Eintracht Frankfurt will face Glasgow Rangers in the Europa League final in Seville on Wednesday.
Two historic clubs with excellent goalkeepers on each side.
Veteran Allan McGregor, 40, for Rangers and talented Kevin Trapp for Frankfurt.
Throughout his European campaign, the German goalkeeper was able to be decisive when his team was in difficulty.
With his 30 saves in 12 matches, he sickened more than one striker, especially those of West Ham United in the semi-finals at Deutsche Bank Park.
However, everything was not so simple for the native of Merzig, who had to wait until his thirties to really find his place.
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Calendar and results Europa League Conference
Missed appointment at Paris SG
Goalkeeper of Paris Saint-Germain from 2015 to 2018, Kevin Trapp never really imposed himself in the goals of the capital club.
The German goalkeeper started however at the start of the 2015/16 season but gradually lost his place in favor of Alphonse Areola.
Even if he has sometimes been the author of high-class saves, especially in October 2015 against Marseille when he released Barrada's penalty, his irregularity prevented him from turning a corner.
Read alsoEuropa League: "What I experienced here in 2017 is forgotten", smiles Trapp after Frankfurt's victory at Camp Nou, theater of the comeback
Lacking playing time, he returned to Frankfurt in 2018, where his potential was revealed to the general public.
He leaves PSG with only one regret: the Remontada
“In Paris, I spent three wonderful years.
There is only one match that I try not to remember, that of Camp Nou with PSG”,
he admits in a press conference before facing FC Barcelona this season.
Maxwell, Motta, Trapp and Ibrahimovic Fep / Panoramic
Back in Germany, Kevin Trapp's goal is to pass on everything he has learned from great PSG players like Zlatan, Thiago Motta and Maxwell.
“There were things to learn from these players.
It helped me a lot to progress and I am now trying to pass on to Frankfurt what I took there
, ”says the interested party to UEFA.
Read alsoEuropa League: Frankfurt and Rangers face off in the Seville blaze
From his first season in the jersey of the Diva, Trapp regained his level and participated in particular in the European epic in Frankfurt which reached the semi-final and failed on penalties despite stopping on the strike from Azpilicueta.
Convinced that his profile is the right one, the leaders of Eintracht definitively sign the goalkeeper who was previously on loan from PSG.
Polyglot Captain
Despite a 2019-2020 season where Trapp chained a long shoulder injury and confinement due to the health crisis, he is gaining confidence and taking up more and more space in the locker room.
“Kevin Trapp is a great leader on and off the pitch.
He always finds the right words in the locker room.
He has a great influence, ”
said his coach Adi Hütter in June 2020.
Read alsoEuropa League: nearly 100,000 Scottish supporters and 50,000 Germans expected for the final
If the German international (6 selections) is not a great vocal leader as his compatriots Oliver Kahn or Manuel Neuer could be, he is indeed a solid locker room leader, in particular thanks to his quality of polyglot.
“I speak five languages fluently, German, French, English, Portuguese and Spanish and a little Italian.
I can understand a lot of things for new players who come here who, at the start, don't speak the language or don't know the culture,”
he told UEFA.
Read alsoEuropa League: Frankfurt completes the job against West Ham and will face Rangers in the final
Over the seasons, Kevin Trapp, who is now 31, has become a
"
big brother
"
captain for the young players in the locker room.
He even wears the armband since his fantastic match against Bayern Munich where his eight saves disgusted the Bavarians for a long time.
This Wednesday evening, Kevin Trapp will play the second final of his career after that won in the Coupe de France against Les Herbiers in 2018. Winning the Europa League would also be an opportunity for Eintracht to dust off its trophy cabinet.
The German club have only won one title in the 21st century: a German Cup in 2018.
“Our Europa League run so far is better than we imagined.
It's a special year and we deserve to be in the final.
Of course, we are now hoping and working to realize our great dream of bringing the trophy home and celebrating with our fans, ”
announces Trapp for whom a victory in C3 would allow him why not to confirm his place as 3rd goalkeeper of the Mannschaft 6 months from the World Cup in Qatar.
