PSG and the World Cup: Act I, the 1980s

In 1982, Paris Saint-Germain featured players at the World Cup for the first time. Four Paris stars took part in the finals tournament in Spain: goalkeeper Dominique Baratelli and forward Dominique Rocheteau with Les Bleus, Algeria’s Mustapha Dahleb and Yugoslavia’s Ivica Surjak.

At 35 years of age, Dominique Baratelli was the oldest member of the squad and did not feature in Spain, but his clubmate Dominique Rocheteau bagged a double against Northern Ireland (4-1, 04/07/1982) before getting injured. He was on the pitch for the unforgettable semi-final against West Germany (3-3 a.e.t, pens 4-5, 08/07/1982): “It was a spectacular match, a real permanent rollercoaster ride and that dramatic finish.”

Yugoslavia captain Ivica Surjak suffered a disappointing tournament and a humiliating first round exit. Mustapha Dahleb also bowed out in the group stage despite Algeria’s great performance in defeating West Germany (2-1, 16/06/1982): “I have a very good memory of that competition, but also a little disappointment because we should have reached the second round.” 

The World Cup in 1986 in Mexique highlighted the performances of four PSG stars, who reached the semi-finals with Les Bleus: Joël Bats, Luis Fernandez, Dominique Rocheteau and Michel Bibard.

Luis Fernandez was one of the heroes of that famous night in Guadalajara against Brazil (1-1 a.e.t, pens.4-3, 21/06/1986), scoring the winning penalty: “This match was a childhood dream. I was playing against football gods. It was an exceptional experience for me and will remain forever one of the highlights of my career.”

Dominique Rocheteau started in attack against Brazil and Joël Bats also shone, saving Zico’s penalty in the shootout: “I remember the permanent noise and the samba music from the terraces. There was a real party atmosphere, this match was a celebration! And we won it with that penalty from Luis. Just before he shot, I told him: ‘You’re going to score, God is with us!’” 

Michel Bibard took part in the win over Belgium in the third-fourth play-off (4-2, 28/06/1986): “First of all, I would have walked to Mexico on my knees if it meant I was in the squad for the World Cup. I have great memories of the whole tournament and being a part of the World Cup is a huge thing in the career of a footballer.”