Ducrocq: 'The feeling that PSG has existed forever'

Pierre, you joined Paris Saint-Germain when you were 12 years old. Did you already dream of playing professionally for Paris?
"I wanted to, yes! Even if, at that time, we only really thought about having fun with our mates. But it was always somewhere in our heads, especially when you change worlds. I went from AS Saint-Ouen L'Aumône to the national training centre at Clairefontaine and also to Paris Saint-Germain. It was the start of a dream, so you do think about it."

On 29 January 1995, you made your professional debut against Lyon in the Coupe de la Ligue at the age of 18. What memories do you have of that match?

"I don't have many memories of it, to be honest. Except the feeling of a first achievement. When you play the first match, you quickly feel like playing in your second. And everything changes very quickly. It's the Parc des Princes in particular that I remember, it's a childhood dream come true. It's also a lot of pressure, but positive pressure. I was surrounded by incredible players, Antoine Kombouaré, Alain Roche, Paul Le Guen, Vincent Guérin, Bernard Lama, George Weah, David Ginola, Valdo... I probably forgot some of them. I had stars in my eyes."

How did you experience winning the Cup Winners Cup in 1996, with your Titi eyes?

"That year, I was on loan at Laval, in Ligue 2. So I wasn't in the squad. But I saw it as a player from the club. I was on loan at Laval and I played 35 matches there. Everything was going well and in my mind, I was totally behind Paris. All I wanted was for my club to win the Cup Winners Cup."

You came back to the club in 1997, you played and you played against Marseille at the Parc des Princes...

"Those are great memories. There's a little story that I can talk about now because I work with Christophe Dugarry. I came into the game and I hear him talking to Fabrizio Ravanelli, saying that they want to blow the kid away... Quickly they hit me hard, I get up and I'm not far from losing my top! The classics were always special matches. We exchange words... that's the history of these matches. And I met Fabrizio Ravanelli three years later at Derby County. I met someone totally different, from a different angle in any case, than PSG’s archrivals…"

1997-98 was a great season, with two national cups won, among other things...

"We all felt that year, we were going to go all the way in both cups and that's what happened. Ricardo and Joël Bats were the coaches, we were a real bunch of mates, who enjoyed playing together, and we were a real cup team. It's hard to explain, but it's a state of mind that comes about as the games go on. The two finals were great games, against two great teams, Bordeaux in the Coupe de la Ligue and Lens in the Coupe de France. They're great memories for us players, because we never doubted we would win.”

Paris Saint-Germain will celebrate its 50th birthday this season. It's a big thing, and for you too, who are a child of the club…

"It's very touching. You might think 50 years isn't much, but it feels like PSG have been around forever. So much has happened in 50 years, there's so much to tell... I'm almost 50 myself, I'm going to celebrate that with the club. I'm happy and proud to be a part of that history."