Crystal Palace defender Mamadou Sakho has expressed his delight at having received a recall for the France squad.
The centre-half hasn’t made an appearance for the national team since September 2017, shortly after becoming a full time Eagle.
Keen to add to his 28 caps, Sakho explained his excitement at having been named among Didier Deschamps’s side. As quoted by Holmesdale.net, Sakho said:
I’m proud. It’s always nice to meet the teammates, to find the blue jersey.
This jersey is the grail. After that I’m someone who, when he focuses on something, wants the maximum of course.
In football, the highest peak for a French player is to wear this blue jersey. To defend the colours of his nation is extraordinary. It’s always fun and we are always motivated to do this.
After missing out on France’s successful World Cup campaign last summer, Sakho is eager to make up for lost time, but was also keen to express that he isn’t bitter at being left out:
No sincerely, it’s not my mentality to think like that.
When we have good news or less good, it is simply to move forward, to turn the page, to savour. I have always remained myself working very hard.
