Naea Bennett invited to the Parc des Princes

Naea Bennett, Tahiti's Minister of Youth, Crime Prevention and Sports, was in attendance with his daughter at Les Rouge et Bleu's 1-0 win over Marseille last night.

Bennett, who was once a star player on the Polynesian island, played in several World Cup qualifiers for Tahiti before shining at the Beach Soccer World Cup in 2011 and 2013, helping his side to an incredible fourth-place finish in 2013.

In Paris to put plans together for the Olympic surfing events that will take place in Tahiti as part of Paris 2024, Bennett received a Paris Saint-Germain shirt in honour of his father, Errol Bennett, one of the most popular players in the history of football in the South Pacific, as well as a former player for the capital club.

From January to June 1972, Errol Bennett plied his trade for Paris's reserves before returning to Tahiti and winning several trophies with AS Central Sport, including eight Tahitian league titles, whilst also achieving a number of feats with the Tahiti national team and the honorary title of Tahiti's best player in a poll for Oceania's Player of the Century, just ahead of former Auxerre striker Pascal Vahirua.

As a Paris Saint-Germain fan who continues to follow the club's exploits back in Papeete, Bennett promised to join his son on their next visit to mainland France so that he can get another look at the Camp des Loges, which he saw for the first time more than 50 years ago.