Mike Maignan spoke at a press conference on the eve of Iceland-France, scheduled for tomorrow at 20:45. The Milan goalkeeper will wear the captain’s armband in Kylian Mbappé’s absence. Here are his words.
Maignan joins Rabiot on Milan-Como in Perth
"I completely agree with him. Today people forget certain things, they think too much about the financial side. I don’t understand why an Italian league match is played abroad. And it’s a home game we lose. Since our goals are high, nothing should be left to chance."
On tomorrow’s match against Iceland and wearing the captain’s armband
"We know it will be tough. We’ll face a strong opponent. They caused us problems at the Parc des Princes. There are three points to win to get closer to qualification. We are ready for the challenge. These are nations with much smaller stadiums, they put in great intensity, determination, and effort. It won’t be an easy game. We are very focused and humble. It’s a bit cold, but we’ll adapt, they’ll face the same weather."
On the captaincy, Maignan said:
"Kylian is the team’s captain. The coach decides, there’s never been any reaction or issue. We fully respect the coach’s and the captain’s decisions. Tomorrow Kylian won’t be there, the coach trusts me and chose me as captain. I don’t need to change anything, I’ll do what I know how to do."
Maignan concluded:
"I hear what people say, but my best answer is to ignore it. I’m about to play my 23rd consecutive match with the French national team. Saying I’m often injured doesn’t affect me. Goalkeepers take the most hits during games. It’s the most physically demanding position. None of this destabilizes me or affects me. I work every day and take care of my body, that’s all I can do."
