How would you rate your first season at Rennes?
"I think I had a good season. In particular, I finished as one of the most-used players in the squad [3,129 minutes played in the league, ahead of Benjamin Bourigeaud]. It's been a satisfying season because collectively we've achieved the club's objectives, and personally I've been able to play an important role with Rennes as well as with the national team."

To make this new season a success for you, what areas would you like to improve?
"I need to work on all aspects of my game. I'm still a young defender, with a lot to learn as the years go by. At 23, I still have to improve in all areas and I'm eager to learn more!"

'It was a bit rock and roll in my younger days'

To go back to your early days, your training path was a little atypical, with you going back and forth between Genk and Standard...
"Yes, it was a bit rock and roll during my early years, as I played for Genk, Standard Liege, Genk and Standard again. When I was 20, I was kicked out and found myself without a club, unemployed. That was at the end of the 2019-20 season, just after the start of the COVID crisis. I started looking for a 'real' job because I had to earn money to live. But I was lucky enough to get a one-week trial at KV Ostend, where I eventually signed my first professional contract."

Before your trial at Ostend, what sector had you been looking for work in?
"I was going to work in construction because I don't have a degree. I'd sacrificed my studies for football because the system in Belgium isn't the same as in France. In Belgium, there's no school curriculum integrated into the youth academy, the school is separate, so it's a bit complicated to manage both. What's more, if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't sacrifice the school because even though things worked out for me, it was very risky. So yes, at that time I was heading for the building trade."

'I was turned down by a Belgian D2 club'

What state of mind were you in? It's hard to imagine that you were in such a situation just three years ago, when you've just had three great seasons with Ostend, Bologna and Rennes, and you've been systematically called up to the Belgian national team for the last two years...
"It may come as a surprise, but I've always believed in myself. I was preparing for a life other than football, but I never gave up. During COVID, I used the little money I had saved to pay for a physical trainer and to be ready if an opportunity arose. In fact, before Ostend, I tried out for a Belgian D2 club and was turned down. I was told I wasn't up to scratch. Ostend was my last chance because I couldn't keep failing like that. I had to move on to something else. But I never stopped believing in myself and I knew that one day things could turn around."

Do you think that this episode gave you extra mental strength compared to players with a perfectly by-the-book training and career path?
"It certainly did! But every player is different, every player reacts differently to a given situation. Maybe some players would have had their heads in the sand and would never have picked themselves up if they'd been through what I've been through. Personally, it forged my character and it also corresponded to the values instilled in me by my parents. They taught me to never give up and that's also why I'm here today."

Perhaps that strength of character came in handy last February when, after starting every game of the season, you were benched for the first time?
"Absolutely, especially as I can't stand being on the bench. I hate it. My strength is that I've overcome much more difficult situations. I use that when the going gets a bit tough."

'Siniša Mihajlović was very protective of me'

With Ostend, you said you'd learnt from coach Alexander Blessin to defend high. What did you add to your game at Bologna and Rennes?
"I made the most progress with the ball at my feet, because at Ostend, let's be honest, we didn't have the ball! We were counter-pressing very high up the pitch, which is what we also do with Rennes, but what's more, here we play the ball very hard. At Ostend we didn't have the ball, at Bologna we had it half the time, and here we have possession 90% of the time. But I'm fine with that, I'd rather have the ball than not!"

During your season at Bologna, you were coached by one of the best left-sided central defenders of recent decades in Siniša Mihajlović, who sadly passed away at the end of 2022...
"He gave me a lot of advice. Siniša was a whole person, with a strong character, a bit like me. Sometimes things got a bit out of hand [laughs] but it was for my own good! The coach gave me advice on football and life. He was very protective of me. He also trusted me, because once he put me in the starting line-up, he never took me out of the team again. Even when I went through difficult times, he continued to believe in me and to talk positively to me. He means a lot to me. It's a huge opportunity to have been coached by someone who played exactly the same position as me and who was one of the best left-footed central defenders in history, in Serie A at least. It was a real blow when I found out we had lost him..."

'I've only been playing centre-back for three years now'

Heading is one of your main qualities, yet you were pretty small until relatively late... What was that like?
"I grew taller very late indeed, around the age of 15-16. And before that age, I was really small. So I had to compensate with better timing, a quality I've managed to keep. When you have a problem, you have to find solutions. Given my small size, I had to be able to jump at the right moment and higher than my opponent. And when I got taller, I was able to keep that sense of timing, which is essential in central defence."

Does that mean you've always played at the back, while a lot of other professionals have started up front before moving deeper?
"No, I started out as a striker. When I was 13, I became a left-winger, then a left-back and finally a central defender. I've only been playing centre-back for three years, since I moved to Ostend. When I signed there, I thought I'd play full-back, but the coach ended up using me in a central role."

'Sergio Ramos told me I'd made a good choice in coming to Rennes'

Who are your role models?
"I love the mentality of Carles Puyol and Sergio Ramos. They inspire me a lot with their grit and hunger to win every game. Incidentally, I bumped into Sergio Ramos on holiday this summer. We chatted for a while about everything, including the French league and our respective careers. He told me that I'd made a good choice in coming to Rennes and that the most important thing was to get as much playing time as possible to progress. Coming back to my role models, apart from Puyol and Ramos, in Belgium there are of course the likes of Jan Vertonghen and Thomas Vermaelen, with whom I've been lucky enough to play."

Quite perfect that Carles Puyol was one of your role models!
"It's true that we have a bit of the same haircut, but it was more his grit that appealed to me! And when I was younger, I really liked Barça. Carles Puyol and the other three I mentioned are role models both on and off the pitch. When you look at their longevity, you realise that the way you deal with what's going on behind the scenes counts almost as much as what happens on the pitch. Oh yes, I don't know if I can go so far as to say that I'm inspired by him, but at Bologna I played with Gary Medel, a monster..."

What do you mean by that?
"What a player... When it comes to professional fouls, he's the master. He does everything. I've never seen him go down without the referee blowing his whistle. If we're winning and there are only a few minutes left to play, he'll go and hold the referee's leg for several minutes... He's a golden person but, at the same time, he's a raving lunatic who transcends himself on the pitch. I've never seen a wilier player than him, although Leonardo Bonucci isn't bad either. With Bologna, when we went to play Juventus, they got the first corner. He says hello to me and asks how I'm doing, then bam, he stomped on my foot! He apologises and says he's sorry, then five minutes later he gets his second corner. He says he's sorry again and bam, he steps on my other foot [laughs]!"

'Remco Evenepoel was much more mature than the others'

In the Belgian youth teams, you played a lot with Loïs Openda, but also with Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel...
"He was even my roommate! I think it was at U16 level. Remco was already very professional and much more mature than the others. He was captain of the team. It was the same with Anderlecht. Back then, he already had an impressive VMA! At 16, he had a VMA of 21, which is not something you normally see in young people! He switched to cycling, but he's kept that discipline and determination. Once he has a goal in mind, he goes for it. In fact, we saw each other during our holidays in June! As we were both in Ibiza, we made a date to spend an evening together. He'd just been crowned Belgian champion! I'm really happy for him because he's someone who's worked hard to get where he is, and who also had a difficult time when he had to give up football."

And what was Remco like on the pitch?
"He was a technical player with a good left foot, but he wasn't very fast. His strong points? His positioning and his intelligence. He was also very strong mentally, never giving up from the first minute to the last. In the end, he kept the same qualities on the bike."