How are you getting on? How's your start to the season going?
"It's going well, thank you. I got off to a good start. I came back a bit later because I was with the national team, so I joined the group at the end of the preparations.
"But I put in one or two very solid weeks to catch up with the girls. I played a pre-season match against Ajax and then our first league game against Lens last week."
That first game ended in a draw against a promoted side. Facing Nantes now, I imagine you want to do better.
"100%. Sometimes it happens and you don't get the three points. But for a team like ours, PSG, the objective is to win every game. You can say it was the start of the new season and so on, but we clearly have more to show and more to give.
"This match is behind us; we didn't take the three points, but in the future, against a promoted team, we have to win."
You've only played one league game and you were off last weekend because of the LFFP Cup, where European clubs don't play. Is it difficult to manage such a fragmented start to the season?
"It is a bit. I'd have preferred to play a series of games to maintain continuity. That said, our training sessions are very intense: we try to recreate the demands of a match day when we don't have one at the weekend. We did the work at Poissy and we're approaching the next game as if we'd played."
Nantes gave you problems last season in the league, at home to them, but you won 6-1 in the Coupe de France. What are you expecting this time?
"Nantes are always tricky. The first game ended 1-0, the second 6-1. They often play a 3-5-2 formation, which isn't easy to attack. Against us, most teams adopt a low block to protect the goal and rely on transitions to avoid exposing themselves.
"So I'm expecting a low block, with quick exits. It's up to us to be ready, because every game will be competitive."
You get the impression that a lot of the teams in the middle and lower reaches of the table have strengthened. Does that make PSG's task even harder, when you're expected to win every weekend?
"Of course, but that's the norm here and that's what we want: to live with these expectations. We're at a club that's aiming high: winning the league, going far in the Champions League and so on. Everyone is getting stronger, that's what transfer windows are for. Every year it's harder, for us and for the others."
'We want to win everything'
Unlike last year, you are guaranteed to play in the Champions League. What difference does that make to the group?
"Personally, not that much. Whether it's a preliminary round or the league phase, a Champions League match is still a match you want to win. Just because there are other games behind it doesn't mean that this one is any less important.
"Every game is important and you have to win it to put yourself in the best possible position. So I don't think it's really any different from last season, at least the way I feel."
But it's a little less pressure than last year, when you lost to Juventus and didn't reach the group stage...
"Yes, you could say there's a little less pressure. The format is also changing with a league phase, like the men's, and we have two extra games. In terms of preparation, it doesn't fundamentally change my approach: whether there are five or ten games, we want to win everything."
Your team is particularly young this season, with little European experience. How do you deal with that?
"You have to raise your game and set an example. I'm still young, but I'm one of the oldest players in the group. It's up to us to set an example, to support those who already have experience and to help those who are just starting out."
There's been a change of plan at the club, with more young players training at PSG.
"Yes, there are more young players, and they are very good players. I have total confidence in them: at 17, they're doing things I couldn't do at their age, and they have enormous potential. I fully believe in this project.
"It's refreshing that a club has confidence in its trained players. Our role is also to help them get ready for the big games. Maybe it'll be a Champions League semi-final where a 17-year-old has to make her debut. We have to support each other and remain a team."
What do you tell them if they're a bit apprehensive?
"I don't really talk to them because I speak English, so I give them high fives, I bring positive vibes to ease the pressure and keep the intensity up without making the environment hostile. I can be very serious but also light-hearted and make great jokes.
"There are times to laugh and other times to be super serious. I just want them to feel free to express who they are, to have confidence in their acting. It's not just the 'old girls' team', it's theirs too, so you have to create a healthy, happy environment - that's what makes a group win."
Your new coach Paulo Cesar wants to create such a positive atmosphere.
"Absolutely. That's the culture we want to reinforce. When the environment is healthy, the whole team, not just the 11 regular players, can perform well."
'I want to keep the hunger and motivation'
With the departures over the summer, you've got a new status: undisputed starter, one of the most experienced, even though you're only 24. How do you feel about that?
"I wouldn't say 'undisputed', because nothing is guaranteed in football. Let's just say that my chances are better. And that's something new for me: ever since I left university two years ago, I've always been the player who had to prove she deserved her place, who was never a regular starter.
"I often had to give everything to get minutes, without ever being able to 'manage'. I was coming off the bench every week. When your status changes, you can rest, but I want to avoid that.
"I want to keep the hunger and motivation of the substitute who has to prove herself every week. Whether I play 90 minutes or 10, I want to help the team and show what I can do."
It's hard to have confidence when you're not starting every week...
"Yes. All players like consistency. Last year, at PSG, I could start two games in a row and then not start the next one. It's tiring. But that's the environment I chose: the higher you go, the more competitive it is.
"At one of the best clubs in the world, that's normal. You can go to a lesser club to make sure you're a starter, but you don't push yourself as far."
Your journey from the Netherlands, where you were born, to England, where you grew up, to the United States, where you hatched your career, has also shaped your character.
"Yes. I've lived and played in several countries, and I always take something away from them, both on and off the pitch. Those experiences have shaped me and I'm grateful for that."
Is there any particular pressure associated with your new status at PSG?
"There is pressure, yes, but it's been two years since I was a regular starter and that's what I've wanted for a long time. I don't know what the season will be like, but what I'm most excited about is that I've finally got the chance to really show what I can do. It's difficult to alternate one week on, one week off. I hope this season will be different."
What has the coach told you about this new role?
"He's expecting more from me than last season, given that we had him for a month last year, particularly in terms of bringing energy and positive vibes to training. He hasn't told me that I'm an 'indisputable starter', and I'm not someone who needs to be told that."
'I feel much freer'
In terms of the game, what does he expect from you?
"I'm an attacking midfielder, a 10. My role is to score, get goals, create, keep the ball and contribute defensively. As a midfielder, I have to support everyone around me and create play. He also gives me freedom, and that's where I'm at my best.
"As a player, when your coach limits you to one or two things, you start to get in over your head and doubt your own abilities. I always appreciate it when a coach quickly recognises that I'm better when I'm free, not just in the sense that I do what I want, but also in terms of creativity.
"As a coach, you have to let your players be as creative as possible and try not to limit them too much. This season, I feel a lot freer, but I'm still given clear instructions."
You seem to be even more attack-minded this season. Have you set yourself any goals or assists targets?
"I stepped in as number 9 against Lens because Romee (Leuchter) was ill, but otherwise my role remains the same. My target every year is 10 goals and 10 assists. If I finish above that, all the better. At the very least, that's my threshold for considering that I've had a decent season."
What do you personally expect from the season?
"I want us to win every game and play together as a team. Our biggest rivals are Lyon and Paris FC, but the other games won't be easy either.
"I want us to win back the Coupe de France that eluded us last season, get our European campaign off to a good start with confidence, and above all play a real team game. When the team plays well, the results follow."
Some media and fans are saying that PSG lost some stars this summer without recruiting any big names. Do you remain positive?
"100 %. I believe in my team-mates and the staff. A team doesn't just need 'big names' to perform. Sometimes, when there are too many stars, it doesn't work. You need a balance.
"I think we've found a healthy balance at PSG: we've recruited some big names and there are some hungry youngsters. I see these girls every day at training. From the outside, you only see one match, good or bad, but overall, we're optimistic."
Scoring the WAFCON winner
You missed part of pre-season because of the African Cup of Nations, which you won with Nigeria. How did it feel to come back to the club with that title?
"It was great. I'm not much of a party girl, so I arrived quietly and said hello to everyone. But the girls were lovely. Everyone was congratulating me and they showed me a bit of affection, then they started beating me up before training... But it was friendly (laughs)!"
The final was crazy: you were 2-0 down and ended up winning 3-2. How did you feel about the match?
"Honestly, I didn't start the match and I saw the two goals conceded in 20 minutes... I thought to myself: "This is going to be the longest day of my life". Then I picked myself up and told myself that I couldn't think like that, that we had to keep working, that I had to keep encouraging the girls from the bench. I said to myself: "Keep on cheering, and if you come on, give it your all!
"In the dressing room, we said to ourselves that we were too passive in the first half and I think we could have started the game by pressing them more. I think we gave them a bit too much respect. We told ourselves that we had 45 minutes left, and that we had absolutely nothing to lose, that we just had to press them hard.
"I came on around the 55th minute, we pressed, scored, scored, scored and ended up turning the match around, 3-2. And that was a very, very good moment."
And you scored the winning goal. How did that feel?
"It was really crazy. I feel like before the ball hit me, I blacked out for half a second, as if it had fallen right in front of me. Then I thought it had bounced back, so I just hit the ball.
"I don't even really touch it with my foot, more here (she shows the top of her ankle). I thought, "Come on, touch it, please, touch it, Joe", and then it went in. I started running around, I was so happy!"
It was your first title with Nigeria, what does it mean to you?
"It means a lot to me. We sometimes have structural difficulties: federal issues, requests about bonuses, equipment... So I often have the impression that things are against us and we say to ourselves: "Wow, we're already at a disadvantage, it's going to be difficult because of this or that!"
"So when we win we tell ourselves that despite all that, we've won. Imagine what it will be like when things start to get better. I think that's given us confidence in the fact that we're a good team. It's made me enthusiastic about the future.
"I hope that things will continue to improve and that this will bring more investment in women's football and more confidence from the management. There's another African Cup of Nations next year, then the World Cup, and there are lots of great challenges ahead."
The pressure was enormous: everyone was already imagining you in the final against Morocco, which you "had" to win. How did you deal with that?
"During the tournament, I didn't feel that much pressure. I think a lot of that comes from social networks, and you can avoid that by simply not being on social networks. I simply avoided certain things, certain pages, and tried to restrict myself to what I really needed.
"If you're someone who feels a lot of pressure, don't stay on social networks, if you're someone who doesn't care, go as much as you can, but just find what suits you personally. I don't really feel any pressure but I have avoided certain things anyway."
'Young people look at me, it's touching'
Is it easy to stay away from social networks when you're 24?
"At the start of the tournament, when we played Algeria... The Algerian fans are very committed, there are a lot of them, so they'd come up to me and make a joke here or there.
"But when you receive dozens of them... I'm older and I've been through more things and I've gained confidence in myself as a player, I know what affects me, the amount of messages I receive..."
Do you ever manage to disconnect from this pressure and from football?
"Yes. When we have days off, I pick up the phone. It depends on how many days I have: on one day, I stay at home, tidy up and clean a bit. But if I have two days, I go off and see something else. I went to Annecy last weekend, I visited, got a change of scenery, disconnected from my reality as a football player."
Don't you have any passions outside football?
"Not really... I'm thinking about buying myself a guitar... or a ukulele! That way I can take it on the bus (laughs). I have a feeling that the girls will be angry with me if I do that, I know I will."
You're a role model for a lot of young African women. Are you aware of that? How do you deal with that?
"I suppose I do, even if I don't think about it much: I still feel young and I still have to prove myself. But I know that young people are watching me, and that's touching. It's even a bit funny. My 'method' is to be myself: I post a bit on Snapchat, I dance, I make jokes.
"There's this cliche about the female footballer, where you're told to do your job and play football, and after that you have no life. I have a life: I go cycling around the lake, I do this or that.
"As for football, I also show my off-season sessions, my training sessions. If I'm training at home with my coach, I ask him to film so I can share. And if I go out for dinner in the evening (not at the club!), I show that too: it's a day without training."
With all that you've already experienced, the different countries you've lived in, the different clubs, the African Cup of Nations... Is it a bit crazy to have experienced all that at just 24 years of age?
"A bit, yes. But when you're in it, you don't realise it. It's when someone says to you: "You've lived here, there, you've done this, that" that you realise. Day by day, you make progress. I'm very grateful for all these experiences, they've really helped me to become who I am today."