AC Milan’s Mike Maignan stands in way of old club PSG in Champions League

PARIS – Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League home clash with AC Milan on Wednesday will see the French club come up against one of the many outstanding talent they have let slip away in recent years.

In the Italian side’s goal will be Mike Maignan, who was allowed to leave Paris for Lille in 2015 and has gone on to win Ligue 1 and Serie A titles, while also becoming France’s first-choice goalkeeper.

PSG, meanwhile, handed the gloves to a long list of goalkeepers before signing Gianluigi Donnarumma from Milan in 2021 and making him their undisputed No. 1 a year later.

However, would the club have ultimately been better off keeping faith in a young Maignan?

Now aged 28, Maignan has become one of the world’s outstanding goalkeepers and will be Milan’s last line of defence against his France teammates Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Randal Kolo Muani in a pivotal Group F match.

Having kept clean sheets in draws with Newcastle United and Borussia Dortmund so far in the group, he is set to return for Milan after sitting out the 1-0 Serie A loss against Juventus on Sunday due to suspension.

“It is always a strange feeling to go back home, whether that to be to Lille or Paris,” said Maignan.

“It brings back memories. I have already played against PSG for Lille. It’s the Champions League. There will be a great atmosphere. My family will be there. I need to make sure I focus on my job and not let emotions overwhelm me.”

There has been much focus in recent years on PSG’s lack of Champions League success, while their Qatari owners have adopted a policy of spending huge money on superstar signings.

Meanwhile, they have neglected the young talent on their doorstep in the fertile football breeding grounds in Paris.

It is not just Maignan they let go over the last decade, with Kingsley Coman, Adrien Rabiot, Christopher Nkunku and Moussa Diaby all choosing to pursue their careers elsewhere.

But a conscious effort has been made to change the approach, with the departure of big names like Lionel Messi and Neymar, and the arrival of French talent like the 26-year-old Dembele and Kolo Muani, 24.

As well as Maignan, the Milan side to face PSG could include Yacine Adli, a 23-year-old playmaker born in the Paris suburbs who left his hometown team after just one appearance.

Having slumped to a 4-1 defeat at Newcastle three weeks ago, failure to beat Milan on Wednesday would increase the risk of Luis Enrique’s side not getting out of their group, which would be disastrous for a club of PSG’s ambitions.

And Maignan could just be the one who could decide their fate. AFP