Five who played for both: PSG and Liverpool | OneFootball

Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain do battle at Anfield in the Champions League’s Round of 16 this evening.

Two of Europe’s in-form teams go head-to-head, as the league leaders of Ligue 1 and the Premier League meet in the Champions League.

Throughout the years, several names have worn the colours of both clubs. Ahead of their meeting, we’ve remembered five players who played for both Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool.

Five who played for both: PSG and Liverpool

Nicolas Anelka

Nicolas Anelka’s emergence through the ranks at Paris Saint-Germain caught the eye, with Arsenal striking a deal to sign the teenager. The French forward emerged as one of the most exciting talents in the Premier League at Arsenal, before joining Real Madrid in a club-record deal.

Despite Champions League success, Anelka’s time in Spain was ill-fated and he returned to PSG in a £22m deal in 2000. He started well upon his return to Paris but was soon on the move amid a fallout with head coach Luis Fernández.

Anelka joined Liverpool on loan for the second half of the 2001/02 campaign and scored five times in 22 appearances for the Reds. Liverpool opted against signing Anelka on a permanent basis, a decision both club and player came to regret. Gerard Houllier instead struck a deal for Lens striker El-Hadji Diouf, who endured a miserable time on Merseyside.

“Liverpool fans think I didn’t want to stay,” Anelka later told Goal.

“They need to know that that wasn’t the case. That episode was tragic for me. It’s a club where I could have done great things.”

Mohamed Sissoko

Rafael Benitez sought a reunion with Mohamed Sissoko at Liverpool after the Mali midfielder had won La Liga under the Spaniard’s stewardship at Valencia. Despite competition for a place from Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and later Javier Mascherano, Sissoko cemented a role as an important member of the Reds’ squad.

He started the club’s 2006 FA Cup final win over West Ham in Cardiff and made 87 appearances in all competitions before joining Juventus. After three seasons in Turin, Sissoko signed for Paris Saint-Germain.

He was one of the first signings of the Qatar-backed era at PSG and helped the Parisians to a drought-breaking Ligue 1 title in 2012/13.

David Ngog

Liverpool snapped up the signing of David Ngog from Paris Saint-Germain in 2008. After a promising emergence in the French capital, Liverpool agreed a deal to sign the gangly teenager.

Ngog spent three seasons with the Reds and scored 19 goals in 94 appearances. His finest moment came with a late goal to seal a 2-0 win over Manchester United at Anfield.

However, the Frenchman failed to live up to his early promise and was sold to Bolton Wanderers in 2011.

Mamadou Sakho

Mamadou Sakho’s precocious talent saw him break into the Paris Saint-Germain side at just 17. He became the youngest player ever to captain a Ligue 1 side, having been handed the armband at PSG for his league debut against Valenciennes, as head coach Paul Le Guen sought a reaction from the club’s senior players.

Sakho made 201 appearances for PSG and won four trophies, before joining Liverpool in a transfer worth £18m. A fixture in the side at the time of his arrival, he helped the Reds to runners-up finishes in the Premier League, League Cup and Europa League.

However, the arrival of Jurgen Klopp saw Sakho gradually fall out of favour and he was loaned to Crystal Palace in January 2017. The deal was eventually made permanent that summer.

Georginio Wijnaldum

An unsung hero of the Jurgen Klopp era at Liverpool. Wijnaldum became one of Klopp’s first major signings with the Reds after arriving from Newcastle United in a £25m deal. A bright spark despite Newcastle’s relegation, Liverpool capitalised to bring the Dutch midfielder to Anfield.

Wijnaldum spent five years with Liverpool and won the Champions League and Premier League among his honours. He had an unforgettable role in the former triumph, with two goals as Liverpool overturned a 3-0 deficit to beat Barcelona in the semi-finals.

His work rate and ability to retain possession under pressure were fundamental to a functional Liverpool midfield before Wijnaldum departed for PSG on a free transfer in 2021. He won the Ligue 1 title during his debut campaign in Paris but failed to command an automatic role in the side. After one season in France, he joined Roma on loan before a permanent transfer to Saudi side Al-Ettifaq.

Read – Liverpool XI vs PSG – Predicted lineup and team news

See more – PSG vs Liverpool – Match preview

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