Angel Di Maria, Adrien Rabiot, Moses Kean and Leandro Paredes.
Tuesday evening, around 8:50 p.m. when the two teams return to the field, some might wonder if this first Champions League match of the season at the Parc des Princes would not rather be a gala match between the current PSG and a few former having evolved Porte d'Auteuil.
Provided that the four are able to perform, which unfortunately has nothing guaranteed for the first two, physically diminished.
The first thus came out at the break last weekend during the duel against Fiorentina, victim of a blow to the calf, while the second was not on the score sheet to spare his thigh and preserve his chances. to play against Paris, his training club.
And since neither Paredes, let alone Kean, have the
assurance of being a holder, this reunion could be done in a minor mode.
This does not detract from their possible symbolism...
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Especially for a Di Maria who had received a tremendous ovation for his last at the Parc on May 21, during a clear success against Metz (5-0) which he had left his mark with a goal and an assist, to bring his total to 92 achievements and 111 offerings to his partners respectively (the club record).
"
I think this goal gives me peace and emotion for my last hours here
," said the 34-year-old Argentinian.
“
Ending like that, with a great victory, in such an atmosphere, with Kylian (Mbappé) extending it… It will remain an unforgettable night.
Obviously, at the time, he probably didn't expect to be able to make his comeback so quickly, if his body gave him the opportunity.
But the reception of the Park should be up to the mark he left in seven seasons spent in the Parisian jersey, even if his last was the least successful.
Rabiot, a start with losses and crashes
On the other hand, if Rabiot were to be a holder, the benevolence of the Park towards him looks much more uncertain.
No one has forgotten, among the Parisian supporters, the conditions of his departure in the summer of 2019. If, like Di Maria, he left the club free, it was by personal choice.
And at the end of a long conflict with its leaders who will have done everything to prolong it and avoid this shortfall for a player who will have been, at the arrival of the Qataris at the head of the club, the symbol of the Parisian formation in hit.
One of the rare examples to have won there, without having to seek happiness elsewhere like Christopher Nkunku in Leipzig or Moussa Diaby in Leverkusen, to name a few.
His last match at the Parc, Rabiot, lived it on November 24, 2018 against Toulouse (1-0),
A mess that PSG fans mainly attribute to the player, and to his mother Véronique who watches over his interests like a wolf brooding on her young.
Above all, what will be criticized for the player is his ambiguous official speech as to the possibility of an extension, while behind the scenes, with his relatives, he is much clearer about his intentions to leave free.
Giving the impression to some of spitting in the Parisian soup which has nevertheless helped him to grow and become the international he is.
His relationship with Thomas Tuchel, in particular, will have been difficult to follow, the German coach starting by trusting him completely before taking the keys to the Parisian sedan away from him to put him on a siding due in particular to his lack of
appetite for the position of holding midfielder, to which so many specialists imagine him being able to give the full measure of his talent.
But that the player continues to hate, even today at 27 years old.
And as the native of Saint-Maurice, in Val-de-Marne, is the stubborn type, his separation from PSG could only go wrong.
And what about his possible reunion this Tuesday…
Kean wanted to stay but...
Compared to Rabiot and “
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Di Maria, the returns of Leandro Paredes and Moïse Kean promise to be more anecdotal.
For Kean, the reason is simple: he has only spent one season in the capital, during a successful 2020-21 exercise with his 13 Ligue 1 goals in just 26 appearances.
An excellent ratio, as well as a strong and atypical personality which pleased the demanding Parisian public.
And Keane would have liked to continue his adventure at the Parc des Princes.
Except he was only on loan from Everton and the Parisian leaders failed to reach an agreement with the greedy Toffees and Kean then returned to his first love, Juventus.
On Tuesday, it seems as unlikely to see him start as likely to see him enter during the match,
Paredes, the weight of a transfer
For Leandro Paredes finally, his story with PSG leaves a taste of unfinished, or too little.
Landed in the capital in the middle of the winter transfer window at the end of January 2019 from Zenit Saint-Petersburg, the Argentinian will have dragged like a ball the amount of his transfer, slightly more than 40 million euros.
Which, inevitably, led to strong expectations, especially in a sector, the midfield, where the shoe pinches for several seasons.
With his volcanic temperament, his taste for combat but also his typically South American technique, Paredes was to be the missing link solidifying the whole edifice.
Alas, in the end, in three and a half seasons, he will have mainly had the role of intermittent spectacle on the ground, and confidant of Lionel Messi outside.
But he does
did not leave a memorable imprint in the history of PSG.
In other words, between love for Di Maria, anger vis-à-vis Rabiot, a certain attachment for Kean and indifference for Paredes, this reunion in the Champions League already exudes multiple flavors.