‘Who needs Mbappe when you have Doue?’ – PSG’s new superstar

Desire Doue, the 18-year-old who was hailed as France’s next golden boy, looked out of his depth when he slowly and disconsolately left after only 64 minutes of his first appearance at Arsenal in October.

Fast forward eight months – after a scintillating performance in a Champions League final demolition of Inter Milan – and Paris St-Germain’s brilliant young forward has captured the imagination of Europe.

The 19-year-old has lived up to that title since spectacularly putting the false start behind him for someone whose name means “desire gifted” in English.

In the new league table format of the tournament, Doue lost to Dubai Stadium with a score of 2-0.

Since then, he has matured into a central piece in the new PSG assembled by coach Luis Enrique, performing superbly when Manchester City were beaten 4-2 at Parc des Princes in January, then delivering a brilliant cameo as a substitute before scoring the decisive penalty in the shootout win at Anfield in the last 16.

In PSG’s entrancing 3-1 victory in the quarter-final first leg, he put on a stunning curling equalizer while fending off Aston Villa in the match.

But Doue’s performance in the grandest game of European club football really caught everyone’s attention, scoring twice in the process of scoring the opening goal against Inter in Munich.

“All evening, he had that magic moment. Former Premier League player Chris Sutton, who appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live, praised the player for how he looks.

When Desire Doue is present, who needs Kylian Mbappe?

At 19 years and 362 days, Doue became the youngest player to score two goals in a European Cup or Champions League final, overtaking Eusebio who was 20 years and 97 days old when he did the same for Benfica against Real Madrid in 1962.

In the final of PSG’s Champions League game in Munich, he had 41 touches of the ball, two of which led to his scoring, another an assist, and several more with sublime skill that sparked a roar from the enthralling crowd.

“I have no words, incredible for me. I have no words”, beamed the teenager after PSG’s victory.

Due’s brother Guela, 22, and his cousin Yann Gboho, 22, both played right-back for Strasbourg after leaving Rennes, while his cousin has a strong attacking midfield background at Toulouse.

He is of French-Ivorian descent, making his full France debut in the 2-0 win against Croatia in the Uefa Nations League quarter-final in March, again scoring a penalty as they went through after a shootout.

Brother Guela has won caps for Ivory Coast and other international allegiances.

Under the watchful guidance of father Maho, who regularly organized training sessions for the brothers outside of their jobs at Rennes, they continued to advance and maintain a wise and steadying influence on their careers.

Some eyebrows were raised when PSG paid such a large fee for Doue in the summer, but Rennes are as good at driving a hard bargain as they are producing young gems.

They have a history, selling Ousmane Dembele to Borussia Dortmund, Camavinga to Real Madrid, and Mathys Tel to Bayern Munich, who has previously been on loan at Tottenham Hotspur.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, Manchester United, Newcastle, and Spurs all expressed strong interest in Doue, but it ultimately fell to PSG or Bayern.

French football expert Julien Laurens told BBC Sport: “PSG probably would have liked to pay about £34m and tried to get it down, while Bayern were happy to pay more than £50m – but he wanted to go to PSG.

There is a premium when you sell from a French club to a French club, just like it was when PSG paid £34 million for Bradley Barcola after six fruitful months at Lyon.

“The secret was that Luis Enrique and Luis Campos were both persuaded that they were producing a superstar,” Enrique said.

” Doue is so talented, strong mentally and physically. Because his lower body is so strong, PSG claims he has rugby players’ legs.

PSG insiders have been incredibly pleased with Doue’s dedication and professionalism despite these new demands.

The club has been very impressed by Laurens’ work in the gym and fitness.

It was the same at Rennes, with former coach Bruno Genesio saying: “Away from the pitch he’s a dream: easy, calm, with a streak of leadership while still asking for advice. He conducts his work with conscientious and carefree attitude. In his head, he already sounds proficient.

Doue first hit the radar when France won the European Under-17 Championship in Israel in 2022, then he was on the bench for the Olympic final in Paris two years later, coming on after 77 minutes when France lost 5-3 to Spain after extra time.

Although his slow start at PSG, which lacked a proper pre-season, may have been a result of his poor management by Luis Enrique, who has worked closely with him and supported him throughout his quiet beginnings.

He started eight Champions League games this season, making eight starts as a substitute and contributing four goals.

It was at Anfield where he made his mark, coming on after 67 minutes to deliver a performance of remarkable maturity, capping it by being entrusted with the spot-kick that sent PSG through.

PSG has shied away from Doue’s attention, but his family’s calm, grounded presence has been a major factor.

“The father, Maho, has a lot of influence in everything they do,” said Laurens. Some families think their son is the next Cristiano Ronaldo, oblivious to everything going on on the pitch, but they were realistic.

They said he wasn’t ready for the big step up another level after the Arsenal game, which did show him to be out of his depth. They understood that he needed to mature and work a lot. They were very realistic about what he had to do. It was very impressive and refreshing. They grasped.

Doue has also had to adjust to life in the Paris goldfish bowl, away from quieter Rennes.

He lives in the posh Boulogne-Billancourt neighborhood, according to Pierre-Etienne Minonzio, who works for the influential sports publication L’Equipe in Paris. When someone spotted him, he was just looking for a book there.

“It was totally normal because he is so young, but maybe he did not understand it is going to be hard for him to be in crowded places in Paris.

In the Champions League game win over Red Bull Salzburg that ended in December, Doue scored his first PSG goal, but it has been lift-off since then.

Everyone in the French football world said that the biggest player born in 2005 was Mathieu Tel, and Minonzio claimed that. “He was born in 2005.

” For his generation, Doue was not the one because he was less talented than Tel, but when you get older the psychological attributes make a lot of difference and Doue has shown incredible mental strength.

Everyone anticipated Tel would be the main protagonist for this generation of players, but Doue is now the subject of conversation.

And to complete his development, Didier Deschamps, France coach, called up Doue, beating out Rayan Cherki and Maghnes Akliouche, both of whom are thought to be potential newcomers.

Laurens said: “It all changed from a wider perspective after his debut for France. Against Croatia, he was outstanding. He demanded the ball, but he didn’t want to lose. This guy had arrived”.

Deschamps left with no choice in France, according to the general opinion.

According to Minonzio, “Deschamps is obsessed with the Champions League. He wants his players to show him their ability in high-level games. He is reluctant to accept players who excel in French league play but don’t participate in the Champions League.

Deschamps had no other choice but to pick him, Deschamps remarked in March.

Now the sky seems the limit, but there is still caution.

“It would have been a few months ago that Warren Zaire-Emery would be the new PSG’s face.” Parisian, 19 years old, and a lot of talent. “says Minonzio.

Everything he did was very impressive, but you have to wait to see how they handled problems.