On Tuesday night, Paris Saint Germain and Juventus will clash heads on the pitch for the first time in 25 years when the two European giants kickoff their European campaigns at le Parc des Princes.
But even though the two sides haven’t shared a football pitch recently, they have been clashing off the pitch on several occasions throughout the past decade, as explained by ilBianconero.
Perhaps it all started in 2012. At the time, Marco Verratti was almost betrothed to Juventus. The playmaker was expected to join the Bianconeri following a brilliant Serie B campaign at Pescara. Nonetheless, PSG splashed the competition out of the water with a major bid.
However, the Italians returned the favor two years later by snatching the services of Kingsley Coman on a free transfer. The Ligue 1 giants were livid. A year later they attempted to reconcile by asking for a percentage from the player’s resale to Bayern Munich, but were rebuffed by the Old Lady.
In 2015, PSG sensed the same danger on Jonathan Ikone, so they decided to ward off the Bianconeri by offering the young player a long-term contract.
In the summer of 2016, Juventus had a agreed a deal for Blaise Matuidi worth 30 million euros, but PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi pulled the plug on the transfer during an appearance on television. The midfielder eventually landed in Turin a year later.
Finally, the European Super League debacle was the last and most dividing chapter in the rivalry between the two clubs. Juventus president Andrea Agnelli resigned from his post as the president of the ECA, and was subsequently replaced by Al-Khelaifi who proved to be a solid ally for UEFA in their battle against Super League rebels.
