“I don’t believe the front three at PSG would do that” – Rio Ferdinand urges Ligue 1 giants to follow Cristiano Ronaldo blueprint for Champions League success
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has urged PSG to follow the blueprint set by his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo in the UEFA Champions League.
Ronaldo, 37, is the most successful player in the Champions League, having won the trophy on five occasions.
PSG made a demoralizing exit from the competition at the hands of Ronaldo's former employers, Real Madrid, on Wednesday. They gave up a 2-0 aggregate lead to lose the Round of 16 tie 3-2.
Ferdinand has suggested that the Ligue 1 side should look at the success Los Blancos had with Ronaldo in the side as a blueprint for the future. He told BT Sport (via Manchester Evening News):
“You look at Real Madrid when Cristiano was there, one player who was a passenger, he’s the guy that can stay up the pitch sometimes not track back."
He continued:
"The man who scored the hat-trick (Benzema) was someone who put the miles in."
Ferdinand then used Karim Benzema and Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski as examples of players willing to sacrifice their own personal in-game goals to benefit their teams.
He said in this regard:
"There’s got to be an element of players sacrificing elements of their game for the better of the team. Karim Benzema — who is vying to be the best number nine in the world with Lewandowski, for years and years and years — he got four Champions League medals by looking at his own game and saying ‘I’m going to put all my own personal goals and aims personally to one side for the better of the team and make sure Cristiano Ronaldo has the platform to work and does a little bit of his running.’ Now I don’t believe the front three at PSG would do that."
"This PSG team pressed the self-destruct button."
"The players are too powerful, they can't get told off."
Rio Ferdinand and Steve McManaman discuss PSG throwing away their 2-0 lead at the Bernabeu..
#UCL https://t.co/pnu3CSljll
PSG's Champions League curse strikes again against Ronaldo's former side
PSG have failed to make it further than the Champions League Round of 16 in four of their last six appearances.
Their talismanic figures, Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., and Kylian Mbappe, didn't look like they were working in cohesion following Karim Benzema's goalscoring heroics.
Chasing the game, they looked devoid of ideas, with only Mbappe still posing a threat in the closing stages of the game.
Mauricio Pochettino is on the verge of being sacked by PSG. He will seek to become the next Manchester United manager if he is sacked.
🚨 Mauricio Pochettino is on the verge of being sacked by PSG. He will seek to become the next Manchester United manager if he is sacked.
(Source: Telegraph) https://t.co/xsDNk2Jsfd
Real Madrid simply blew them away in the final 30 minutes of the second leg, and the major players in the PSG team lacked the fortitude to put their own personal performances aside to help the team.
The future now looks somewhat bleak for the Parc des Princes outfit. Rumors are circulating around the futures of manager Mauricio Pochettino and their star man Mbappe.
It seems that PSG just can't shake off the Champions League curse.