Barcelona Center Back Reveals He Grew Up As A Paris Saint-Germain Fan

KEY POINTS

Barcelona's Clement Lenglet recently shared that he was a fan of Paris Saint-Germain when he was growing up.
PSG's historic players influenced the growth and development of Lenglet's career
Lenglet has been performing a a consistent center back for Barcelona

The rivalry between two football clubs can be intense much like Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. Tension is typically high for these two teams, especially how star player Neymar Jr jumped from Barca to PSG. Despite this, Barcelona forward Clement Lenglet opened up how he was a fan of the rival French team.

Per L’Equipe, the 25-year-old standout shared that he has had a connection with PSG ever since he was a young player.

“As a kid, I was a real supporter of PSG. My father even took me to Camp des Loges to attend training,” Lenglet said by way of PSG Talk.

The influence of the team was very critical for his development as an athlete as the club was home to one of the best to ever play the sport. These are the icons Lenglet grew up with, as they were a part of his growth as an eventual professional.

“I remember meeting Ronaldinho, Pauleta, and other great players who made history there,” Lenglet continued.

Although his upbringing featured a connection with PSG, things eventually took a turn when he became a player himself.

“But that was when I was young. Since I became a professional, everything has evolved. When I started at Nancy, I was in the same Championship as Paris. I couldn’t stand a team I was playing against. And when you go through clubs with a very strong identity like Seville or Barca, you necessarily become a fan,” Lenglet said.

When given a choice on which club he thinks will win in a PSG-Barcelona finals matchup, the former Spanish Champion confidently picked Barca to win in the matchup.

“A Barca-PSG final would be a dream…Finally, provided that Barca wins it, of course,” Lenglet concluded.

Throughout Lenglet’s career, he has proven to be a capable defender with the way he anticipates his opponents on the field. In his entire career averages, he has put up 1.5 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 2.8 clearances an outing.

The next few years are looking bright for Lenglet and it will be interesting to see how many future professionals his career will influence in the near future.