Snap shot: When Arsenal last called on Paris
Sunday, September 11, 2016
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Arsenal were a side that made every goal count when they last played Paris at the Parc des Princes; UEFA.com tracks the progress of both teams' class of 1994.
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The last time Arsenal visited Paris Saint-Germain, it was the semi-finals of the 1993/94 European Cup Winners' Cup, Ian Wright taking the wind out of the home side's sails with a 35th-minute finish at the Parc des Princes. Though PSG would equalise, Arsenal won the return leg 1-0 and went on to lift the trophy, beating Parma by the same scoreline in the final.
1 Ian Wright
A late starter – he first signed professional terms at 22 – Wright arrived at Arsenal from Crystal Palace in 1991 for a record fee and won one league title and three domestic cups. However, he missed the Cup Winners' Cup final through suspension. His 185-goal haul for the Gunners from 1991–98 was a record, eventually broken by Thierry Henry. Now a media personality, his adopted son Shaun Wright-Phillips and biological son Bradley Wright-Phillips are both professional footballers.
2 Alan Smith
Fully 1.91m tall, Smith made great use of his height, being considered one of the great headed finishers of the '1-0 to the Arsenal' era – though his clincher in the Cup Winners' Cup final against Parma was a left-footed volley. Recruited from Leicester in 1987, he ended his career at Highbury in 1995 with a tally of 115 goals in all competitions. Now a co-commentator and pundit.
3 Vincent Guérin
A 1988 UEFA European Under-21 Championship winner with France, the versatile holding midfielder was born in the nearest hospital to the Parc des Princes, but – like Paris team-mate David Ginola – started out with Brest, claiming a French Cup with Montpellier in 1990 and heading for Paris two years later. One of PSG's 1995/96 Cup Winners' Cup winners, he played in Scotland for Hearts, trained as a coach, and is now a pundit with his own events company.
4 Patrick Colleter
This quick and rugged full-back impressed as Montpellier reached the 1990/91 Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals, and later won that competition with Paris – whom he had joined in 1991. Subsequent spells with Bordeaux, Marseille and Southampton proved less successful. Colleter is currently a pundit, having served as assistant coach under Paris club-mate Ricardo at Bordeaux and Monaco.
5 Valdo
The rail-thin, tricky Brazilian midfielder remains an all-time favourite for Paris fans of a certain generation, having dazzled as a playmaker from 1991–95, between two stints at Benfica. Capped 45 times by Brazil, he settled in Portugal and became a scout and TV pundit after hanging up his boots.
6 Paul Le Guen
Nicknamed 'La Patate de Pencran' (the Bullet of Pencran) for his powerful shots, the Breton box-to-box midfielder was a Paris regular from 1991–98. Now an expert summariser on TV, he did great things as a coach, leading Lyon to three titles – 2003, 2004 and 2005 – and landing the League Cup with Paris. Also coached abroad with Rangers, Cameroon and Oman.
7 Francis Llacer
From the Paris suburbs, Llacer spent the best years of his career with Paris, where he started as a 13-year-old. A right-back, 'Cisco' left a huge impression with a scissor-kick goal against Caen on 1 October 1994. Having worked on the coaching staff of his old boss Luis Fernandez at Beitar Jerusalem, Llacer quit the world of football to become a horse breeder.
8 Jean-Luc Sassus
Lined up for a job as a chemical engineer after excelling at school in Toulouse, the speedy winger turned full-back collected a league title during his two-year stay in Paris, moving on to Lyon and St-Étienne before retiring. He remained in the game as a player's agent yet died of a heart attack, aged 52, in May 2015.
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