My Heart Told Me To Stay

In the second of our two-part Patrice Evra exclusive, the full-back pinpoints United's best performances of 2010/11 and reveals why he signed a contract extension.

Some of United's best performances in 2010/11 came against Chelsea – the crunch league game in May, especially, was a huge result. An injury meant you missed that match, though. Where did you watch it and what was the mood like in the camp afterwards?
We all felt very happy because it was a big result, but we knew that the job wasn’t finished and we still had to get the result against Blackburn. I watched in the dressing room. It was the most stressful game of my life! I don’t really understand why, because we played some great football, but when you’re not out there on the pitch you feel frustrated and a bit helpless. When Vida scored the second goal I was on my knees celebrating, I was so happy.

Which other performances from last season stick in the mind?
Blackpool away was unbelievable, West Ham as well. And Villa, when we came back from 2-0 down to get a point. That was a big result. The league victory over Wolves at Old Trafford when Ji-sung Park scored a late winner sticks out, as does the win over Everton when Chicha scored late on. There have been so many twists. The big one for me, though, has to be the win over Chelsea.

Have you ever known a team that comes back as often as this one?
It’s just the culture of the team and the belief we have, and it shows you the spirit of Manchester United. The manager gives us great belief as well and always tells us we must believe until the last second. Sometimes we just know we will win. I remember a couple of games when we were 2-0 down, but I knew we would go on and win. Maybe we are lucky but it’s also because of the belief we have. When you have that spirit it makes you difficult to beat.

Can you remember the most inspiring team-talks this season?
There are a lot of important team-talks… honestly, as I said earlier [in part one of our interview], the key moment for me was the Bursaspor game. People were saying a lot of bad things about the team and not only did it really frustrate me, it hurt me as well because I love this club. But I was convinced we would be okay and we were.

Who did you vote for as United’s Player of the Year?
I voted for Nani, but I think Berbatov deserves a lot of praise, too. People say things about Berba, but to me he is different class. He’s a good guy as well. People haven’t given him the credit he deserves. Nani got my vote because he has been a very important player for us. He played very well particularly at the beginning of the season and deserved to win.

Wayne Rooney’s overhead kick won the Goal of the Season award…
Of course. It’s one of the best goals I’ve ever seen. Wayne could try that again 100 times and it might never go in. I think he had a lot of help off God with that goal! But he deserves it. He had some difficult times but to produce a goal like that was fantastic.

Chicharito picked up the fans’ award. You know how hard it is to settle at a club like this – how impressed were you with him?
I must give Chicha great credit because it’s not easy in the first year. I remember my first six months being very difficult, but he settled in so quickly. He fully deserves his award. He’s a big professional who works very hard. I think he’s had a great season, not just because of his ability but because of his humility as well. He said in his acceptance speech how when he joined he’d hoped to play a bit with the first-team but had expected to mostly play with the Reserves. That humility has helped him go far and he deserves it.

He makes goalscoring look so easy…
Seriously, he is just a goal machine. He scores so many in training. He reminds me of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer so much.

After drawing a blank in 2009/10, you got on the scoresheet in 2010/11 against Wigan. Talk us through it…
It was good to score, but I still think I should get more goals. My good friend Ji-sung Park crossed for me to score with a header.

Yes, and you said afterwards you were going to buy him a car as a thank-you for the assist…
[Laughs] Ji kept joking with me afterwards, saying, “Where’s my car?” Maybe I’ll get him a toy one instead!

You’re a player who always seems to be full of energy. What’s your secret?
I don’t know. My son has inherited it as well – I can’t rest when I go home because he always wants to play! Since I was young I’ve always had lots of energy. Louis Saha used to say to me: “It looks so easy for you to play 45 or 50 games a season.” I’m just lucky, and it’s a privilege to wake up every day and come to training and play for this great club.

How do you stay injury free? You seem to bounce back from even the most robust challenges. Is it just luck, or are you an “elastic man” like Rafael once said?
[Laughs] Honestly, I don’t know. I guess it’s down to good physique and I eat very well. I think it’s just a gift of God and it’s something I’m very grateful for.

How hard did you have to think before signing your new contract at United, which will tie you to the club until at least summer 2014?
It was an important decision for myself. I love this club, everyone knows that. I had a good meeting with Sir Alex and I talked to my family. I decided to follow my heart and my heart told me to stay here.

How do you see your next five years at United? Are you confident the club can win more titles?
Definitely. I’m already focused on next season and winning the league again. Some people say to me: “Pat you’re like a robot – you have to enjoy the moment more.” Sometimes I have the feeling that I haven’t enjoyed the moment, but I’m like that, I want to move on to the next challenge and enjoy it all when I have finished.