Paris Saint-Germain once again marked the transfer window by officially announcing the arrival of the Ukrainian defender Illia Zabarnyi. Information amount: a record figure for a defensive player in the history of the club, or even of the Ligue 1. At only 22 years old, the young talent trained in Dynamo Kyiv and then revealed in Bournemouth stands out as one of the most solid hopes in European football.
But what really ignited the football planet is not only the amount of the transfer, but the words of the PSG coach Luis Enrique. During the presentation press conference, the Spanish technician declared immediately:
“This boy is even better than Huisjen from Real Madrid …”
This sentence immediately went around social networks and caused a strong reaction in the corridors of the Santiago Bernabéu. Compared by Zabarnyi to Jorel Huisjen, a promising young defender of Real Madrid, was perceived as a free provocation by certain Spanish supporters and journalists.
But the surprise came from the reaction of Xabi Alonso, an emblematic figure of Spanish football and now an important actor in the technical structure of Real. True to his sober and thoughtful style, he replied with cold elegance:
“The big statements do not win the big games. We will see on the ground. »»
This declaration, although measured, was interpreted by many as a firm development, even a disguised spike towards Luis Enrique. Some also see the sign that the rivalry between Paris and Madrid, already well rooted in recent seasons, could experience a new explosive chapter.
On the Parisian side, we put everything on Zabarnyi to strengthen a defense sometimes deemed too feverish in the major European events. The player, visibly little disturbed by media pressure, simply said:
“I am here to progress and win. Comparisons do not interest me. »»
One thing is certain: this transfer and the tensions that surround it already set the tone for a season that promises to be electric … on and off the field.
