Juventus midfielder Khephren Thuram explains how playing against his brother Marcus evoked childhood memories.
The 23-year-old made his return to the starting lineup for Sunday’s big showdown against Inter. The Bianconeri went on to claim a memorable win thanks to Francisco Conceicao’s solitary strike in the second half.
On the other hand, Khephren’s older brother Marcus started on the bench for the Nerazzurri. The France striker is originally a regular starter, but a physical issue suffered last week ruled out of Simone Inzaghi’s lineup in favour of Mehdi Taremi.
Nevertheless, the two brothers were eventually reunited on the pitch when Marcus was introduced in the 62nd minute, while their father Lilian was carefully monitoring the action from the stands.
After the contest, Khephren revealed what it’s like to share the same pitch with his older sibling.
“Playing against my brother is very enjoyable, it was like playing in the house garden,” said the former OGC Nice in his post-match interview (via the official Juventus website).
“He looks for me, I look for him, but it’s a dream to face him in such an important game. I haven’t sent him a message yet, but I know his ankle hurts a bit, that’s why I think he didn’t start the game. Dad was probably more nervous than us!”
The younger Thuram also explained he had to sit deep to accommodate Teun Koopmeiners and Weston McKennie who enjoy charging forward.
“We are happy we managed to win again tonight, it was important because we were playing against a great team like Inter, so it gives us confidence for the upcoming games.
“Today I played in a slightly more defensive role because I was playing alongside Weston and who like to make forward runs, but we are a team, and we have to know who we are playing with. I played with two players who are more attacking than me and so I dropped a bit further back.”
