Abdou Diallo (29), a Senegalese defender currently playing for Al-Arabi SC, watched Paris Saint-Germain’s victory in the Champions League with emotion. Interviewed by RMC Sport, the former French-trained club player gave a sincere account, combining pride, love for the jersey, and no regrets. He speaks as an insider, but also from the heart.
Diallo: “I was in the shoes of a fan.”
“I was in the shoes of a fan, but a fan who knows what it means from the inside, how hard it is, how long it’s been awaited. I spent many years at the club, I was born in France, so I know what this title means for PSG, which I particularly love. Honestly, I was amazed like everyone else.
It wasn’t for me, it wasn’t meant for me. There’s no regret or jealousy, really. But a lot of satisfaction, and a real relief that Paris has finally won the Champions League.”
Paris Saint-Germain’s victory in the Champions League brought immense relief, almost tangible, to all Parisian fans, as well as to many former players of the club. For fans, this triumph erases years of frustration, mockery, and dashed hopes: as soon as the final whistle blew, Paris erupted, with songs and jubilation filling the Parc des Princes stadium, the streets, and social media, a sign of deeply rooted passion and a weight finally lifted from generations of supporters.
But this feeling doesn’t stop at the stadium gates. Many players who have played for PSG—whether they wore the red and blue jersey recently or several years ago—know better than anyone how much the quest for the Champions League has shaped the club’s history. For them, seeing Paris finally lift the “big-eared cup” is not just a sporting victory: it is the fulfillment of a shared dream, that of belonging to a club that has now joined the ranks of the very best. This success has a healing dimension for all those who have experienced this sometimes painful wait from the inside, and who can now say that they have contributed, in their own way, to building this PSG that has conquered Europe.
