Valdo: 'There is a lot of love in this squad'

The last time Paris reached the Champions League semi-finals was with Valdo in 1995. Twenty-five years on, as the capital club celebrates its 50th anniversary, the Brazilian joined PSGTV in Lisbon to look back on an emotional match against Atalanta.

It seems to bring back a few memories...What did you feel?

I'm very happy to be here and to be part of this Paris Saint-Germain family. It was a very intense match, very intense. Paris was 1-0 down and until the end, the players were warriors on the field. That's where the love and determination between the players made for an explosive mix. Paris Saint-Germain showed they had it all: the complicity between the players, the quality, and the victory was deserved. There's love in this group and then of course there's the coach's touch. Without that, it's impossible to go all the way, to equalise at the end and make the difference in the 90^th minute.

How did you feel about the game?

As a former player, I've always been a fan of Paris Saint-Germain, so during this match, it was even worse! But I'm pretty quiet when I watch football. For me, there's always a small way out, and I kept thinking that, even when Paris conceded a goal. I had friends who were already teasing me, talking to me about elimination, and I'd tell them 'don't worry, just before the final whistle, we'll score at the right time and we'll qualify', and you know what happened.

When you're a striker and you can't find the back of the net in a game like this… can you start to doubt?

When you're Neymar Jr. or Kylian Mbappé, it's easier not to doubt. It's true that Neymar missed two opportunities that he usually scores. But we could feel he was in the game. When he plays at that level, there's no tactical system to stop him. A bit like Mbappé or Messi. When it’s the right night, he's unstoppable. Neymar had a lot of space, and on counter-attacks he was really impressive.

As for Mbappé... If I'm the Atalanta coach and I see Kylian Mbappé coming on, I'm already very worried. It already means it's impossible to stop him, you need at least two players to stop him and the same goes for Neymar, it's very complicated. That's the strength of having a squad like Paris Saint-Germain. Let's hope now that Kylian will be at 100% for the next game, so that the opponents can't sleep well.

We had the feeling that the 23 players were one. How do you see this squad?

All the players have been very important, those on the field, but also those on the bench. They were present, concentrated, and the good example is Choupo-Moting, who comes in, scores, and offers the qualification to Paris Saint-Germain.

I say bravo to him. It wasn't easy to start on the bench, and that already shows he's very intelligent. And the most important thing was to be ready, and he was. When the coach asked him to play, he was focused on making a difference. Afterwards, all the players are happy for him, but because he's a good person. He's a positive person, very endearing. We're talking about Paris Saint-Germain and it's not easy to be a starter in this team. But the most important thing for me as a former player is to be ready and available to the coach.

And then there are players like Marquinhos or Keylor Navas, who don't wear the armband, don't talk too much, but are real leaders. In their confidence, in their looks, they say a lot of things. I was proud of this Paris Saint-Germain.

Today, the Paris Saint-Germain has it all. I feel they are ready. There are signs that make you optimistic. Strikers that no one expected, strong emotions, suffering and experience.

Any last words, Valdo?

Thank you, Paris, for the invitation. It means a lot to me. I will always keep this club in my heart, all my life. Paris est magique!