Atletico Madrid defender Lucas Hernandez has hit out at his dad Jean Francois: “he has failed in his role as a father.”
Jean Francois – a former footballer who had stints at Rayo Vallecano and Atletico – left the family home 12 years ago and has not had contact since.
Lucas’s mother Laurence was then tasked with raising the current France international alongside his brother Theo, currently on loan at Real Sociedad from Real Madrid
“We have not heard from you for 12 or 13 years,” Lucas told Le Parisien, in quotes cited by El Mundo, talking directly to his father.
“Now that I am a father, I am even more aware of what he has done and that he has failed in his role as father.
“If I find him, then we will have a conversation, but what I cannot imagine is that I would renounce my son, I would never do it for anything in the world. Even if I have to sleep under a bridge for the happiness of my son then I will do it.
“Theo? I'm not like his father, more like an older brother, a protector. We have had complicated moments and we've always been together. When he needed me I was there, there has always been a great complicity among us.
“Why did I choose France over Spain? Spain gave me everything , I grew up there, I live there, my son was born there, my wife comes from there, I speak Spanish.
“But I am a world champion with France, my family live there and the truth is I have two countries, I feel French in France and Spanish in Spain.
“(France boss Didier) Deschamps called me one day and I immediately told him yes, because it was my dream since I was little.”
