Patrice Evra exclusive interview: On his visit to India, Manchester United, and realising his true purpose in life

Legendary former French and Manchester United footballer Patrice Evra talks to us about why he wants to help the football infrastructure in India, reminiscences on what manager Sir Alex Ferguson once told him about leadership, and why he is open to Bollywood acting offers!

From kicking footballs on the streets of France along with 24 other siblings, to becoming one of the world’s best footballers — a marauding left-outback who terrorised oppositions across the globe — to now being a viral Instagram star, Patrice Evra’s life truly is the stuff of sporting lore.

The legendary former French international and Manchester United player (he won five Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League during his time at the club from 2006 to 2014) retired five years ago from the profession, but has enjoyed a new lease on life on social media since, enthralling fans across the world with his wacky antics and takes on modern football. But that’s not all; Evra has also emerged as a best-selling author with his autobiography I Love This Game (also his catchphrase), that offered a surprisingly insightful portrait of the many challenges — both mental and physical — that footballers face nowadays, as well as an incident that led him to advocate the ending of violence against children.

Visiting India for the first time, the 42-year-old — who has also represented top European clubs such as Nice, Monaco and Juventus, apart from Manchester United — is on a mission to spread his message of humanity across the country, and be involved with the development of football infrastructure here.

In an exclusive interview, Evra talks to us just moments after checking into his hotel in Mumbai. “I will have plenty of time to rest when I die. Right now, I’m just loving the energy of this country and Mumbai. This is just the beginning of my association with India, and already things are looking great. When I landed in India, a fan was waiting for me at the airport after driving 900 kilometres to meet me. I was stunned!”

Excerpts from a conversation:

One of my best friends, who is Indian, has kept inviting me here for years now; he keeps telling me about the people, the food and the culture. But my schedule in recent times has genuinely kept me busy. 

After my retirement, I finished my coaching license and could have joined the staff at Manchester United. But I remembered one incident from my playing days; my son Lenny, who was three years old, was crying and remarked that he hates United. I was shocked! Did my own son support a rival club? I asked him why, and then he told me it was because United keeps taking his dad away from him. I realised then to succeed at United — be it in a player or in coaching capacity — you have to sacrifice everything else. So I wanted to explore different sides to my vision and personality before that.