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Messi joins Weah in PSG legend

STORY – For the first time in 26 years, the capital club sees one of its players receive the supreme individual award with Leo Messi.

The Golden Ball is back in Paris. Sacred this Monday at the Théâtre du Châtelet, for the seventh time in his career, Lionel Messi is indeed not the first winner in the history of Paris Saint-Germain. He succeeds a certain George Weah, who received the precious award on January 7, 1996 in… San Siro, from Gérard Ernault, editorial director of France Football. On December 26, 1995, in its number 2594, the weekly unveiled the winners of a historic edition, the first open to players from all over the world, and no longer just to Europeans. “Mister George” was 29 years old and with 144 points ahead of the German Jürgen Klinsmann (Bayern Munich, 108 points) and the Finn Jari Litmanen (Ajax Amsterdam, 67 pts). A tidal wave, cited twenty times in first position for 49 jurors. For the record, the first Frenchman was named Marcel Desailly (11th, AC Milan, 16 pts).

If it was at San Siro that Weah received his trophy, it is because he had exchanged, during the summer of 1995, the Paris-SG tunic for that of AC Milan. But it was for his performance at PSG that he had been rewarded. It must be said that the current president of Liberia had made sparks during this season, his third at the Parc des Princes (50 goals in 133 matches in all competitions). Not so much in the league, but in the Champions League, scoring no less than eight goals during the 1994-95 campaign, including a “candy” that is remembered in the Bayern field (0-1).

Talent, inspirations, power

Above all, the reigning French champions Paris, in addition to their success in the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue that year, had climbed to the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time. Without major international competition in 1995, or player more brilliant than the others in the ranks of Ajax Amsterdam, European champion at the expense of AC Milan, all eyes were quickly turned to the one that FF consecrated, in 2019, as the best African player in history. The new formula, open to players from all over the world, may also have played in favor of the native of Monrovia, it is not far-fetched to think so. It is in any case AC Milan who had blocked the road of PSG in C1 before stealing the African nugget, previously passed by AS Monaco (1988-92), a clever mix of raw talent, brilliant inspirations , power, skill. A monster, who took control of almost all the individual trophies within his reach (African Golden Ball, African player of the year, Fifa player of the year …). Raid.

Like Messi, rewarded for his performances with Barça and especially Argentina, Weah therefore wore the colors of Paris-SG at the end of 95, even if he had the Milan jersey on his shoulders when he received the honors of the Golden Ball. Between the two, we find only three Parisians in the Top 5 of the list of the most prestigious individual award, Zlatan Ibrahimovic (4th in 2013), Neymar Jr (3rd in 2017, the year of his arrival from FC Barcelona) and Kylian Mbappé (4th in 2018, the year the Blues were crowned at the Russian World Cup). A rarity. Besides Weah and Messi, the French championship only saw one of its crowned players, Jean-Pierre Papin, in 1991. At the time, “JPP” wore the colors of Olympique de Marseille. Forever the first …

PSG’s record for the Golden Ball :
1970: Jean Djorkaeff (24th)
1979 : Joao Alves (21e)
1983: Safet Susic (15th)
1986: Luis Fernandez (17e)
1995 : George Weah (1er)
1996: Youri Djorkaeff (9th)
1997: Raï (29th)
2002 : Ronaldinho (12e)
2003 : Ronaldinho (22e)
2012: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (10th)
2013: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (4th), Edinson Cavani (20th), Thiago Silva (20th)
2014: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (13th)
2015: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (11th)
2016: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (13th)
2017 : Neymar (3e), Kylian Mbappé (7e), Edinson Cavani (11e)
2018: Kylian Mbappé (4th), Neymar (12th), Edinson Cavani (22nd)
2019 : Kylian Mbappé (6e), Marquinhos (28e)
2021: Neymar Jr (16th), Gianluigi Donnarumma (10th), Kylian Mbappé (9th), Lionel Messi (1er)

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