00:00Illyman, congratulations on your move to Manchester City.
00:03I know you've worked incredibly hard your whole life to try and reach the top of the game.
00:08This must feel like a really big moment for you on your journey.
00:11Yeah, of course. It's an unbelievable moment.
00:15Like you said, I've worked so hard to get to this point.
00:17And yeah, I'm super excited and really grateful for this opportunity.
00:21It's quite an interesting time to be coming to Manchester City.
00:24We've got a new manager and it feels a bit like a new era.
00:28That must be very exciting for you as a player to be joining at this moment.
00:31Yeah, of course. Obviously, you want to be part of this new project.
00:36Obviously, I've seen recently what they've been doing and I feel like I'll fit right in it.
00:42And yeah, I'm super excited to start.
00:45You're a very skillful player. You love to have the ball at your feet and take players on.
00:51I think you like to get fans excited, get them off the seat.
00:53Just in a little bit more detail, just to explain to our fans, what kind of player are Manchester City
00:57getting?
00:57So, yeah, so a really skillful player.
01:00I like to dribble.
01:03Obviously, I like to get fans off the seat.
01:06Most importantly, to help the team win.
01:09And obviously, by using my best attribute, I feel like I can do that here.
01:15It's been a very dramatic transfer window in England and right across Europe.
01:20And I know your future has been in the balance a little bit for a few days.
01:23What's it like for a footballer to be involved in a transfer window like this?
01:28Yeah, it's really difficult.
01:29Obviously, I probably speak for myself, but I have a family, you know, I have kids.
01:33And, you know, you don't want to be waiting until the last minute.
01:37So, yeah, it could be a bit stressful because you kind of want to know early your future.
01:44But at this point, I can say that it's the best thing that's happened to me as late as it
01:50could be, you know.
01:50Your dream has been to reach the top.
01:52And obviously, you're going to be playing Champions League football now.
01:54This is City's 16th season on the bounce that we've qualified for the Champions League.
02:00That's a competition that gets the best players in Europe together.
02:03I mean, you must be delighted to be being part of that.
02:06Yeah, of course.
02:07Obviously, that was the next step in my career.
02:11And like Cavolo said, I want to be playing for the best.
02:15And I felt like I chose the right thing to do.
02:18So, playing in the Champions League is one of the dreams.
02:21And I really can't wait to get started.
02:24We talked a little bit about your dribbling before, but just explain to us, where does your love of dribbling
02:29and trying to take players?
02:30Where do you think that comes from?
02:31Because it's obviously been there since you've been very young.
02:33Yeah, of course.
02:34Obviously, with my dad, we've been practicing it since I was young.
02:39Obviously, until now, it's just natural now.
02:42Whatever I do, it's just from everything I was doing when I was younger.
02:45So, yeah, I was really keen on that dribbling side, you know, watching the best dribblers in the world, you
02:51know, the tapes, and just practicing it on the pitch with my dad.
02:55Which players did you used to watch?
02:56Like some Maradona, Pelé, something like that.
02:58Pelé, Maradona, Zidane, Messi, all these dribbling players.
03:03Obviously, Neymar, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, the Brazilian, you know.
03:09All the best ones.
03:10All the best ones.
03:11I mean, you want to be the best, you have to look at what the best people do, you know.
03:17You know, so that's where dribbling's coming from.
03:19You've spoken a lot about the influence of your father.
03:21He was a dancer, choreographer, and obviously he's tried to instill some of those techniques into you.
03:28Just elaborate a little bit on kind of how important he's been for you.
03:31Yeah, he's been really important.
03:35From my first training, from my first team in France, he's always been by my side.
03:42You know, with my mum, with my sisters.
03:46They've always been there.
03:48And, yeah, they just had that belief in me that obviously one day I could make it.
03:54And obviously they believed what I believed too, which is obviously want to be one of the best players in
04:02the world and reaching the top level.
04:06So, yeah, they've been really important for me.
04:08They've helped me, you know, get to who I am today.
04:11I've got to ask, as a skilful winger and somebody who likes to set people up for goals, you're going
04:16to be playing with Erling Haaland.
04:18Is that something you've been thinking about in the last few days?
04:20Of course, of course. Of course, I just, I can't wait to get many assists, obviously for Erling Haaland, but
04:27also for anyone else in the team, you know, just anything to help the team win.
04:31It's not always been easy for you in your career.
04:33You know, you did face rejections when you were younger, trials at lots and lots of different clubs.
04:40I'm just interested, kind of, how difficult is that for a teenager who's got dreams and aspirations, ambitions to be
04:46a footballer?
04:47And how did you, kind of, use those rejections almost as, like, motivation to improve?
04:54Just belief. I've always believed in myself.
04:56Like you say, every rejection, anything like that, never stopped me to accomplish, you know, my dreams and what I
05:02want to do.
05:04So all the training and, you know, whether I was rejected or even whether I was taken in, you know,
05:10it never stopped because I never, I never thought at any point, well, that's it now.
05:16Like I've either made it or they took me in, you know, it's always been, well, I have to work
05:21hard every day because there's always, you know, new targets to reach.
05:25For those who don't know, you appeared on Rising Ballers and that was a bit of a catapult for you
05:30in some ways.
05:31It's clear when you go back and watch the footage how much you just love having a ball at your
05:35feet.
05:36A little bit like Phil Forward and we have here, he just likes a ball at his feet all the
05:39time.
05:39Has that always been the case, right, from being very, very young?
05:43Yeah, it's always been the case.
05:45You know, I always, you know, when you're young, you always want to be the one that's called for your
05:48team.
05:48And, you know, you kind of forget a little bit about assist, more goals and things like that.
05:53So I used to try and, you know, get the ball and dribble through everyone and just score myself as
05:57well.
05:57So, yeah, it's just from young and it just stuck with me.
06:01Was there ever a moment in your career where you thought this is, I'm not going to make it, I'm
06:05not going to get to the level that I think I want to be at?
06:07No, I never thought that, never thought that.
06:10Like I thought, yeah, all the night and day hard work they used to do, you know, my dad and
06:16my sisters and my mum.
06:17I just, that never came across my mind.
06:20I always thought, yeah, like I'm going to make it, even though, you know, I don't know, you know, you
06:25never know what happens.
06:26But I just always thought, yeah, I wonder I'll reach the top.
06:28In the last few years at Everton, you've had a really strong relationship with the fans there.
06:32I think you said at the beginning of this, you like to excite fans.
06:35Obviously, winning is definitely the most important thing at any football club, but it is important for a player to
06:39have a connection with the fans, isn't it?
06:42Yeah, I think it's really important.
06:44You know, they help you on the pitch, you help each other, you know, they give you a strong, they
06:48give you like a boost, they give you like fire in you, you know.
06:52As much as you already have that fire to go and win for the team, you also have that to
06:57win for the fans, you know, you want to see them happy, you know, you want them to, you know,
07:00when you come out of the stadium or training, you want to, you know, be able to connect with them
07:04and see them happy.
07:05So, yeah, I think it's really important to have a strong connection with the fans.
07:09And you've already scored a goal at the Etihad.
07:11We remember it, Boxing Day, 2024.
07:13It was a brilliant goal.
07:15City fans will remember that.
07:16What are your memories of that day playing at the Etihad and scoring such a top goal?
07:20Yeah, I remember it was a hard game for us.
07:22We did have a few chances to score more goals, but no, it was a good day.
07:28Obviously, I scored a goal.
07:29I also remember, you know, the celebration I did with my, with Aurel Mangala, you know, but yeah, it was
07:36a good goal and good memory, you know, to make a day.
07:39And obviously, you've spoken to Hugo and Enzo during your conversations about coming here.
07:43What kind of vision did they lay out for Manchester City and how did they convince you to become a
07:48City player?
07:49Yeah, obviously, I think it's quite easy to make a decision whether you want to be at Manchester City or
07:55not.
07:55You know, you can see the past seasons, past recent history, you know, you want to be part of that
08:01project.
08:02And, you know, they talked to me about the project and, you know, where we could go, what we could
08:10achieve, you know, with me and the team.
08:13And, you know, I was interested from the beginning.
08:18And there was, you know, nothing else that I wanted than during Manchester City.
08:22Any targets or ambitions that you're going to set yourself for your first season here?
08:26Or is it just about impressing, getting in the team and seeing where things take you?
08:31Yeah, of course, it is that.
08:32But also, wherever you are, you want to win trophies.
08:36You know, obviously, you start with games, but then, you know, you have your self-target, your solo targets as
08:42well.
08:44But most importantly is the team target.
08:47And when you think about the team and like it will come naturally to work hard and, you know, you'll
08:52score goals naturally, you'll assist and, you know, everything will come naturally.
08:56So as long as you have the mindset to do it for the team, for the fans, then the solo
09:01targets will come by itself.
09:03Well, it's gone right down to deadline day, gone down to the wire, but we're delighted to have you.
09:08Good luck and hope everything works out for you here.
09:11Thank you very much.
09:12Thank you very much.
