and composed during the 2-2 draw in the first leg, always there when it mattered to win the ball from Messi, Villa, Iniesta and co. After putting in such a stoic performance, he was visibly exasperated by his teammates when a penalty was conceded, and converted, in the 90th minute, but was as jubilant as anyone when Blaise Matuidi humiliated Victor Valdes four minutes later with the last kick of the match. PSG led for 20 minutes of the second leg and were only put under pressure with the introduction of Lionel Messi, and although they hung on for a draw they were unable to find the goal to take them through.

Carlo Ancelotti has left to manage Real Madrid and Leonardo has stepped down from his position, sonew manager Laurent Blanc needed to make a statement upon his arrival. He already had possibly the best center-forward and the best center-half in the world, a Brazilian superstar forward and a dependable defense and midfield, so what could he possibly do? Bring in one of Ibra’s rivals to challenge for the “best center-forward in the world” title, that’s what.

Edinson Cavani arrived for a gigantic £55million fee after scoring 38 goals in 43 goals for Napoli last season, giving PSG one of the most potent forward lines in recent history. Some have said that the signing was made as a show of power, especially to new rivals Monaco, who signed Falcao for a similar fee, but also to the rest of the footballing world.

Chelsea, Manchester City and Real