I wanted France to lose – Koscielny
France defender Laurent Koscielny says that his country’s World Cup success has caused him to suffer more than the Achilles injury that kept him out of the tournament.
Koscielny admitted that he was so hurt psychologically that part of him was rooting against his team in the final.
The Arsenal defender had previously confirmed that he would retire from international football after the 2018 World Cup.
“The World Cup will remain a dark spot of my career,” Koscielny told French media.
“The injury was hard to accept. The result was even harder because they won the World Cup. I have a selfish side. I tell myself that I could have been part of the adventure and won the Cup. And I would have it in a corner of my head for the rest my life. It’s difficult and no one can put themself in my shoes.
“I was really happy for them, but also disgusted. You cannot feel like a world champion, as the 60 million French could. It’s a strange feeling that during the tournament I wanted them to qualify, but at the same time, I wanted them to lose. That was my feeling at the time.”
“It’s my first big injury. Mentally, you’re getting very strong, you’re learning a lot about football and life. I’ve worked every day at St-Raphael and put my family aside,” said an emotional Koscielny.
“These are things in life, and you have to face all of that. During my rehabilitation, I was selfish; I only thought of myself, and I did not pay attention to my family.”
The defender made 51 appearances for Les Bleus but has been unable to force his way back into contention since the start of the new season, with Crystal Palace’s Mamadou Sakho instead earning a recall and Everton’s Kurt Zouma preferred at the back.
“I think I gave what I could give to the French team. The national team has a very good generation with great players.
“My injury has not changed my decision; for the Blues, it’s over for me. But I remain a supporter of the French team.”