Paris Saint-Germain players at the World Cup: Act 1, the 1980s

It was in 1982 that players from the club from the capital first appeared at a World Cup. Four Parisians took part in the finals in Spain: goalkeeper Dominique Baratelli and striker Dominique Rocheteau for Les Bleus, Algerian Mustapha Dahleb and the Yougoslavian Ivica Surjak.

The 35-year-old Dominique Baratelli, the oldest member of the team, did not play in any of the matches in Spain, but his colleague Dominique Rocheteau scored twice against Northern Ireland (4-1, 4 July 1982) before being injured. He was on the pitch in Seville for the unforgettable semi-final against West Germany (3-3 a.p., 4-5 on penalties, 08/07/1982) and has special memories of this match against Germany: "It was a spectacular match, with its constant twists and turns and its kind of drama at the end."

Yugoslavia's captain Ivica Surjak was to experience hell throughout the competition, with a humiliating elimination in the first round. Mustapha Dahleb also failed in the first round, despite an exceptional run with Les Fennecs, winning 2-1 against West Germany (16/06/1982): "I have good memories of this competition, with perhaps a little disappointment because we should have reached the second round."

The 1986 World Cup in Mexico was to highlight four of France's semi-finalists: Joël Bats, Luis Fernandez, Dominique Rocheteau and Michel Bibard.

Luis Fernandez was one of the heroes of the magical night in Guadalajara against Brazil (1-1 a.p., 4 pts to 3, 21/06/1986), scoring the decisive penalty: "This match was already a childhood dream. I was playing against the gods of football, it was exceptional for me. It will remain one of the greatest moments of my career."

Dominique Rocheteau started in attack against the Brazilians and Joël Bats was also heroic in goal, saving a Zico penalty and then a Socrates attempt in the penalty shoot-out: "I remember the noise and the samba in the stands from that match. There was a festive atmosphere, and the match was a party. Finally, the relief came with Luis' shot. I said to him before his shot: "You're going to score, God is with us!"

Michel Bibard, meanwhile, was involved in the third-place match, with a victory over Belgium (4-2, 28/06/1986) for the best ranking of Les Bleus at that time in the World Cup: "Before leaving, we would have made the trip on our knees to be in the 22. I have an excellent memory, it counts in the career of a footballer to participate in such an event."