Bayern Munich have finally media-trained Benjamin Pavard (Chelsea take notes)

2022 has been a mixed bag for Bayern Munich so far, but the successes have started rolling in. Yesterday, we had the 4-0 win against FC Koln where Robert Lewandowski had a hat-trick. Now, something even more impressive has happened — Benjamin Pavard actually gave a GOOD interview!

Speaking to French publication Telefoot, the Bayern defender walked back some of his most controversial statements from the past year and a half, which was honestly honestly long overdue. You get the distinct impression that someone — either at the club or on his entourage — told him that his recent statements to the media weren’t exactly endearing.

Well, whoever it was, it seems that Benji took their advice to heart. His words, as translated by @iMiaSanMia, are as follows:

On Lewandowski and the Ballon d’Or:

“Lewandowski deserved the Ballon d’Or. For me there are two strikers who can’t stop scoring goals: Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema. Both are legends.”

Looks like he’s made up his mind now, which is a positive change from his comments in November. Good job, Benji!

On Bayern Munich:

“Playing 100 games for such a club is an immense pride. Bayern is the best club in Germany and it’s used to winning trophies, the Champions League. I hope by the end of the season we’ll be able to show that we’re also the best team in the world.”

That’s a lot better than the time he said France would be better than Bayern if they won the Euros. Good to see that Pavard appreciates being on a sextuple-winning team.

On the Champions League:

“We’re not afraid of anyone. We’re Bayern, one of the best teams in the world. We’re not afraid of Real Madrid, we’re not afraid of Paris.”

Yeah that’s the spirit! Now if Pavard can show these same improvements on the pitch (which, to be fair, have been coming lately) then Bayern will surely be well-set for the latter rounds of the UCL this season.

Now while none of Pavard’s infamous interviews were as outlandishly trollish as the one Romelu Lukaku gave a a few weeks back, it definitely rubbed fans the wrong way. It’s good to see that he recognizes the problem and made the effort to clarify and walk back some of his more controversial comments rather than double-down on them. Goodwill is hard-earned currency, and every player can use more of it.

Also, good on Bayern on getting him some media training (if that’s what happened here). Maybe Chelsea should follow suit?