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To appreciate Edinson Cavani’s desire to make his Manchester United debut at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night, look no further than a picture Paris Saint-Germain posted on social media to celebrate his 50th birthday in August.
All of the club’s favorite players were at bar one. Cavani. The man nicknamed El Matador. PSG’s all-time top scorer.
It was a petty act and it says a lot about the way Cavani left the French capital over a contract dispute. He drew harsh criticism from fans who adore him and did not escape the player’s attention.
After seven months without a competitive match, and just two training sessions with his new teammates at United, it remains to be seen if Cavani is fit enough for a bench spot at his old pitch after passing two weeks in quarantine. at the age of 33.
But there is no mistaking the Uruguayan’s determination to prove a point to PSG after a seven-year career in France that was more eventful than a record 200 goals in 301 matches might suggest.
The first three years were spent in the shadow of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose presence forced Cavani to play open before the Swede joined United in 2016.
“As soon as I arrived, they tried to oppose us,” Cavani said in a rare interview with French magazine So Foot that summer. ‘We have different personalities, but this antagonism does not exist.
“I’m not interested in being a soccer phenomenon. But being a center forward, feeling it, is something in my blood. ‘
Cavani was fined by then-PSG manager Laurent Blanc for returning late from a Christmas break in Uruguay and missing a winter training camp in Morocco. The player wanted to spend more time with his two children, Bautista and Lucas, who lived with his ex-wife María Soledad.
Rumors of more disciplinary problems emerged a year later, shortly after Cavani again upset Blanc by refusing to shake his hand when he was substituted in a game against Troyes.
He thrived after Ibrahimovic left, scoring 49 goals in 50 games in all competitions as PSG’s main man in 2016-17. However, the arrival of Neymar and Kylian Mbappé made him back down. The uneasy relationship bottomed out in September 2017 when Cavani and Neymar discussed who should take a penalty against Lyon.
Cavani won the discussion and the support of the fans, who backed their favorite against the Brazilian.
The Collectif Ultras Paris, who never got a chance to say goodbye, would no doubt have chanted the song dedicated to him, to the tune of the 1980s French naff Demons of Midnight, if fans could have gotten into the ground on Tuesday.
They admired the down-to-earth character of Salto, known for making the five-hour, 265-mile trip from Montevideo by bus to the family ranch, where he spends time hunting and fishing. Cavani, an avid bird watcher, also practices ballet to hone his soccer skills.
“I grew up outdoors, going river fishing with my dad,” says the former Napoli player whose father Luis spent three months in prison in 2015 for killing a teenage motorcyclist who collided with his truck.
‘Build the person you become. I attach great importance to my childhood. I am very attached to my land. It allows me not to be stubborn. ‘
The fans loved Cavani’s tireless work pace on the pitch and willingness to sacrifice himself for the team. Cavani lived in the same upscale Neuilly-sur-Seine suburb as Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Neymar, before the latter moved further west of Paris, to Bougival, but was never seen leaving a nightclub at first sight. time.
“The sacrifice allows me to be calm, to sleep with the feeling of a job done,” he said. “My parents have always struggled in life and tried to instill in us mutual respect. No matter who you are, work and sacrifice to face life. ‘
It’s sad enough that Cavani left PSG under a cloud in the summer after winning 19 trophies, including six French titles, even if his final season was cut short by injury.
The club blocked his attempt to leave in January, so he refused to extend his contract for a couple of months and play when the season restarted after the blockade, missing PSG’s Champions League final against Bayern Munich. in August.
After a break working on the farm and a vacation in Ibiza with partner Jocelyn Burgardt and her teammates, resulting in Cavani contracting coronavirus and considering retiring to the field permanently, he joined United as a free agent on the day. limit.
Now he longs for one last tango in Paris. If Cavani is fit enough to play, PSG can live to regret leaving him out of those birthday celebrations.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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