Former Barcelona defender Lilian Thuram believes Paris Saint-Germain’s superstar attack force cannot produce trophies. Thuram wishes he had the chance to confront them off. In football news, as a defender, Lilian Thuram had few peers, and the former Juventus player would love facing Paris Saint-Germain’s famous attack trio.
Despite a surprising weekend setback at Rennes, Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe all contribute individual brilliance to PSG, who are tearing away at the top of Ligue 1. In theory, this makes them formidable Champions League candidates, and since Qatar Sports Investments took over the club in 2011, transforming the club’s fortunes, a European triumph has been PSG’s goal.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side has won four points from their first two group games this season, including a convincing victory against Manchester City. “The PSG squad is made of many excellent players, especially forwards. If you boast Messi, Neymar and Mbappe, it is really unbelievable,” Thuram said on Thursday.
It will be difficult to handle that front trio if they gel, but it was by facing such opponents during his playing days that Thuram established himself as one of the world’s most powerful defenders. Thuram was a force at right-back and in the centre for Monaco, Parma, and Juventus before finishing his career at Barcelona, where a teenage Lionel Messi was making his reputation.
“Truthfully, if I were a centre-back now, I would love to face them,” Thuram said, speaking at the Festival dello Sport. “If Fabio and Gigi, who still plays, were young, they would have put on a show against them, it would be so difficult to stop them. But it doesn’t mean you win at the end,” Thuram said.
“If you have Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo – well no, with Cristiano you win a lot – but with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe, no victory is granted. You need the entire team and this is what football is about. Teams win.”
