“We can't go back to Paris like that, with this exceptional team. This is what Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting said when he came into play on Wednesday in the 79th minute of the Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta. At that time, PSG had already gained the upper hand in the game. Not in the score… “We never lost hope,” he says. And the miracle happened. Signed "Choupo". Obviously, it was especially the return of Kylian Mbappé (60th) that made the difference. But the German-Cameroonian is involved on the two Parisian goals, at the penultimate pass on the first (90th) then at the conclusion on the second (90th + 3). “It was an exceptional moment, he relishes. I can't describe all the emotions. "
He brought more in a handful of minutes than the one he replaced, Mauro Icardi, even more ghostly than in recent weeks on Wednesday night at the Estadio da Luz, where the Parisians will again play in the semi-finals, on Tuesday evening. , against RB Leipzig or Atlético de Madrid. “It's a special story and I'm very happy,” adds the 30-year-old striker, referring to the club's 50th anniversary in the capital.
“ From day one he knew he wouldn't be number 1 in attack. He is there to be a good replacement ”
Thomas tuchelHowever, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting should not even have been there. He was indeed not on the PSG list for the second part of the season in C1 and came to the end of his contract on June 30. The departure of Edinson Cavani finally opened the doors of the group to him and he accepted a freelance for a few weeks, for the national cups and the Champions League.
In fact, his arrival in Paris in 2017 was already a surprise in itself. Born in Germany to a Cameroonian mother and a German father, a former basketball player, "Choupo" has long played in the Bundesliga. And especially in Mainz, where he met a certain Thomas Tuchel. After a discreet year in England, in Stoke City, relegated to the second division that year, he was released to better rally Paris. A relatively commonplace player among the Parisian stars. “From the first day, he knew he would not be number 1 in attack, said Tuchel, a few weeks after his signing. He is there to be a good replacement. But he has the quality to play, I really believe him. "
READ ALSO: Neymar offers his player of the match trophy to Choupo-Moting
The quality to play, perhaps. But probably not at PSG, and at least not as an important member of the rotation. Even if he is a major player and the captain of the selection of Cameroon. His history with the Indomitable Lions is also special, he who evolved under the colors of Germany among young people before being convinced in 2010 by Paul Le Guen, then Cameroonian coach. Absent during the coronation at CAN 2017, he has since made his return to the selection. “The coach knows my qualities. He trusts me. I have confidence in myself, ”he said shortly after his arrival.
A real mascot, capable of the best ... as well as the worst
Confidence, but also good humor, an endearing personality and goodwill to spare. “Choupo” quickly won unanimous support in the locker room. For the rest, he was especially quickly in difficulty in the game… Instead of taking him in the grip, the Park however took him under its wing, chanting his name regularly. A real mascot. With ups and downs on the meadow… The best and the worst? We saw him score a sumptuous goal against Toulouse, after a roulette wheel and a sequence "made in Brazil", or inexplicably deprive PSG - and in this case Christopher Nkunku - of a goal against Strasbourg. "Even I do not quite understand", he had said after this failure worthy of a blunderbuss.
READ ALSO: The joy of the Parisian locker room which celebrates Choupo-Moting in video
But, despite his limitations, Thiago Silva and company are won over. "He's a lifelong friend," explained the Parisian captain recently. He's a guy who always has the winning mentality, to work well, he always has a smile. He's a special guy, very different. It makes us want to help him. With the ball, he has so many qualities, and without the ball he runs and makes the effort. That's what I like about him. "
Failing to have the talent of a Mbappé or a Neymar (who wanted, at the end of the quarter-final, to offer him his man of the match trophy), "Choupo" knows and accepts his role. , without pretention. "He's the kind of guy who, over the end of a game and in the long run, can help the club win," promised the now ex-Parisian Thomas Meunier last year, who didn't think so well ... up to the stars to do the rest, Tuesday in the semi-finals and, potentially, Sunday 23 August in the final.
Read also
- PSG: Keylor Navas, the tile?