Carlos Bianchi: "The Parc des Princes was my garden!"
To mark the 50th anniversary of the capital club, PSG.FR invites you to dive into Paris Saint-Germain history through interviews with those who have written Rouge et Bleu history. Today, Carlos Bianchi - the redoubtable Argentinian goalscorer who was at the club from '77 to '79 (71 goals in 80 matches) - shares his memories.
The first time you took on Paris, it was with Reims in the Coupe de France. The Parc was full. PSG were playing in the second division. Do you remember the game that Reims won 5-0?
"I remember the match because second division Paris Saint-Germain had just knocked out two top division teams. I remember that day because we played the perfect game. Paris Saint-Germain were already a very good team by then but I succeeded in scoring a hat-trick."
Let's talk about the story about you joining Paris Saint-Germain on June 23 1977. Daniel Hechter, the President, appealed for donations to finance transfers. We remember one person who donated in particular. It was Henri Salvador, who put in more than 40 thousand francs into your transfer.
"I remember we agreed the deal in Saint-Tropez with Daniel Hechter. He was ambitious, somebody who put his own money into the club and someone for whom I have a lot of respect."
There was the match against Nice that you lost 3-0 (01/10/1977). You missed a penalty and there were a few boos at the Parc des Princes. Two weeks later in PSG-Troyes (8-2, 14/10/1977) you scored a quadruple. Was that one of your best games at the Parc des Princes?
"Yes, everything went right for me that day. I was lucky in that I had teammates who gave me good service. I tried to do my bit as well. In that game I think I scored a goal from more than 30 metres, a shot from a long way out. It's one of the best goals I scored for Paris Saint-Germain."
A few weeks later you took on Saint-Etienne at the Parc des Princes and won 4-1 (09/11/1977). Generally, in such games, PSG managed to lift their level. How do you explain that PSG beat the big teams and often lost to the smaller teams?
"Maybe because we concentrated a bit more. You know something, the day of the 4-1, the coach of Argentina, (Cesar Luis) Menotti, came to see me. That season I scored 37 goals (the top single season league haul for a PSG player until the 38 scored by Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2015/2016). And in the game I scored a goal. Now when people ask me why Menotti didn't pick me for the World Cup I say that I scored too many goals!"
The following season of 78-79 was your second at Paris Saint-Germain, and the club signed Bathenay and Baratelli, international players. Did you say to yourselves it was a season to target European qualification?
"Yes, but targeting Europe in that era wasn't easy. Nowadays, the fourth and fifth placed clubs get into Europe as well as the winners of the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue. Back then we had very good international players coming in to strengthen the side. But during my two seasons we finished 11th and 13th. I don't understand why we had such results as we had very good players. We had a balanced team but things didn't go for us."
Let's move onto the current generation. What do you see in the club's future?
"I'm convinced that sooner or later, Paris Saint-Germain will become champions of Europe. I repeat myself every season when I say that Paris Saint-Germain have as great a chance of becoming European champions as all the other favourites."
What left the biggest impression on you from your time at Paris Saint-Germain ?
"The Parc des Princes. It was my garden! I've got magnificent memories of the place."