Youri Djorkaeff: ‘I was in love with England, its fans and weather’

17-Nov-2020 15:30:14 | The Guardian

The World Cup winner discusses his old teammates, his job at Fifa and why he rejected Liverpool for Bolton

Youri Djorkaeff played alongside some of the greatest footballers of his generation. “Zizou was amazing,” he says of Zinedine Zidane. “We were teammates for 10 years and we had this chemistry to know exactly where each other was on the pitch, to play one touch, two touch. But the number one was Ronaldo. He was simply ‘Ó Fenómeno’.” Djorkaeff played with Ronaldo at Inter in the mid-1990s and the pair teamed up recently as part of Djorkaeff’s current job as the CEO of the Fifa Foundation. Djorkaeff was in São Paulo and Brasilia to push the charity, so enlisted his old friend for support. “Ronnie said: ‘Whenever I’m needed, you can call me.’ Of course, this provides us with visibility as Ronaldo is Ronaldo.”

Ronaldo is one of a multitude of good connections the 52-year-old can call upon. “I have been in touch with David Beckham, who is keen to get involved. I went to Messi’s house, where we spoke for hours about links with his foundation. We spoke to Rashford. We are proud of what the players are doing today. It’s important to have all these ambassadors for the Fifa Foundation who appreciate the need to show humanity. They are all saying: ‘If you need me, I’m here to help.’ It’s not bullshit.”

France

Youri Djorkaeff: ‘I was in love with England, its fans and weather’