Johan Djourou retired as a professional footballer in 2021 with FC Nordsjaelland. Today, the former Arsenal player devotes his time and energy to coaching a Swiss women’s club in Geneva, in the fourth division, a position that has enabled him to obtain the UEFA Pro A Licence. Last July, he was also appointed sports coordinator of the Swiss women’s national team.
With his characteristic good humour, Djourou accepted our interview, answering with sincerity and an open mind.
What impact has football had on you as an individual, beyond your career?
“Well, you have to understand that for me, football was everything. Ever since I was a child in Africa, it’s been about the ball, running after it and crawling behind it. So, for me, football is much more than just a sport. It was at once a religion, cultural and innate. I want to tell you, it was something that couldn’t even be explained.
“First of all, it’s about playing with friends, testing yourself, challenging yourself, seeing that you’re making progress, and in fact that leads you to have a perseverance that goes on all the time. It’s also a mindset that continues to grow at every moment, with every game you play with your mates, every game you play at the club, every game you watch on TV. It’s a continuous learning process.
“And what football has taught me, beyond my career, is sharing, humility, respect, the desire to always surpass yourself, to go higher, and to grow as a person. Because you want to grow as a player… In the end, having had a career like this leads you to continually seek progress in everything you touch and in everything you do.”
Your history with football began in Switzerland, with FC Champel, then Etoile Carouge, before joining Arsenal’s training centre. Tell us about your first steps in the sport, your youth career in Switzerland, before joining a big-name club like Arsenal…
“My career path was pretty crazy in Switzerland. I was always seen as a very good player: tall, technically gifted and trained as a 6-8-year-old. I was even a striker when I started out at Champel. Then, for professional reasons linked to my mother, in particular her working hours, I had to stop playing football. It was a tragedy for me at the time, because I could no longer go to football during the week.
“Then one day, I was at my dad’s house in France, and he had a friend who worked in Carouge come over and say, ‘The boy absolutely has to play, it’s not possible, he’s so talented, it would be a waste’. So my mother listened, took things into account and, from memory, did her best to arrange for me to play again.
“It’s true that the fact that I was so lucky, that I also had some very good coaches, and that I also went through Payerne – which was a bit like the Clairefontaine bis of Switzerland – all helped me a lot in my development. And it was a straightforward process. I was very quickly included in the national selections at a very young age.
“Then when Arsenal came along, you were a bit surprised at first, because you think it’s fast, even early. I was 15 when they told me Arsenal had come to see me, and I was already playing with the Carouge first team, so the adults. You think there’s an opportunity… At the time, I don’t know what they saw.
“It’s true that I was talented, I was hard-working, I was focused, I only had football on my mind, so I think that convinced them. After that, getting there is another level. But this motivation comes from my culture, where I come from: you don’t give up, you have a dream, you have a desire, I was 1,000% invested, really invested.
“When I joined Arsenal, frankly, I was 16, I played my first match at 17, I wasn’t scared. I was impressed. I was impressed by the training sessions with Dennis Bergkamp, I was impressed by the training sessions with Titi (Thierry Henry), I was impressed by the size of the training centre, everything is impressive.
“But you don’t want to stay impressed for too long. The first thing you say to yourself is that you’re there, but you don’t know for how long. That’s the thing, you’re going to have to work hard to stay there for a long time and to be able to play, because there are a lot of players. So I’m not afraid, but I am impressed!”
Looking back, what do you remember about your time at Arsenal?
“It’s fine to talk about titles, I can talk to you about things like that. But who would have thought that a child adopted at 17 months in Switzerland would go to Arsenal at 16 and succeed in playing? Coming from Carouge, a club that isn’t Servette, that isn’t Young Boys, that isn’t Basel. Having jumped through some incredible hoops when I was young, always with the older players.
“I’ve had some incredible moments, some incredible seasons, I’ve had some injuries, I’ve had some complicated moments too, but on the whole, to play in the Champions League, to reach the final, to be in the Carling Cup final, to fight for the title, to be in Europe every year… it was great.
“I had the chance to assert myself, to play some big games, to put in some big performances, to be recognised some seasons as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, particularly by Arsene and my teammates.
“In fact, it’s clear that we’d always like to say that we’re missing something, that we’re missing a title, that we’re missing this or that, and that could fall into the regret category. But no, not at all. I’m not Sergio Ramos, I’m not Gerard Pique, I was Johan Djourou and I played some very, very, very big games and I’m very proud of that.”
Which striker impressed you the most and who was the hardest to stop?
“I think Tevez was the one I had the most trouble defending in a few matches. I loved playing against him. What’s more, I loved playing against Didier Drogba because it was really the duel of Ivorian origin, it was the match within the match that you couldn’t miss because you know that back home, everyone’s watching you!
“As an anecdote, I was once with Didier in Miami, for whom I have the greatest respect, and he said to me: ‘You see, Jo’, you’re a real defender’. And in fact, whenever I received words like that from my peers, who are strikers of extraordinary quality, most of whom had this respect for me by saying: ‘You’re doing your job, you’re strong, my boy’, it gave me confidence.
“So it’s clear that Didier, very complicated, Cristiano (Ronaldo), very complicated, but I think Tevez was the hardest because he was so strong on his feet, so mobile, so active.”
Are relationships between footballers at a club as competitive as Arsenal always good?
“That’s a very good question. I think relations are good because we were young, we had a lot of young players and we had the older ones like Titi who was exemplary or others, but relations are generally good.
“After that, of course, there’s always the problem of competition, which is often healthy at times, depending on the individual. It can also sometimes be a bit more complicated because you’re taking someone’s place and that person is more sensitive even though he’s your buddy.
“And you see, sometimes there can be a little tension, but otherwise at a club like Arsenal we really had a family spirit. Of course, when things were more complicated, Wenger tightened things up a bit, he told us things as they should be, but otherwise, I always had the feeling of being part of a family.”
Tell us about your current projects. We know that you are a TV consultant, but you also have a fantastic YouTube channel…
“I coach a women’s team in Geneva, where my three daughters play. First I coached the FF15s, so the U15s, and now I’ve taken over the first team, which is in the fourth division, with the aim of trying to help them progress, enjoy themselves and move up. They’re in first place at the moment, with a five-point lead, so it’s looking good for a promotion.
“Otherwise, I’m also a consultant, a job I really enjoy. I’ve learnt a lot in recent years, particularly from Laurent Salvaudon at RMC Sport. I’ve also worked for RTS in Switzerland in the past. I have my camps, the ‘Djourou Elite Football Camp’ for children, which I’ve been doing for five years now. It’s really something I love too, because it’s about passing on the message.
“And finally, the YouTube channel, which today is really a platform for transmission, for authenticity, for discovering a little of what goes on on the surface of these people who are exposed to pressures and expectations from the outside world, from their families. I try to expose this reality which is sometimes ours and which is not necessarily always understood.”
Beyond the media world, are you considering a career in football (as a coach, agent or other)?
“As I said, I’m coaching, but I’m also taking my coaching exams, and right now I have to confirm the diploma with UEFA. So yes, why not be a professional coach one day. What I like is passing on information, I like details, I like understanding, I like talking to players, so I think that’s something that has interested me a lot over the last few years. So yes, I can see a way forward there, clearly.”
As a former player, do you like what Mikel Arteta is building with Arsenal and are you satisfied with the current project?
“Mikel (Arteta), it’s true that what he’s built with Arsenal over the last few years has been very interesting. Now, there’s always that little question mark about what it’s going to lead to. But in terms of what it has brought in terms of the game, in terms of the concept, in terms of the players’ renewed belief in their ability, it’s enormous. They came so close last season to winning the Premier League.
“So now we’ll see, it’s a slightly more complicated season in terms of injuries. Liverpool are also off to a very good start, but it’s clear that Mikel’s process and his project were very interesting. Now, there’s a small downside, Edu, the former sporting director. But, in any case, compared to what they have, where they were and where they are today, it’s very positive. And it would be wonderful to have a title to crown it all!”
[Courtesy of https://www.flashscore.co.uk\]