Five who played for both: Aston Villa and PSG | OneFootball

Aston Villa and PSG face off again tonight in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash.

The French champions take a 3-1 lead to Birmingham and are looking to put down a marker as one of the favourites to win the whole competition. But Villa will be well up for the challenge in the hope they can pull off a comeback in what is surely the biggest game Villa Park has seen this century.

These are two clubs that you typically wouldn’t closely associate, though they share more history than you might think. Here are five of the best players to have played for both Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain.

Aston Villa vs PSG: Five players who played for both clubs

Marco Asensio

We start with the most relevant link between the two clubs and a player who will be hoping to have a big impact on tonight’s game. Marco Asensio joined Villa on loan from PSG in January and has been a breath of fresh air for Unai Emery’s team, scoring eight goals in 13 games.

Unlike in the Premier League, where loanees are banned from playing against their parent clubs, UEFA’s rulebook states that clubs can’t have “any influence whatsoever over the players that another club may field in a match”, meaning that Asensio is free to lace-up for Villa tonight.

The 29-year-old has bags of experience in the competition, winning it three times with Real Madrid before signing for PSG in 2023.

Despite his pedigree, Asensio didn’t have the impact he’d hoped for in Paris; he made just 47 appearances for the French side before being deemed surplus to requirements. The Spaniard has already scored more goals in claret and blue than he did during his 18 months in Paris.

Read – Why Marco Asensio can play against parent club PSG tonight

David Ginola

One of the best French exports to ever grace the Premier League, David Ginola turned heads wherever he went.

The elegant winger spent four seasons in Paris from 1992 to 1995. He would quickly become a fan favourite there, dazzling the French fans with his blistering pace and magical touch.

Ginola won two French cups and a French League cup with PSG, as well as being the club’s top goalscorer in the 1993-94 season, when he delivered them their second-ever French league title.

By the time he arrived in the Midlands in the summer of 2000, he was a far cry from the player who was named French Footballer of the Year seven years prior. When he rocked up at Villa after successful spells in England with Newcastle and Spurs, the spark had left him, and he managed just three goals in 32 appearances.

Read – David Ginola wasn’t a great goal scorer, but a glamorous scorer of great goals

Lucas Digne

Another player still in the Villa ranks today, Lucas Digne signed for PSG in 2013 after impressing at Lille as a teenager.

The left-back spent three years with the club (including a loan spell at Roma) but made only 30 appearances, being used mainly as a backup to Brazilian fullback Maxwell.

Still highly rated, the Frenchman made the move to Barcelona in 2016 and spent two seasons there before moving to England to play for Everton.

During his time on Merseyside, Digne would establish himself as one of the league’s top fullbacks, prompting Villa to pay £25 million for his services in 2022.

At Villa, Digne has been a first-team regular, racking up over 100 appearances and playing a important role in bringing the club Champions League football.

Read – Aston Villa vs PSG match preview and team news

Moussa Diaby

Moussa Diaby came through the academy at PSG and signed his first professional contract in 2018 to play for former Paris and current Aston Villa manager Unai Emery.

The winger then had a brief loan spell in Serie A with Crotone before returning to PSG for a breakout season in 2018-19.

Diaby made 34 appearances for The Parisians in all competitions, registering four goals and seven assists, prior to signing for Bayer Leverkusen for €15 million in June 2019. The Frenchman shone during his four seasons in Germany, compelling Villa to part with £52 million for the wide-man.

However, his time with Villa was fleeting, registering 14 goal contributions in his sole season in the Premier League before signing with Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad in a deal reportedly worth around €60 million.

Read – Five of the best Champions League free-kicks ever

Idrissa Gana Gueye

A midfielder not afraid to get his hands dirty, Idrissa Gueye was quite the coup when he signed for Aston Villa for £9 million from Lille in 2015.

The Senegalese enforcer made 35 appearances during the 2015/16 season and was a standout performer in a dreadful side. His displays couldn’t prevent them from being relegated to the Championship, though.

Gana had a relegation release clause in his contract, and so he signed for Everton the following season, where he spent the next three years before a £30 million move to PSG in the summer of 2019.

Gana established himself as one of Europe’s elite defensive midfielders while in Paris, winning a domestic treble and getting to the Champions League final in his debut season.

He went on to win a further three trophies in Paris before returning to Everton in 2022, where he still plays regularly now at the age of 35.

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