Munich Hero
Things are moving too fast for Desire Doue – the scorer of two goals in the Champions League final against Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena.
Doue became the youngest player to do so in a Champions League/European Cup final (he also set two other records: youngest player to score and assist in a final; first to be involved in three goals in a final).
Doue is the youngest player to score three goals in a Champions League final (2 goals, 1 assist). Photo: Imago
At 19 years and 362 days old, Doue broke all limits in a daring way in Munich. The early birthday present couldn't have been better (June 3).
In fact, it was he who took the decisive penalty at Anfield that secured PSG’s place in the quarter-finals. Two weeks later, Doue made his debut for France, where he had no hesitation in scoring the penalty that sent them into the Nations League semi-finals.
In the Champions League quarter-finals, Doue continued to shine with a masterpiece in the first leg against Aston Villa, right after Unai Emery's team unexpectedly took the lead at the Parc des Princes.
Now, Paris – the city that once worshipped Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Leo Messi – is bowing down to its new star.
In recent times, Doue's shirt has been the best-selling product at the club's official store, surpassing both Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The hype surrounding his fast, agile and captivating style of play – dubbed “wizard” – has grown to the point where Luis Enrique has had to find ways to calm the excitement in press conferences.
“The praise is great, but you have to focus on your work. Doue was criticised at the beginning of the season, but he adapted very well. However, there is still a long way to go,” he said ahead of the match against Liverpool.
Among the young stars shining in the Champions League, Doue's aura is starting to match that of Lamine Yamal - a player 2 years younger than him.
Doue played well. Photo: Imago
However, unlike the Barcelona star, Doue shows more versatility in all attacking positions.
Luis Enrique alternated between playing on the right wing (38% of the time), on the left wing (21%) and as a striker (9%). He even tried out the “number 10” position (28%) to increase his ability to break through the middle. The rest of the time he came off the bench, with no specific role.
Idol Neymar, Yamal's future rival
“He is very young, dribbles well, has good technique, is physically strong and knows how to defend. I like Doue, but I want more,” Enrique said at the beginning of the season.
At that time, the biggest hope in PSG's attack was Bradley Barcola. Between August and December, Doue only started 3 matches in Ligue 1 and 1 in the Champions League .
Everything changed after Christmas. Barcola no longer had a place in PSG's starting lineup, and was even threatened with losing his place in the French national team.
On March 23, Didier Deschamps sent Doue onto the field in the second half of the match against Croatia, replacing Barcola, despite the new player arriving late to the training session at Clairefontaine.
These budding disciplinary violations are quite similar to Neymar – Doue's biggest idol, as well as Lamine Yamal.
Like Neymar, he often faces the opposing defender head-on, standing still before feinting. He celebrates by posing like the former Barca player as a tribute.
Doue lifted the trophy with Dembele. Photo: PSG_Inside
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Doue shone but France lost to Spain in the final, Doue was contacted by Bayern Munich and Manchester teams (MU and Man City). He chose PSG because of Neymar.
The €50m deal is another milestone at Rennes, France's best youth academy, which has sold Eduardo Camavinga to Real Madrid (€31m), Mathys Tel to Bayern (€20m) and Dembele himself to Dortmund (€35m).
Coming from an Ivorian father, Doue's international career diverged early on from that of his brother Guela, who plays right-back for Strasbourg and has opted to represent Ivory Coast, the reigning African champions.
The young star’s mother’s French roots are more symbolic. Rarely has a first and last name had so much meaning: “Désiré” means “desire” in French, while “Doué” means “talent.”
Next season, the world promises to witness Doue and Lamine Yamal – a generation that grew up with mobile phones (as described by Luis Enrique), and admires Neymar – create an interesting competition.
First up, there will be a “draft” in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League semi-final between Spain and France in Stuttgart (2am on June 6).
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/desire-doue-vo-dich-cup-c1-lamine-yamal-cua-psg-2407072.html
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