Antwerp scout predicted the meteoric rise of PSG defender William Pacho | OneFootball

In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad, Antwerp scout Jerry Vanacker revealed what he had written down about now PSG defender William Pacho when scouting him: ‘Pacho will one day end up at a top club in one of the biggest European competitions’. Clearly, Vanacker had an eye for talent. Pacho is now at PSG with a market value believed to be in the region of €45m. Yet even the scout admitted he did not anticipate Pacho being able to achieve this just two years after leaving Belgium.

However, Antwerp almost missed out on signing Pacho. While Vanacker was keen to sign the defender, he initially looked to move to the Bundesliga with Borussia Mönchengladbach. However, the move never materialised because the Bundesliga side had to sell in order to sign him. He returned to Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle. In the winter window of the 2021/2022 season, Antwerp made their move to sign Pacho.

Vanacker’s initial belief in Pacho was proved correct. The defender was a key member of the 2022/2023 title winning side as he played 50 games for the club. The side also won the domestic cup to make it a double, which began to alert other sides in Europe. He then moved to Eintracht Frankfurt, finally earning the move to the Bundesliga he had been denied a few seasons prior. Now he has joined PSG, a monumental rise given he was still playing in Ecuador back in 2021.

Clearly, Vanacker has a keen eye for talent.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson