Christophe, you were captain against Barça. What did you feel when you led the team out on to Parc with the armband?
"Very proud. I will never forget it, because I won't necessarily get many chances to play against Barcelona, and I probably never thought I'd ever get the chance. To be wearing the captain's armband and therefore get to shake the hand of Carles Puyol before the match was a great honour for me. Having said that, I don't think it will change me as a player, or as a human being. I'll still stay the same. Obviously being captain is a little bonus, a sign of confidence and I accept it with great pleasure and pride."

Just have a look at this photo with Carles Puyol. It looks like there's a challenge or defiance in your eyes. Or is that just an impression?
"Absolutely! I didn't even think about it at all (laughs)! Maybe the photo was taken at the moment where there was a little defiance in the eye, but I think above all, I was just concentrating on what promised to be a very difficult match. And it was a difficult match, but we stood up to the challenge and that's the most important thing."

Looking back, what do you take away from that last pre-season game?
"First of all, that we are capable of matching it with Barcelona, even if it was just a pre-season friendly and we still aren't 100 per cent. For us, this type of match helps us maintain our confidence and above all, give us a real boost for this season because we realise that we can match these sides like Barça and Chelsea. We played two of the best and we held our own and we hope that continues for a long time.

The start of the Ligue 1 season is very nearly upon us with the start of the visit of Lorient on Saturday. They're a team you know very well...
"Yes, and I only have excellent memories of the games between PSG and Lorient... We do however have to make up for what happened last season (Lorient won 1-0 at the Parc on the opening day of the season!), when they surprised us early. They still play good football Lorient, and always benefit from a good pre-season. Lorient often hit the ground running and generally get the points they need to stay up very early on in a campaign. It will be a very tough game for us, we know it, against a side that historically, does pretty well against us. We will have to give everything to make a good start to the season where we know every team will be out to knock us off."

There will be a familiar face in the opposition line-up as well because a certain Ludovic Giuly has just signed for Lorient…
"It will be great to see Ludo again! After a spell back with Monaco, he's back in Ligue 1 with Lorient. I think he will bring a lot to this team in terms of his experience, but also the excellent atmosphere he creates within the squad. He will be a major positive for them this season."