jacques-Henri Eyraud [former OM president]. We should have found a solution at that time, even though I think it was already too late to find one.

“Should I have gone to a big club? Definitely. I think I deserved it. I had three seasons with over 15 goals, the same with assists, and sometimes I was well above that threshold. But it didn’t happen. That’s also why I questioned myself and wanted to experience something else.”

Why does he thinks another big club in Europe didn’t come in for him?

“I don’t know. You should ask the leaders of those clubs. What I achieved for three consecutive seasons, some players did for only six months before moving to big clubs. I was consistent, a French international, a World Cup champion… But it didn’t happen, that’s how it is.

“I have no regrets. It’s part of my career. What’s important to me now is to demonstrate that I’m back and stronger than ever, despite what some may have thought for a long time. And that’s my greatest revenge.”

Is there any bitterness?

“No, you shouldn’t have any because it creates a negative atmosphere within yourself. The only thing that hurt me was that after spending nine years in Ligue 1 and performing well, no one reached out to me when I returned from Mexico. That’s something I didn’t find normal. And it was really hard to digest.”

Yet despite everything that has happened, particularly the seemingly irrationally high level of criticism he received in Marseille, there is a sense of zen to Thauvin in terms of where he’s at now.

“It’s part of a footballer’s life. It’s never straightforward. There are only 15 or 20 players in the world who have a straightforward career, always ascending.

“All the others, even high-level athletes, have ups and downs. Injustice… Of course, I’ve experienced it. I wish many things had happened differently, but that’s the adventure of a high-level athlete. You shouldn’t focus on that.

“I’m 31 years old, at the peak of my abilities. We see players playing at a very high level in very big clubs until they’re 35 or 36, including at Real Madrid. My goal is to perform at a high level in the last four or five years of my career.”

Thauvin has high praise for Marseille, “a special club”, and calls current president Pablo Longoria “a fantastic executive,” but says he wouldn’t close the door to other Ligue 1 clubs if they came calling.

“OM is a special club. Even players who only stay there for a year inevitably get attached to it. Simply because you experience something strong there.

“I spent eight years of my career there. OM is love, that’s how it is. When you go to Marseille, something different happens. I’ve always been attached to OM and I always will be. I will always be linked to this club because it’s part of my life. Eight years is huge in a career, so I’ll inevitably keep a special attachment.

“I’ll be very honest and say what I think: I had that vision too [that he would only return to France to play for OM]. But it changed. Why? Because when you start your career and you’re performing well, everyone reaches out to you.

“But the day you’re a little less successful, or you go through a tough situation, everyone turns their back on you. First and foremost, I’m a high-level athlete, and my goal is to be competitive. So I’ll do what it takes for my career and to be competitive. What’s certain is that I won’t go to a rival club. But if I have the opportunity to go to a Ligue 1 club that allows me to be competitive, I’ll do it.”

It’s then pointed out to Thauvin that he seems impacted that some people didn’t reach out to him both during and after his time in Mexico.

Immediately Thauvin responds “Yes. Yes. And I won’t forget it.”

He also adds: “I won’t lie, the phone didn’t ring much in recent years. Since I’ve been a regular starter again, scoring again, and being decisive, it’s ringing. But there’s no need to call me because I won’t pick up anymore.”

Thauvin says that his wife and son have played an enormous role in keeping him focused and grounded but did concede towards the end of the interview that he has the French national team at the back of his mind ahead of Euro 2024 in the summer.

“I genuinely believe I’m at my best level. People don’t watch my matches but what I create in terms of content, especially the number of assists I could have had this year… If I had a little more visibility, there would be more talk about me.

“But that’s not very important. The French national team, I think about it. It’s in a corner of my mind. What’s important to me is to perform, and I know that in the long run, it will pay off.”