Ten years after leaving, Grégory Van der Wiel—the 38-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain right-back who is now retired—remains deeply attached to his time in the French capital. Speaking to Flashscore, the Dutchman reflected on his early days in Paris and on Marquinhos, the 32-year-old PSG defender and captain.
Van der Wiel: “Playing for a team like that in a city like Paris was a dream.”
In the summer of 2012, you joined Paris Saint-Germain. How did you handle the transition to such a massive club?
“I grew up with high expectations at Ajax, where winning is mandatory. But Paris was on a whole different level. A new country, a new culture, a dressing room where no one spoke my language. Tactically, it was a huge shift, too.
“In the Netherlands, we played a strict 4-3-3, and suddenly in Paris, we were switching to a 4-4-2. It took me some time to adapt. But once I did, playing for a team like that in a city like Paris was a dream.”
Marquinhos was already there during your time and is now a club legend. Did you think he would stay this long and reach such status?
“You never know how long someone will stay, but what he’s achieved is incredible. He arrived very young and learned from all the great players who came before him. Seeing him as captain today, regularly leading the team deep into the Champions League, is fantastic. It was an honor to play alongside him.”
Van der Wiel’s memories hark back to the early years of the ambitious Paris project. Arriving in 2012, the Dutchman experienced a PSG side still undergoing transformation, where European ambitions were growing just as rapidly as the squad was being strengthened. His account also highlights the remarkable trajectory of Marquinhos, who arrived at just 19 in 2013 and has since become the most-capped player in the club’s history.
Van der Wiel: “Balance is everything in football”
Ten years after you left, PSG rules Europe. What changed to finally break through that glass ceiling?
“The evolution has been superb. We had an incredible team back in my day, and the squads that followed—with Neymar, Messi, and Mbappé—were also exceptional. But I think everything has really come together recently because the team is much more balanced.
“There might be slightly fewer big names, but balance is everything in football. Everyone knows their role, the players complement each other, and they have an excellent coach who knows how to make it all work.”
This perspective is all the more compelling given that Van der Wiel experienced the era when Paris was still searching for the formula to turn an accumulation of talent into European dominance. PSG has since crossed that threshold, winning back-to-back Champions League titles in 2025 and 2026. His observations underscore a shift in philosophy: less reliance on individual brilliance, greater complementarity, and a clearly defined collective identity. It is an evolution that adds even more depth to the memories of those who played a part in the early years of building this team.
