Former Paris Saint-Germain (47 matches, 20 goals in 1995-1996) and Inter Milan (127 matches, 39 goals 1996-99) star Youri Djorkaeff looks ahead to the International Super Cup match between Les Rouge et Bleu and the Nerazzurri at the Macao Olympic Sports Centre tonight!
Youri, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan play on Saturday. It's obviously a special match for you…
"Of course! I played one great season with Paris Saint-Germain before Inter transferred me. They are my two favourite clubs. I enjoyed great success and won trophies with both (Trophée des Champions 1995 and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup with Paris Saint-Germain, the UEFA Cup in 1998 with Inter). It's great to have made history with both."
You won that UEFA Cup with Inter… at the Parc des Princes!
"It was like a dream! We beat Lazio 3-0 in the final. It was incredible because I'd left Paris Saint-Germain two years earlier and it was great to return to the Parc win another trophy. Then a few months later we won the World Cup just a few kilometres from there at the Stade de France... 1998 was good summer..."
You scored a lot of goals in your single season with Paris Saint-Germain. Do any stand out in particular?
"Two goals really mean a lot to me. The first against Auxerre, at the Parc des Princes. I played a very quick one-two with Rai and volleyed high across the goal and into the far top corner. And then there was my goal against Deportivo La Coruna. The club had made it to the semi-finals in Europe for three years in a row. That goal saw us qualify for the final of the Cup Winners Cup. At that time, it was also a very important goal for me too because I'd just came back from three weeks out with injury and trained the night before. I wasn't sure to play. I came on for the last ten minutes and with my first touch, a managed to score that goal. It's still a great memory."
What do you think of this Paris Saint-Germain for the 2019-20 season?
"I think something is happening inside the club this year and perhaps people outside can't see it yet, but it's happening. We can feel the frsutration of the last few years, especially in Europe. Perhaps we had to experience that first. I feel there's more discpline, more coordination, things seem clearer on a sporting level. I think the arrival of Leonardo will bring a lot to the club."
Has the club really changed that much from the time you played here?
"Honestly... not that much. Obviously it has changed, and advanced, because eitherwise it would mean the club has not progressed. But Paris Saint-Germain was a big club when I played here. And it is a big club today. In my day, there was very little marketing, commercialisation, a digital department… Today, all these elements have to work hand in hand with the playing team. In the 1990s, Paris Saint-Germain wasn't so focused on international development because it wasn't essential back then. Today, the club is still one of the biggest in the world and it's great to see that evolution."