Does he have kids? What kind of person is he? “No comment.” His private life is his own business and nobody else’s. Kingsley Coman has come to Munich to play football – and that was the only thing the Frenchman wanted to talk about at his official unveiling on Thursday afternoon. “I've been at a number of big clubs in Europe. But to me FC Bayern is above the other clubs,” commented Coman in front of about 50 journalists at the Säbener Strasse media centre, “I want to play my part in winning as many titles as possible. I'll really push myself and give everything.”
The 19-year-old has already played for Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, now he will charge up the flanks for Bayern. “Playing on the left is my favourite, but on the right is okay too,” reported Coman, who played in 20 fixtures for Juventus last season. He even appeared in the Champions League final against FC Barcelona for a short time. Why did he join FC Bayern?
“FC Bayern fit my style of play,” said Coman, “in the Bundesliga they play more offensively than in Italy, you see more goals. That suits me better.” Matthias Sammer stressed that FC Bayern convincingly showed him “his prospects at the club. So he chose to join us.” The fact that the German record champions' tactics are tailored to quick wingers convinced Coman.
“He's quick, agile, with good technique and match intelligence. These qualities are very interesting for our team,” commented Sammer, “he can make us stronger right away. His potential is extraordinary. We're very happy that he's with us.” Since two top wingers are missing at the moment in Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry, Coman could make his debut against FC Augsburg on Saturday.
First encounter with idol Ribéry
“I can play immediately. I'm in good condition. If I'm told to play I'm ready,” the forward said. Sammer too considers it possible that Pep Guardiola will play Coman at the weekend, at least for a few minutes. “If the coach fields him he'll explode.” But no-one should expect miracles. “We'll have to give him some time.”
Coman is to be integrated into the team as soon as possible. The language is a decisive factor for that. At the moment Coman speaks only French and a few scraps of English. But he will start German lessons soon, revealed Sammer, “it's a crucial foundation.”
His compatriot Franck Ribéry could help him a lot in the early weeks. On Thursday both players met for the first time in the performance centre. “He's a great idol,” commented Coman. Ribéry promised to support him at once. “I could see on my arrival that this is a great club. I feel that I'm welcome.” And that was enough talk. He proudly presented his new jersey before preparing for his first team training session: Kingsley Coman wants to get started on the pitch!
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