A couple of days ago, we covered the extensive interview Michy Batshuayi gave One Mondial, but, as they always do, the French magazine kept some of the content as web exclusives.
Releasing them in three chunks, Wednesday’s offering covers the Belgium international’s time at Chelsea, giving the reader an extra insight into what went through the striker’s head when he scored the goal against West Brom, the one that led to him and his club to lift the Premier League trophy.
However, for the vast majority of the season, he watched Diego Costa from the bench, which he believes helped him.
He said: “I was more of an observer. My competition was a great striker, older, already goalscorer in the Champions League and who had played in big competitions, so yeah, I was watching him a lot.
“There were high class players around me. I told myself everyday that I wasn’t just anywhere. I also thought that if I was here, it’s because I had the qualities. I just needed to show them on an everyday basis”.
As for *that goal*: “There was a fire in my head. That goal put me right. I think it saved my season, because I wasn’t happy with it. We’ll say that goal rewarded all my work.
“I was happy, but what really stuck with me was the way people looked at me. I saw they weren’t looking at me the same. I felt a lot of respect towards me, and a striker needs that. It did me the world of good. I hadn’t felt that for a while”.
Moving onto his second season, Batshuayi admits that when Diego Costa left, he felt he would be the number one, but then came Alvaro Morata, whom, despite taking his spot, he gets along just fine with.
He said: “Things were going well (between them). He’s very shy, we didn’t speak a lot. He stayed more with the Spaniards, but when I spoke to him, it was fine. There was never bad competition between us. It was very clean”.
Now at Dortmund, where he’ll finish the season before returning to Stamford Bridge, Batshuayi could very well end up staying at Chelsea next season.
It all depends on what happens with the manager.
