French Ligue 1
Neymar Strengthens PSG’s Brazilian Bonds
French Ligue 1 side, Paris Saint-Germain may as well be the Brazil national team in the Diaspora. With Neymar being the latest, the club now has five members, almost half of a starting line-up for the five-time World Cup holders.
Neymar is teaming up with Lucas, Thiago Silva, Dani Alves and Marquinhos in forming a sublime Brazilian five-a-side squad. The bond between Brazil and the French club did not just start.
There have been many other top Brazilian players in the past who have featured for PSG as if the club has a magnetic pull on them. In the early 1970s, a certain Joel Camargo became the first Brazilian player to feature for PSG.
He featured for the club from 1971 to 1972. Like Neymar, he had his roots in Santos of Brazil, the same club the legendary Pele played for. Carmego’s stay in PSG was just a year as the career was cut short by car accident. He joined PSG shortly after he was a member of the 1970 World Cup and played only twice for PSG before the accident.
According to information garnered from FIFA, after Camargo returned to Brazil, he slowly dropped out of limelight though his former club, Santos paid a stirring tribute to him on November 11, 2006. He died May 2014, just few weeks before his country hosted the World Cup.
The next Brazilian national team player at PSG was Valdo who featured for the club from 1991 to 1995.
The early 1990s proved to be a new era for PSG, who made their ambitions clear by signing Valdo from Benfica, where he had enjoyed three fine seasons. A gifted playmaker who represented his country at two FIFA World Cups (Mexico 1986 and Italy 1990), Valdo lit up PSG for four seasons before returning to the Portuguese giants.
Next was Ricardo who also joined from Portugal’s Benfica at the same time with Valdo. Ricardo also spent four highly productive seasons in Paris before moving back with his compatriot to the club from the Portuguese capital.
The defender, who captained Brazil at Italy 1990, returned to the Parisians to begin a successful coaching career in 1996, this after retiring as a player due to repeated injury problems.
In 1993, Rai, another Brazilian international joined PSG in 1993 and played till 1998. He was already a star by the time he arrived in Paris in 1993. A captain for his country and a playmaker in Tele Santana’s great Sao Paulo side, he nevertheless enjoyed a testing first season in the French capital, while also relinquishing his national team skipper’s armband and place in the starting line-up as Brazil conquered the world at USA 1994. He made up for those setbacks the following season, delighting the PSG fans by showcasing his class and intelligence.
Leonardo arrived in Paris the day after the club’s UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup triumph, having been signed to replace the Inter Milan-bound Youri Djorkaeff.
Aside from the opportunity to join his friend Rai, the 1994 World Cup winner was also keen to get acquainted with France in the lead-up to the next world finals. The left-sided player settled in immediately, striking up a productive partnership with his compatriot.
The experience proved to be a short one, however, with Leonardo moving to AC Milan after just one season. He returned to Paris in 2011, this time as a director of football, helping to take the club to a new level by signing global stars of the calibre of Thiago Silva, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Beckham.
Before the current generation, the last Brazilian in PSG was Ronaldinho who played 97 times for the club from 2001 to 2003. He scored 33 goals for the Parisian side. Ronaldinho signed for Barcelona, where, in moving in the opposite direction to Neymar 14 years later, he would give free rein to his considerable talent.
After Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi signed a contract extension with French Ligue 1 side, Paris Saint-Germain, he became the World’s most-paid fullback.
The Moroccan international will earn a staggering €70 million in wages over his new five-year deal, cementing his status as football’s highest-paid defender.
He signed a contract extension with the French champions until 2029. The new deal adds three years to his previous contract, which was set to expire in 2026.
His net salary is increasing from €10 million to €14 million per season (€28 million gross).
Follow the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
The 2024 Ballon d’Or nominee and Super Eagles winger, Ademola Lookman, is almost certain to leave the Serie A in the coming winter transfer window following interest from Premiership but the biggest interest is from Paris Saint Germaine.
The AFCON 2024 silver medal winner with Nigeria has been on the radar of the London side, West Ham United and three other sides from the league but all is more certain that the London club will find it difficult to compete for the signature of Atalanta star according to Football Insider.
Reports have suggested that the Irons are ready to swoop for the Nigeria international in the January transfer window.
However, sources say there will be “huge interest” from Europe in the 27-year-old ex-Everton star.
Paris Saint-Germain will be the frontrunner for the forward if he becomes available in the coming months.
Additionally, Lookman plays in the same area of the pitch as West Ham’s big-money summer signings Crysencio Summerville and Luis Guilherme.
The London-born has raised his stock with his displays for Atalanta since joining from RB Leipzig in 2022.
He finished 14th in the Ballon d’Or rankings this year after leading the Italian side to a Europa League title last term.
Lookman has already hit five goals and contributed five assists in 10 games across all competitions this term.
The forward, who is under contract until June 2026, hit 17 goals and notched 10 assists in 45 appearances last season.
West Ham are unlikely to have serious funds to spend in the January window after their lavish spending in the off-season.
Julen Lopetegui’s side started slowly and sat 13th in the Premier League after nine games.
Paris St Germain will take their wage dispute with Kylian Mbappe to court after the French football league’s governing body (LFP) ruled in favour of the France captain on Friday.
French media reported the 25-year-old, who has not commented on the dispute, is seeking around 55 million euros ($59.52 million) in salary and bonuses he says he is owed by the club.
The Ligue 1 champions, however, say Mbappe’s contract was “legally amended” and that he reneged on commitments when he left the club to join Spanish giants Real Madrid in the close season.
PSG said last month that Mbappe had refused an offer from the LFP to mediate on the issue.
The LFP’s National Joint Appeals Commission heard the parties on Oct. 15 and announced on Friday it had ruled in favour of Mbappe.
“The club must pay him the salary he is claiming. This decision is not subject to appeal, but may be referred to the FFF (French Football Federation) Executive Committee,” the LFP told Reuters.
However, PSG said they would be “forced to bring the case before the competent courts” while still trying to find an “amicable solution” with Mbappe, who became the French club’s all-time top scorer during his seven-year stay in the capital.
“What is in debate, and will ultimately be heard before an appropriate tribunal, is that the original contract was legally amended in August 2023 relating to the 2024-25 season, and also fully recognised by the player including in January 2024 – until the player then decided to renege all his commitments upon leaving the club,” a PSG spokesperson said.
“As a matter of law and fact, the player has made clear, repeated public and private commitments that the club simply asks are honoured, with the player being afforded unprecedented benefits by the club over seven years in Paris.
“The club hopes these basic commitments will simply be respected, knowing that the club will be forced to have the player’s bad faith judged by the competent courts if the player regrettably seeks to pursue this incomprehensibly damaging dispute, for himself and for French football, further.”
Mbappe’s representatives were not immediately available for comment.
In January, Mbappe had said he made an agreement with PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi which would “protect all parties and preserve the club’s serenity for the challenges ahead”.
-Reuters
The league title will be icing on Soname’s birthday cake on Sunday
As major global sporting events beckon, Morocco’s monarch launches the Kenitra-Marrakech High-Speed rail project
Nigeria Premier League attains a crescendo this weekend
- WOMEN'S FOOTBALL1 week ago
Naira rain falls on Nigeria’s Flamingos after a 4-0 defeat of Algeria
- OBITUARY4 days ago
NFF mourns the demise of former FIFA referee, Bosede Momoh
- Nigerian Football2 days ago
Financial rainfall awaits Nigeria’s Flamingos for every goal scored in Algeria
- U-17 AFCON1 week ago
Morocco crowned CAF U-17 AFCON champions after dramatic penalty shootout win over Mali
- U-20 FOOTBALL6 days ago
Nigeria begin CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations title chase with Tunisian clash
- Nigerian Football6 days ago
Remo Stars maintain ‘7Up’ lead over Rivers United
- feature4 days ago
Ghana’s Cardinal, Appiah Turkson, listed as a possible Pope
- Nigerian Football3 days ago
Former WAFU President, Ogufere mourns Christian Chukwu