Leandro Paredes isn’t Paris Saint-Germain’s first Argentinian star
We take a look back at the other famous names from Argentina to have played in Paris SG colours!
The first player to wear both Rouge et Bleu and ‘Azul y Blanca’ was forward Carlos Bianchi. The future Boca Juniors manager played for two seasons between 1977 and 1979 and was the club’s top scorer, winning the Ligue 1 Golden Boot twice. Bianchi is still jointly holds the record for most goals scored in a match after putting four past Troyes in Ligue 1 in October 1977. Additionally, the striker still sits ninth in the top 10 scorers of all time for Paris Saint-Germain. Catching him up fast in 10th position is his fellow countryman, Angel Di Maria!
A number of players arrived from the South American country after Bianchi (Ramon Heredia, Osvaldo Ardiles, Omar da Fonseca and Gabriel Calderon) but it wasn’t until the new millennium that an Argentinian player really captured the hearts of the Paris faithful. Defender Gabriel Heinze joined the Parisians in 2001 from Spanish side Real Valladolid, and made over 130 appearances at the Parc des Princes. His exceptional performances earned him a move to Manchester United and later to Real Madrid.
Current Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino was another defender who wore the red and blue in France. ‘Poch’ played for two seasons as captain in Paris before leaving to join another French side, Bordeaux. He left with just under 100 first team appearances for the club.
The Paris SG love affair with Argentinians has never been so keenly felt than in recent years with a wealth of attacking players joining the ranks in the capital. Javier Pastore signed for Paris in 2011 from US Palermo, and made 269 appearances before a move to AS Roma in 2018. Pastore sits fourth in the ranking of players with the most assists for the Rouge et Bleu with 56. Like Bianchi, the player who accompanies him in the table is Angel Di Maria, who has 61.
In 2012, Pastore was joined by another Argentinian attacker; Ezequiel Lavezzi. In four seasons upon signing from SSC Napoli, Lavezzi scored 35 times in 161 appearances. The striker had an enviable scoring record in the UEFA Champions League, and is perhaps most fondly remembered for his winning goal in a 2-1 win against Montpellier in May 2015, a goal that secured Paris Saint-Germain the 2014/2015 Ligue 1 title.
One of the most successful Argentinian players to have worn the Rouge et Bleu is playing in the current squad. Angel Di Maria is fast becoming an all-time Paris Saint-Germain great! The midfielder signed in August 2015 from Manchester United and hasn’t looked back. With over 160 appearances and approaching 60 goals in the Rouge et Bleu, Di Maria has become one of the most important cogs in the Paris SG machine. His new teammate Leandro Paredes will be hoping the two countrymen can link up well and grow the list of great Argentinian players to call Paris home.
