Evra: Chelsea can surprise, Welbeck and Henderson can steady the dressing room

On August 15, Manchester United legend Evra was interviewed by the media, discussing his former teammate Welbeck's transfer to Chelsea and analyzing the Blues' prospects for the new season.

Chelsea signed Welbeck and Henderson, what do you think of them? Was this a wise move?

First, when Welbeck joined Chelsea, I sent him a text message that said, "Damn it!" That was my first reaction at the time. I love Welbeck very much; he's like a brother to me. As for Henderson, people often overlook this, always thinking that bringing in young players is enough to win trophies. No, I think this was a wise decision.

I saw a lot of online discussions about their age, and I think Alonso knows what he's doing; he wants to control the dressing room. When Henderson played in the World Cup, everyone was surprised, but for a coach, he's the kind of player you want. Liverpool lost Mane and many other players, but look at the situation now after they lost Henderson.

These types of players often don't get enough credit because they aren't as flashy as the shining stars. But trust me, in the dressing room, they put in a lot of effort. As for Welbeck, his performance at Brighton made me very angry because he always scored against Manchester United. When he played for Arsenal, he also consistently broke through Manchester United's defense. So, he still retains that goal-scoring ability. You need to understand that these players don't play the entire season. Their purpose is to control the dressing room, but when there are 20 minutes left in the game, they also have to come on. You need that kind of experience, and you need such players for crucial games because they know how to handle pressure. So, in my opinion, this was indeed a very wise decision.

João Pedro showed Ancelotti what the Brazilian national team lacked in the preseason. Do you think he can have a great season at Chelsea?

Yes. He was indeed very sad about not being able to participate in the World Cup, and I don't understand why João Pedro wasn't selected for the squad. But now, yes, he wants to return to the Brazilian team even more and will be more motivated to prove himself. You know, this is an opportunity for him to prove that the coach made the wrong choice. Of course, we also need to respect Ancelotti's choices. But yes, I think João Pedro will be more motivated this season.

If Palmer and Morgan Rogers compete for the same position, will we see disagreements between them?

I have a lot of confidence in Chelsea. First, Alonso won the league title undefeated with Leverkusen, he built a solid defensive foundation, and he has players who can decide the outcome of games. For example, Palmer and the other players you mentioned, I think Chelsea can create surprises this season and will catch many teams off guard. I respect everyone's opinions; after all, these are just personal feelings. Maybe I'm wrong; you know, just because a player plays well for a while doesn't necessarily mean they'll be a good coach.

Who do you think will win the Ballon d'Or this year? Did Real Madrid's poor performance hinder Mbappe's chances? If Yamal maintains this form throughout his career, how many Ballon d'Or awards do you think he can win?

We'll have to wait a bit longer for this question. I don't like making comparisons. When we talk about Messi or Ronaldo, we're discussing their 15-year legendary careers; they consistently performed, scored goals, and proved to the world that they are the top players globally.

Yamal is the best young player; I've never seen a player like him at his age. I sincerely wish him all the best. However, the criteria for the Ballon d'Or vary. Sometimes it's based on individual performance, and sometimes it depends on collective honors. Yamal will have media support because he has already won the World Cup. If he starts strong at Barcelona, he will be a strong contender. Mbappe was the top scorer in La Liga last season, the top scorer in the Champions League, and the top scorer in the World Cup. Therefore, in terms of individual performance, Mbappe should win the Ballon d'Or.

But again, people expect Mbappe to win La Liga, and they expect him to win the Champions League. Will failing to win affect him? In the past, Messi also won the Ballon d'Or when Barcelona didn't lift trophies, and that was because his goal contributions exceeded 100, so they gave him the award. I hope Mbappe has a strong start to the new season, but Yamal is indeed a very competitive candidate because he won the World Cup, and if he starts the season strong, people will push for him to win the Ballon d'Or.

You played with Ronaldo. What do you think allowed him to maintain such a long career?

His professionalism and passion for football. I've never had a more professional teammate than Ronaldo. Training starts at 10 AM, but he arrives at 8 AM every day, honing everything to perfection. I think Ronaldo has a special "sickness," or in English, "addiction" – addicted to work, to constantly challenging himself. Because of this, I'm not surprised that he's played for so long. I wouldn't be surprised if he played for another one or two years. People always like to talk about his age. He had a difficult World Cup, and I don't blame Ronaldo; I think his teammates should have done for him what the Argentine team did for Messi, which is what he lacked in this World Cup.

When and how will the FIFA scandal end?

When you mention FIFA, the first thing that comes to mind is corruption! That's the biggest problem. I know Infantino personally; he's a good person, an upright person, but sometimes when you're in that position, there might be people above you, and you might have to follow their instructions. This was the case with Trump during the World Cup, he was the one really calling the shots behind the scenes, like that crazy Balogun red card incident. As I said, sometimes once you reach a certain level, others will tell you what to do. Unfortunately, if you don't comply, you might lose your job. But now he's in the public eye, first making a statement, then retracting it. Is it too late now? Or does he still have a chance to make positive changes? That's the question.

If you could nominate a former player to be FIFA president, who would you choose and why?

I need to find someone who can conquer corruption! Wow, that's really difficult. I would choose Cantona. Why him? Because he would never be corrupt, it's that simple. He loves football, and people like him cannot be corrupted. So I firmly support Cantona; this would certainly cause controversy, yes, but I know why we are dissatisfied with FIFA – because when we think of FIFA, we think of corruption, and that's the fundamental problem. I could also mention Wenger. Some people are better than Cantona, but I would choose Cantona; he represents the image of French players, which is also why Manchester United likes to sign French players.

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