PSG’s ‘Class of 2021’ bolster European hopes

By
Triyasha Chatterjee
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Paris: Remember Barcelona’s ‘Class of 2009’? Everyone does. From the likes of Victor Valdes, Dani Alves, Gerard Pique to Carles Puyol, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Abidal, Samuel Eto’o and Yaya Toure, Barcelona brought the world under one roof. 

Not to miss out, the squad also boasted the midfield maestros Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. The season also saw the emergence of Lionel Messi as one of the best players of the world and went on to win the historic treble and finally the first team to win the most prestigious sextuple.

Fast forward to 2021, the same Messi features in the Paris Saint-Germain squad as the Ligue 1 giants look like one of the most lethal sides in recent times, very much like a FIFA 22 Career Mode squad. PSG had one of the most profitable transfer windows, a club could think of.

Starting from young talent like Achraf Hakimi for just 60m euros, PSG went on to sign Liverpool fame Giorgino Wijnaldum, Euro 2020 champion goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, former Real Madrid and Spain captain Sergio Ramos and the biggest of all, the argued Greatest Of All Time — Messi.

The most striking point of the transfer window was that other than Hakimi, all three others were free transfers. This is not all, there is more to it. The above-mentioned five would join the likes Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, Presnel Kimpembe, Mauro Icardi, Angel Di Maria, Leonardo Paredes to form probably the most feared squad of the recent times.

The addition of the prodigies have heavily fortified PSG’s hopes and chances of lifting the Champions League which the Parisians have narrowly missed out on a couple of occasions in the last few years.

PSG has already begun their league campaign, with a 4-2 win against Strasbourg. Mauro Icardi opened the scoring for the Paris club as early as the third minute before Mbappé (25th) and Julian Draxler (27th) added twice in two minutes. Strasbourg pulled two goals back in the second half courtesy of Kevin Gameiro and Ludovic Ajorque, Pablo Sarabia scored a late goal for PSG to seal the deal.

Although none of the new super signings featured in the encounter much to the dismay of the fans, who have been eagerly waiting to see eternal rivals Messi and Ramos in the same jersey, it is expected they would line up against Brest in Stade Francis Le-Blé.

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