Marcus Thuram opens up about fashion & family legacy

We are in the capital of fashion of Italy, Milan. You're quite laid back, very clean, clean kicks, everything. I do like nice pieces, nice clothes, because I feel it's a way to talk about yourself without having to say nothing, expression, but I wouldn't say that fashion guides me. You could give a certain different type of image depending on the clothes you're wearing when you step in a room. So I think that that's beautiful, that playing with clothes can make people see you in a different way. When you think of the French national team, it's impossible not to think of Clairefontaine, the national hub for the French national team. It's really interesting how, in recent times, we speak of fashion, it's almost like we've got this NBA version of the tunnel fits when you guys pull up to Clairefontaine. Do you all think about what you're going to wear? Again, I stopped doing that. If you look at my recent fits, I'm very casual. I'm growing, I'm growing, I'm maturing. But it is a beautiful thing, like the likes of Jules, Conaté starting to... Conaté starting to get into fashion. But it's good, like I said, it's a way to express ourselves. I think it became a competition towards certain players, but again, it's fun. I think it makes the national team compete in every sense, and I think it only gets better. And I guess it's also part of French culture because you're known for these luxury fashion houses. It's almost like paying homage to that element of French life. Do you remember one of your fits that you were like, I nailed it? All of them. All of them? Even the ones that are more relaxed and late? Yeah, yeah, because I think the most important thing is when you come there, you feel comfortable in what you wear. Yes. Now growing up, I'm kind of like starting to be a little more calmer with everything that involves fashion. But it is true that coming up, I really wanted to stand out. It started with the haircut, it started with how I dressed, how I did things. And it will always be a part of me, I think, but I did come a little bit more with fashion. Where did that desire to stand out come from? I don't know where it came out. I know I had it since I'm little. Because you can see, looking at myself, sometimes I can be a little bit embarrassed because I can watch videos of myself when I was little and there's maybe four or five persons in the camera and I'm always trying to pop out and be in the middle and I'm like, move! I've always been an outgoing person who's trying to be at the centre of everything and it helped me. Other times I had to learn to calm down a little bit but it really is a part of me. Who would you say that comes from? Is it your mum or your dad? None of them because both are very discreet people that don't really like that much attention of them so I don't know where it came out from but thank God I have them so I can balance a little bit how I am because I think if I had parents that would be outgoing like me I would have exploded. It's a good thing that my parents are here and my little brother is here to balance my personality. Speaking of your little brother, Kefren, what's his personality like then? We've seen you both on the pitch, we've seen you share a pitch when you've been rivals. Are you two similar at all in any way? We are similar on a lot of points. He's a very hard-working, serious, professional man. He knows what he wants in life and he loves having fun. He's smart. He's everything that can be the best in this world. How competitive were the two of you growing up? I know you're the big brother. Did you boss him around at all? No, no. My first little brother is the number one fan. He was competitive towards me and I liked it. I love it, I love it. Every time we play against each other I want him to see that anger in him because it makes me proud. How does he manifest that anger? Because obviously you know him very well. From someone looking outside in, he may just look like himself but are there little things you see about him that lets you know I'm under his skin? Oh, his look. I can see it immediately in his eyes. There's like a switch. He's a very competitive person. He always wanted to win, always wanted to be number one. But there's that edge when I'm with him on the pitch that I look at him and for example, I'll try to joke and he's not going for it. He's not going for it. So was that the case when the two of you faced each other earlier this season? Well, I wanted to prove a point that I was the big brother. It didn't turn out so well. Maybe that was my mistake. Because you scored within a few minutes. Yeah, I scored. I looked at him but I poked the barrel a little too hard. Because then he got a goal as well. He scored. He never scores. Yeah, maybe that was my mistake. But again, I'm super proud of him. I'm happy of what he's achieving. He's turning into a man now. He has so much potential and I hope only the best for him. Do you speak often? Every day. I have a great relationship with my little brother. What would be, I guess, a dream for you unless you've already completed it? Well, my dream for myself and for my little brother I think is to fulfill our full potential. To grow up as a man who I value. Not only as soccer players but I think after a certain time the career stops and you're still there so you have to be more than just an athlete. You have to have, I think, morals and respect and knowledge for the environment you live in. I mentioned your dad, Lillian Turam World Cup winner, Euro winner regarded as one of the best defenders in the history of the sport. What was your earliest memory of your dad playing football and when did you realize that oh, my dad might be famous? So I realized that what my dad was doing as a job is when he came to Barcelona. Well, I knew he was a soccer player but when he went to Barcelona in that dressing room there were players that I was watching really like I was a fan of. For example? Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho Abidal. So when I stepped into this dressing room and I saw that they were the colleagues of my dad I looked at my dad and was like oh, so you really do that. You're actually a big deal. Yeah, so that's when I realized. That's when I realized. Did that change your relationship with him at all when you realized that he was so revered and he had these incredibly talented colleagues as you said? Oh, no, no, no, no. I always see my dad as like my role model since I'm little since I can't remember so no, it didn't change anything. What would you say is the biggest lesson that your dad's taught you? He taught me a lot of things but I think the main thing he taught me is to be somebody that always questions his environment who never settles down with what someone could tell you always have awareness of what's around you and I think that's the main thing he taught me. He taught me a lot of things. We could sit here for like hours and hours but if I had to pick one thing it's this.