Doué named man of the match against Barcelona, refuses comparison with Lamine Yamal

Désiré Doué was the architect of Paris Saint-Germain’s victory over FC Barcelona (Matchday 3 of the Ligue des Champions, Parc des Princes), opening the scoring and providing an assist for Lucas Hernandez. Named man of the match, the French winger delivered a performance that overshadowed that of Lamine Yamal, who was highly anticipated on the Catalan side.

The 19-year-old Barcelona prospect generally disappointed despite a spectacular goal that had allowed Barça to level at 2-2. Faced with this striking contrast, Doué refused to engage in the comparison game. “I think I didn’t steal the spotlight from anyone. I play my football for my team, I give 100% in every match,” he said after the match.

The former Rennes player also took care to praise the opposing performance without conceding any ground on an individual level. “He’s a great player, of course, there are many at Barcelona, so well done to them, they were good tonight. But the most important thing is that we won.”

In the mixed zone, pressed once again about his supposed distant rivalry with Lamine Yamal, Doué maintained his line with almost surgical precision. “No, I didn’t see a rivalry. We weren’t even on the same side, so no. It was PSG against Barcelona and PSG won today.”

This displayed humility contrasts with the scale of his evening: in a few decisive actions, the French international established himself as one of PSG’s most influential players in this group stage, at a time when the Paris club is seeking to confirm its European ambitions.