Matchday AZReal Madrid vs Paris Saint-Germain: The round of 16 of the Champions League has a duel in store that could undoubtedly also be a final. On top of that, numerous people are still particularly in focus – especially on the French side, where four former Real pros play.
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At Real Madrid against PSG, many are again particularly in focus – REAL TOTAL-Grafik: Imago
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Real Madrid – PSG: All eyes on Mbappé and Ramos
Mainly because of him, this showdown is even more explosive. Mbappé would have loved to move from PSG to Madrid in August last year, but the Ligue 1 club ultimately refused him this move despite the contract expiring on June 30th. Now the 23-year-old meets his future club – and he wants to get rid of them in order to get closer to the Champions League title on his Paris graduation.
The attacker: “The only thing I can see or predict for Real Madrid vs PSG is that PSG will win. It’s going to be difficult and complicated, but I want to win the Champions League, as well as the World Cup in 2022.”
What you could never have imagined is now true: Ramos suddenly occurs against real on! After 16 years in the Spanish capital, his contract was not renewed last summer, and the defensive star moved to Paris on a free transfer. Due to various injury-related absences, the 35-year-old has only made five appearances there so far. He also threatens to miss the first leg. After all, it is the second leg that takes place in the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, his former place of work.
“I have mixed feelings. I would not have liked to have had this duel, but that’s how it happened.”Ramos admitted: “On the other hand, coming back to the Bernabéu is something very nice, for me personally on an emotional level. I experienced the best years of my life here. Returning home after not having a goodbye here due to the coronavirusis very gratifying.”
#IciCestParis @KMbappe @PSG_inside pic.twitter.com/IXtgEYIAC5
– Sergio Ramos (@SergioRamos) July 23, 2021
Real Madrid won’t let go of Messi
After more than two decades, the Argentine superstar turned his back on FC Barcelona last August. Suddenly, the captains of Real and Barça were united at PSG because after Ramos, “la Pulga” also signed there. So despite his exit from Catalonia, Messi will face Los Blancos in another season.
To date, the 34-year-old has scored seven goals and seven assists in 19 appearances for PSG. Remarkable: He has not collected a single scorer point against Real since May 2018 – incidentally Cristiano Ronaldo’s last Clásico!
The Argentinian wore the Madrid team shirt for four years before being sold to Manchester United for €75m. Real had recently signed James Rodríguez in the summer of 2014. After just one season in England, Di María fled, signing for 63 million euros in Paris. He has been playing there since August 2015.
He will not take the ex-club Real into account in this round of 16 either. You can think of that above all because he would have had no problem going to arch-rivals FC Barcelona a few years ago. “El Fideo” has already played against Real five times as a PSG professional, so the reunion will not be a new experience for him.
A number of former Real Madrid pros at PSG
The full-back has been in the ranks of the Parisians since the current season. Born in Madrilene, he was trained in Real’s youth, after which he was drawn to Borussia Dortmund on loan in 2018. After all, it was assumed that Hakimi would play for Los Blancos from the 2020/21 season, but Real then decided to cash in and sell him to Inter Milan for 40 million euros.
The Italians had to sell the 23-year-old international from Morocco after a year due to economic difficulties. PSG struck, transferring 66.5 million euros. Hakimi will face his home club as an opponent for the first time. Sooner or later, the right-back will want to return to Madrid.
The Costa Rican will be remembered in Madrid as the man who was the number one between the posts in Real’s Champions League title hat-trick. Navas, now 35, made 162 competitive appearances for the Merengues before leaving for Paris in early 2019. Reason: Thibaut Courtois, with whom he had to share the goal since 2018 and because of which he should finally move entirely to the second row.
At PSG he has recently experienced a similar situation with the signed Gianluigi Donnarumma. Who will be in goal in the two Real games? It will not be the first reunion for Navas. He had this in the group stage of the 2019/20 season.
Spielmacher talks about PSG: “Now it’s crucial that we get in top form.”
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Ancelotti against ex-club – and possible heirs?
The Royal coach once also worked for Paris Saint-Germain – exactly before the start of his first term at Concha Espina in the summer of 2013. He had worked at the Seine for a year and a half, winning the French championship in his second season. Real paid a transfer fee of 4.5 million euros.
The coach from Argentina doesn’t have a past at Real – but maybe a future. In recent years, Pochettino has been traded at Concha Espina time and time again, but given his contractual relationship with Tottenham Hotspur and now in Paris, he was not available. But what is not, can still be. Pochettino: “Coaching Real Madrid is of course my dream.”
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