Online Reporter
WHEN Desire Doue walked off slowly and disconsolately after only 64 minutes at Arsenal in October, the teenager touted as French football’s next golden boy looked alone and out of his depth.
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. For someone whose name translates to “desire gifted” in English, the 19-year-old has lived up to that billing since putting the false start behind him in spectacular fashion.
Doue’s day of disappointment came in a 2-0 loss at Emirates Stadium in the tournament’s new league table format.
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 shoot-out win at Anfield in the last 16.
A mesmerising display followed when he scored a stunning curling equaliser while running Aston Villa ragged in PSG’s captivating 3-1 win in the quarter-final first leg. But the performance that really put Doue’s name on everyone’s lips came in European club football’s grandest game, as he scored twice after assisting the opening goal in a 5-0 thrashing of Inter in Munich on Saturday night.
“All evening, he had that magic moment. What a player he looks,” said former Premier League winner Chris Sutton on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Who needs Kylian Mbappe when you’ve got Desire Doue?”
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.
He had 41 touches of the ball in the final in Munich, two of them ended in him scoring, another an assist, and several with sublime bits of skill that brought roars from PSG’s fanatical crowd.
“I have no words, incredible for me. I have no words,” beamed the teenager after PSG’s victory. It has been a meteoric rise for Angers-born Doue, who was not even a guaranteed starter at Rennes last season before making a £43m move to PSG in the summer as they tried to fill an Mbappe-sized hole in their attack.
Doue comes from strong footballing stock, with his 22-year-old brother Guela playing right-back for Strasbourg after leaving Rennes, while cousin Yann Gboho is a talented attacking midfield player 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 shoot-out. — BBC Sport/Sports Reporter.
