There are now only 4 of them. Which of AS Roma, Bayer Leverkusen, Sevilla FC or Juventus Turin will go to the end of the road and lift the Europa League on May 31 at the Ferenc-Puskás Arena in Budapest? The Romans are in a favorable ballot after their victory (1-0) in the first leg against the Germans and in the other meeting, Turin and Sevillians did not know how to decide (1-1). Everything remains open and the final will be unprecedented.
To discover
- Europa League schedule and results
- Schedule and results Europa League Conference
In this brilliant contingent, no French clubs at the rendezvous: Monaco, Rennes and Nantes having been out of the 16th final. In an attempt to console itself, French football will closely follow the performances of several former Ligue 1 players, who can still dream of reaching the grail.
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AS Roma, (Zeki Celik, Stephan El Shaarawy and Georginio Wijnaldum)
Three former residents of Ligue 1 are in Jose Mourinho's squad. The Roman coach could soon take over the management of PSG and can ask his players for advice on the France championship. The one who undoubtedly knows the "League of Talents" best is Zeki Celik (ex-LOSC).
The Truc has walked for four seasons full the right corridor of the defense of the Dogues. Quickly acclaimed in Ligue 1, the full-back has made his regularity his calling card. The pinnacle of his time in the North: a title of champion of France acquired in 2020-2021 under the nose and beard of PSG.
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Georginio Wijnaldum (ex-PSG) arrived free of any contract in the capital from Liverpool. Already winner of Ligue 1 too, he did not leave a mark in Paris and was loaned to Roma to get healthy. Unfortunately for him, injuries have held him back tremendously this season.
If Georignio Wijnaldum returns to PSG he could find Jose Mourinho as coach. Andrea Staccioli / Insidefoto
Finally, Stephan El Shaarawy also passed through France, but his passage was discreet. Loaned to AS Monaco by AC Milan in the summer of 2015, he has only started 7 times (for a total of 18 games played). A failed marriage on the Rock that makes observers not always remember his French parenthesis.
Bayer Leverkusen (Patrick Pentz, Mitchell Bakker, Amine Adli and Moussa Diaby)
At the goalkeeper position, Patrick Pentz arrived in France last summer in the skin of number 1. An irremovable starter in his training club Austria Vienna, he landed at Stade de Reims to take over from Pedrag Rajkovic who left for Mallorca (La Liga). His delicate beginnings made Yehvann Diouf gradually push him to the bench. To get back on track, he arrived in Germany this winter but did not play a single minute, captain Lukas Hradecky being very difficult to dislodge.
Moussa Diaby and Mitchell Bakker left PSG to flourish at Bayer Leverkusen. YVES HERMAN
At Bayer, Mitchell Bakker and Moussa Diaby arrived from PSG. The two men did not have the opportunity to express themselves much in the club of the capital and left to glean playing time across the Rhine. It paid off because the Dutchman and the French are now important elements of Xabi Alonso's group. Diaby is even the real star with the young German Florian Wirtz.
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Finally, Amine Adli is on this list thanks to four sporadic appearances with his training club, TFC. In Haute-Garonne, Pitchoune emerged in the group just before the club left the elite (20th in 2019-2020) for Ligue 2. It is also in the second division that he will be noticed by being elected best player of the season the following year. Since his arrival at Bayer, the international hopes has gradually established himself until he is now considered an important player in the squad.
Sevilla FC (Loïc Badé, Tanguy Nianzou, Karim Rekik and Lucas Ocampos)
The Sevillian club has always been fond of elements labeled "Ligue 1". The label has borne fruit in the south of Spain and players like Wissam Ben Yedder, Kevin Gameiro, Diego Carlos or Jules Koundé have made the heyday (and finances) of Sevilla FC.
This season in the Europa League, they are four to have passed through France. Loïc Badé (ex-Lens and Rennes) has established himself in the axis of defense since the arrival of José Mendilibar, even pushing his compatriot Tanguy Nianzou (ex-PSG) on the bench.
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Not often a starter, Karim Rekik (ex-OM) occasionally helps out by being part of the rotation. On the other hand, Lucas Ocampos (ex-Monaco and OM) is an important element, very appreciated by the fans. Always as aggressive, he perfectly symbolizes the fighting spirit of the Sevillians in the Europa League.
Juventus Turin (Daniele Rugani, Mattia De Sciglio, Leandro Paredes, Adrien Rabiot, Angel Di Maia and Arkadiusz Milik)
It is at Juventus that we find, among the semi-finalists, the most players passed by Ligue 1. The transalpine club seems to have turned to the France for a few seasons. If the loans of Italian players such as Mattia De Sciglio (to OL) or Daniele Rugani (to Rennes) in France have not been very successful, the arrival of former Parisians Adrien Rabiot and Angel Di Maria are guarantees of quality for the Old Lady.
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The French midfielder shines in the midfield and the Argentine is always capable of lightning. On the other hand, Leandro Paredes' performance is significantly lower than the expectations he raised when he arrived. The world champion will return to PSG this summer, Juventus not wishing to lift his purchase option. Finally, Arkadiusz Milik (ex-OM) was injured for two months (February/March) and is content with entries in the game but his record is still encouraging (24 games, 7 goals).
And the others...
Paul Pogba, injured again this weekend, has never been to Ligue 1. Federico Tardito / Insidefoto
Note that this contingent does not include Mady Camara (AS Roma), Paul Pogba (Juventus), or Pape Gueye (Sevilla FC). The first mentioned has evolved in France three seasons but only in Ligue 2 on the side of AC Ajaccio. Paul Pogba left the Le Havre training centre at a very young age to join Manchester United and even if his name has often been linked to PSG, he has never played in France. Finally, Pape Gueye was simply not included by his club in the list to play in the Europa League. On loan from OM, the Senegalese is content to follow the course of his partners from the stands.