We only heard them! While the Montjuïc Olympic stadium has completely emptied, the 3,000 Parisian supporters remain on cloud nine. Perched at the top of their stand, it is 11:30 p.m. when they continue to raise their voices, singing in praise of PSG who have just achieved the feat of annihilating Barça to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League after having lost the first leg at home against Barça (2-3) six days earlier.
In the players’ locker room, another party is in full swing. Kylian Mbappé, author of a double, takes the floor and calls out his friend Ousmane Dembélé, elected player of the match. The ex-Barcelonese was severely criticized by his former public. “It hurt us for him,” whispers a close friend of the group. But he remained super calm. Like a sponge, it seemed like he didn’t care. »
The dance of Marquinhos
In a moment of collective hysteria, Marquinhos improvises a dance in the middle of the room. His partners follow him, bang on the table and follow up with another celebration in which Luis Enrique participates.
In Paris, on the Champs-Élysées, dozens of fans gathered to shout their happiness, honk their horns and light smoke bombs.
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Substitutes like Manuel Ugarte and Nordi Mukiele are among the ambiance players. They too shout their joy at having experienced this crazy evening. Nasser Al-Khelaïfi then arrives and speaks. The Parisian president is over the moon, he has “seen lions on the field” and confides “his pride in seeing a united group evolve which gives a good image to the club. »
The leader stays for around fifteen minutes and does not try to hide his happiness. For “the big boss”, it is by keeping this state of mind that Paris will be able to achieve its dreams. Before leaving the stadium, he will exchange several minutes with Javier Pastore, who also vibrated like a kid throughout the match. On the pitch a little earlier, the president of PSG came to thank the fans.
At the same time, its players had already all gathered to share this communion under the eye of photographers from around the world. Luis Campos, PSG’s director of football, can also enjoy it. The feeling of duty accomplished, he allowed himself a moment of relaxation by jumping into the arms of the different players he met. Overall, there was a jubilant impression in the Parisian ranks of having been perfectly prepared for the big meeting. As if nothing could happen to them!
The hug between Mbappé and Xavi
After greeting their families and friends, the players left the Olympic grounds a little before 1 a.m. to head towards the airport. The Spanish journalists, massed in a small area, try to jostle for a few words on Mbappé’s future, but the captain of the Blues does not respond.
The Parisian is content with a passage in a mixed zone where he alternates between the Frenchman and the Spaniard to express his love for Paris before joining the bus where several of his comrades are already there and giving Xavi a hug for a few seconds, the Barça coach.
Madness at Roissy
Despite the late hour, the atmosphere is still good-natured on the plane where we begin to feel that the group is focused on the next deadlines with this half in Dortmund on April 30 or May 1 in mind. The message is clear: it is a mission accomplished, but there are others remaining. At Roissy airport, dozens of supporters wait for them in the dead of night. The smoke bombs are out and it is again Marquinhos who comes to greet the few brave people as the plane descends.
The Brazilian has lost none of his smile when the whistle blows and pushes Dembélé to go and get applauded. The players then returned home where they were able to enjoy a day of rest, some of which were occupied by a shooting session with Nike in Poissy. Life at 100,000 miles an hour…
