Kingsley Coman ahead of PSG vs. FC Bayern :'This half-second can decide everything'

The connection has never gone away. Although Kingsley Coman now plays in Saudi Arabia and his day-to-day life is a long way from Säbener Straße, his words soon convey how much FC Bayern still means to him. When fcbayern.com reaches him in Riad, he takes time to speak calmly, reflectively – and with great appreciation for the years in Munich that shaped him.

Coman wore the German record champions’ shirt for almost 10 years. He came to Bavaria as a young player and left as one who’d won everything there is to win at club level. He experienced great Champions League nights, championships, pressure, hunger for trophies – and that one moment that will stay forever: his header in the final against Paris Saint-Germain in Lisbon in 2020. Against PSG, his boyhood club, Coman settled the most important fixture in European football.

Now Bayern and Paris meet again. For Coman it’s a highly personal semi-final. One club represents his childhood, his footballing roots, his first dreams. The other represents success, maturing and a second home. In the interview, he speaks about the strongest PSG side in his time, a weakness that made him a Bayern legend, the new strength under Vincent Kompany – and about his early feeling that this team could be on the verge of something great.

Kingsley Coman interview

Kingsley, there aren’t many players who could have such a personnal conection to a semi-final between FC Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain. Looking at it today from Saudi Arabia, what feelings does it trigger? 
Kingsley Coman: “For me personally, this fixture means a lot. It’s difficult to pick a side. I was born in Paris, PSG was my boyhood club. They were always the team I supported until I left the club as a teenager. And then came Bayern. I was there for 10 years, from the age of 19 to 29 – so my whole adult life, really. Bayern became home to me, so it feels a bit like the child versus the adult in me. They’re two clubs who are both a part of me.”

Which parts of the player you are now were shaped by PSG – and which very much by Bayern?
“The foundation you lay as a young player – your playing style, your vision of the kind of player you want to become – I took all of that with me from Paris. At Bayern, I learned what it means to play for a team that has to win – and that will win. Above all, that’s where I developed that mentality on the field, under various coaches of course. My style took shape in Paris; at Bayern, efficiency, hard work and a winning mentality were added to the mix. If you want to win every year, you have to work every day and never let go of that mindset. It’s tiring but it’s worth it, because in the end, that’s exactly what makes the difference.”

A semi-final like this also feeds off its atmosphere. In your view, what’s the biggest difference between a Champions League night at Parc des Princes and one at the Allianz Arena?
“I don’t think there’s that much of a difference. Maybe it’s a bit louder in Munich because there are more people in the stadium, but I never played in a semi-final at the Paris stadium – and I know it can get extremely loud there. As a player you don’t hear each individual voice, normally just a big collective. You’re not constantly thinking about that during the game because you’re focused, but in certain moments – when you’re pressing, when you’re tired, when you want to force a goal – that energy from outside can really give you an added boost.”

PSG was synonymous with superstars for a long time. Now the club are coming back as holders and a much more collective team. As a former player, where do you notice that this Paris team under Luis Enrique is different and maybe even more dangerous than previous versions?
“For me, it’s the best Paris of all time. You felt that this team had the potential to win the Champions League but something was always lacking. PSG were often very close in past years. Now they’ve done it, that barrier is gone. The same players go into the key moments with more confidence, and that’s what makes them even more dangerous. You see the confidence, you see how they’ve grown as a team. They’re now at the point where they always wanted to be.”

It’s a meeting between two top teams who want to play brave, active and dominant football. What will ultimately decide this contest?
“The effectiveness. That’s normally what it is at the highest level. Both teams have players with tremendous quality, both run a lot, both can play under pressure and create pressure themselves. They’re the two teams who have played the most intensive and attractive football this season. I don't think one team will have absolutely no opportunities. You also need a bit of luck, but the team who are most determined in the crucial moments and scores goals from few chances will probably progress.”

You said in your farewell interview that the second year under Vincent Kompany could be ‘amazing’. When you observe the team from afar now, to what extent do you feel that's been confirmed? 
“You already felt last season that something was happening. It clicked straight away. Nevertheless, when a new coach comes in, you still need time to really internalise his ideas. At the start you’re thinking about processes: what do I have to do? Where do I need to go? Eventually it becomes automatic and part of your game. That’s exactly what we’re seeing now. Everyone knows his role. And when you don’t have to think anymore at the highest level, you gain time. This half-second can decide everything. That’s why I feel that something special is possible with this group. It’s already been a good, maybe a very good season. But for it to be really outstanding, they need to take these final steps.”

Where do you think this development is most evident?
“You see it in the pressing, in the rotations, in the movements of the players. And you see it in the defensive mentality – not just among the defenders but the entire team. When I came back that time for my goodbye and ate with the team, I sensed that this group believe in themselves. The atmosphere has always been great but when you win and you realise you can go far, it makes the connection even stronger. You already saw that at the Club World Cup. When the performance then also fits, you can make it an extraordinary year. At the end of the day, history is written on the pitch, but I know that Bayern are mentally and physically in a very good shape.”

Are there players at FC Bayern who you still regularly keep in touch with by text or phone?
“I’m still in touch with most of the players. I speak most to Jo (Kimmich), Serge (Gnabry) and the French guys – Upamecano and Olise – but also to many others from the team. I made some real friends there, who of course I’m particularly rooting for now.”

You once said that you can only enjoy yourself at FC Bayern if there are trophies at the end of the season. Is that constant ambition perhaps an advantage ahead of a semi-final because it sharpens the focus?
“Winning is almost a given at Bayern. Winning the league, getting far in the competitions – that’s expected. You don’t let yourself slack off, and mentally you’re often already ready when games like that come around because you never really switched off. Doing that permanently is exhausting. After a win, you immediately start thinking about the next game. But that very mentality is one reason why Bayern have been such a great club for so many years. It’s part of the club’s DNA. Against Paris, though, I don’t see that as a major advantage because they’re in a similar situation. In the Champions League semi-finals, that’s usually the case: you’re playing against teams that are just as good, just as focused and just as serious as you are.”

You’re a winger yourself and know that these evenings can be decided on the flanks. Do you need more courage for the one-v-ones in a semi-final – or is it more the feeling of waiting for that one decisive moment?
“You need both: courage and calmness. You have to be the best version of yourself on a night like this. At the same time, you shouldn’t treat the game differently to any other. You can’t suddenly do a lot more. If you normally run 11 kilometres, you won’t just run 14 in the semi-final. If you do, you’ll be knackered after 40 minutes and your performance will actually be worse. That’s why patience is so important: you don’t have to change everything, but just do what's you got you that far – only at the highest level. That normally comes with experience.”

Everyone knows the image of your header in the 2020 Champions League final against PSG. When you think back to the seconds before that goal, which little scene – a run, a look, a thought, a shout – has particularly stuck in your mind to this day? 
“Maybe the shout from Thomas (Müller) after the goal. I’m not sure if I heard him properly. I remember more the moment I opened my eyes and saw the ball had gone in. It was Covid so there were no fans in the stadium, but even when there is noise, in a moment like that you hardly notice it. You’re just concentrating on the ball, on the player who’s crossing, on your opponent and your teammates. I wanted to be as focused as possible in every situation.”

When the ball came in, did you know that could be the moment?
“No, it all happened too quickly. It’s not like a film, where time stands still and you think: now’s my moment. You have no time to think, you just run into the space where you think the ball might come – and all of a sudden it’s there. Heading was never my greatest strength, so I just wanted to hit it as cleanly as possible. The execution might not have been textbook but the ball went exactly where it needed to go, with the power it needed. That’s all that matters in the end.”

You say heading was never your greatest strength. It was a moment like that, of all things, that earned you a place in FC Bayern’s history books. What does that tell you today about big games?
“It’s almost a comical situation. That very weakness helped me to fulfil my biggest dream. It’s a nice contradiction. To me that shows: with focus, courage and self-belief you can achieve things on the biggest stage, even if they’re not one of your greatest strengths. That will always make me smile.”

This is the first time since that 2020 season that Bayern have the chance of another treble. What do you think the team is capable of in this final stretch?
“I think the team really have the feeling: this could be our year. Bayern are still in all competitions, the dream is alive. They’ve not been this close to a treble season since 2020. Of course, it won’t be easy. If there’s one team who have been on the same level as Bayern this year, it’s Paris Saint-Germain. I can’t say that one team is clearly better than the other. For football lovers it’s going to be a wonderful match: two of the best teams, who play attractive football with great intensity. These are the moments in which legends are born.”

If you had to choose: who goes through to the final?
“I carry both clubs in my heart but Bayern is the more recent chapter. I only left a few months ago, a lot of my friends are still there, I know the people in the club very well, so for sure I’m supporting Bayern this time. I wouldn’t necessarily class them as favourites. It’s more about my personal connection – and that’s just very strong with Bayern at the moment.”