Despite always being described as the quiet type, never in the news off the pitch, Hugo Lloris happens to be captain of both his club side, Tottenham, and his national team, France.
The 30-year-old goalkeeper is rarely seen shouting at his teammates or rumoured to have given rousing speeches at half-time (like Patrice Evra), yet every person who talks about him only has respect for the former Lyon star.
Giving a rare interview to the French press while on international duty, Hugo Lloris spoke to Le Figaro, and opened up, addressing critics stating he might lack ‘personality’ for his role in his teams.
Explaining that ‘the less they speak about me, the better I am’, the Tottenham star doesn’t understand the media’s obsession with what footballers do in their spare time, and is actually a bit taken aback by how forward fans have become when they cross players in the street.
He said: “I don’t like hiding behind a computer or a phone. I like talking in the dressing room, at a restaurant. For a lot of people, social media is a place to get to know their idol. These days, people see me and ask for a selfie…
“I understand it and happily comply, but I would never have permitted myself to do that. I would have been so afraid of being a nuisance. Walking past my idol would have been enough.”
‘Proud’ of the way his parents brought him up, the Spurs star does everything in his family’s interest, whether that is protecting his private life from the media or making time for his kids after a long day training.
And perhaps, rather than having someone constantly telling you what to do, that is why Mauricio Pochettino and Didier Deschamps put so much faith in the 30-year-old, and use him as the example for the young players to follow.
