Rio Ferdinand forced into admission by Doue’s PSG v Inter: ‘Pains me to say this’
Rio Ferdinand had to make a personal admission live on broadcast by PSG’s star winger Desire Doué during the Champions League final.
The Parisians qualified for only the second Champions League final in their history, having lost the first to Bayern Munich in 2020.
That match five years ago saw a team consisting of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Angel Di Maria lose thanks to a single goal from Arsenal target Kingsley Coman.
But half a decade later, the French side made up for the defeat to the Bavarians by becoming champions of Europe in the German’s stadium.
Whilst much of their recent history has been made signing established superstars, the Parisians changed course following Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid last season by focusing on up-and-coming talent, and one of those youngsters led the charge as the French giants forced Ferdinand into an admission.
Rio Ferdinand recalls Man United destruction at hands of Barcelona
Speaking live on TNT Sports (31 May, 9.26pm), the former England international harked back to Man United’s 3-1 loss at the hands of Lionel Messi’s Barcelona as Doue left the pitch to be replaced by Bradley Barcola.
The 19-year-old wreaked havoc against Inter, scoring twice and assisting one in a stunning performance.
Ferdinand said: “Can I just say guys, it pains me to say this, but this has to be the most dominant final that we’ve seen since the 2011 final at Wembley when Barcelona absolutely destroyed my Man United team.
“Pure and utter dominance.”
The former United defender later shared his thoughts on the winger on X, saying: “Truly a privilege to watch a 19yr old kid play with such confidence and trickery.
“Having an impact in such a high profile game is the stuff of dreams – he is living it.
“Another teenager with a ceiling that is so high, who knows where it will end…”
Man United face reminder of how far they have fallen
Football Insider Verdict
Ferdinand’s comments were a timely reminder for United of how far they have fallen in recent years.
PSG ran riot against Inter just a day after the Red Devils came from 1-0 down against Hong Kong to win 3-1 in their post-season tour of Asia, which players were not even happy to be on.
Just five years ago, the two sides met twice in the group stages of the Champions League, with Marcus Rashford scoring a late winner in the second match.
Of course, had United won against Tottenham in the Europa League, then they would be playing in Europe’s most prestigious tournament next season, but they didn’t, so they won’t.
But every setback comes with an opportunity to learn. PSG learned from their mistakes of signing high-profile players and instead focused on hoovering up young domestic talent, and perhaps the Red Devils should attempt something similar, rather than spending big on quick-fixes.