As afternoon turned to evening in the capital of Spain on Tuesday, Lionel Messi disembarked the Paris Saint-Germain team bus for practice at a stadium he knows like the back of his hand. But he noted how Real Madrid’s Bernabeu has changed since the last time he was in action there, two years ago.
Some of the sleek upgrades in an extensive remodelling of the famous venue are already visible. Others are work in progress, and with capacity still restricted to 60,000, Messi may tonight detect a different atmosphere to what he became used to over 15 years journeying at least once a season to raucous fixtures at Real Madrid in the jersey of their main rivals, Barcelona.
He inflicted a great deal of damage on Madrid over the course of those trips, although his impact tailed off in Barca’s recent years of decline. Messi scored the last of 15 goals at the Bernabeu in 2017. His first game there for PSG, who he joined last August, would be a fine time to break a four-match drought at the home of Real Madrid.
At stake is a place in the last eight of the Champions League. With a 1-0 lead from the opening leg in Paris three weeks ago, PSG carry a narrow advantage into the Bernabeu. Messi more than anybody knows it ought to be more on the balance of a first leg where PSG set the tempo. He had a penalty saved before Kylian Mbappe struck the evening’s only, late goal.
Neymar is back from the ankle problem that restricted him to a substitutes’ role in the first leg, and eager to reacquaint himself with a Bernabeu he also knows intimately. Not only from his four years as a Barcelona player, but from childhood. In 2006, the Brazilian was in Madrid as a boy, completing forms to register at Real’s academy. The arrangement fell through. In 2011, when he was 18, Madrid thought they had all but signed him. Then Barcelona stole in, ahead of PSG breaking the transfer record with their €222m capture of Neymar four years later.
As for the third, and youngest member of PSG’s glittering forward line, he has Madrid in his past, and, Real like to think, in his future. Mbappe, who is expected to overcome some bruising to his left foot sustained in practice on Monday, has often told how he spent much of his childhood dreaming about playing in Madrid’s all-white strip. He visited the club as a 12-year-old a decade ago, greeted by Zinedine Zidane, his idol. He had his photograph taken with Cristiano Ronaldo.
PSG v Real Madrid: First leg ratings
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PSG RATINGS: Gianluigi Donnarumma – 7. The Italian stopper was a spectator for the majority of the match as PSG had total control. Dealt adequately with the little action he saw. Reuters -
Achraf Hakimi – 9. The former Real Madrid player was always a threat going forward, using his pace and athleticism. Very good use of the ball and defended well. AP Photo -
Marquinhos – 7. The Brazilian looked comfortable all night. Was calm and composed in possession and defended well when called upon. AP -
Presnel Kimpembe – 7. Wasn’t asked to defend much, but did his job and contributed with the ball, feeding his midfielders and looking to play through the lines. EPA -
Nuno Mendes – 6. The Portuguese left-back was an attacking threat, supporting. Got played around a couple of times, but kept Marco Asensio in check. EPA -
Danilo Pereira - 7. Solid performance in the middle of the park. Good, simple use of the ball and helped to control the game by breaking down Madrid’s attacks. EPA -
Leandro Paredes – 9. Like a metronome in the PSG midfield, the Argentina international controlled the tempo of the game, and was always in the right place to break up play and set up an attack. EPA -
Marco Verratti – 8. The Italian international was his usual tenacious self and alongside Paredes and Danilo controlled the game for PSG in the first half. Too much energy for his Madrid counterparts. EPA -
Angel Di Maria – 5. Wasteful when it mattered, poor decision making in and around the Madrid box. The Argentine missed the best chance of the first half when he failed to get over the ball, firing over from Mbappe’s cross. Replaced by Neymar after 72 minutes. AP -
Lionel Messi – 7. The seven-time Ballon D'or winner was always a threat, finding space in between the lines. Seemed to come alive after his penalty miss and played some lovely through balls for Neymar and Mbappe. Reuters -
Kylian Mbappe – 8. Used his pace well, getting in behind early on a couple of occasions and was always willing to test Carvajal. Got some success, but needed to find a better end product. His perseverance was rewarded, however when he scored PSG’s deserved winner deep into injury time. Reuters -
the after latching onto a lovely through ball from Messi. HIs effort just drifted wide of the far post. Nice back heel to Mbappe in the lead up to the goal. Getty Images -
SUB: Idrissa Gueye (Danilo, 87’) N/A – The Africa Cup of nations winner was introduced towards the end. Did little wrong in his short cameo. EPA -
REAL MADRID RATINGS: Thibaut Courtois – 8. The Belgian international had a busy evening, making multiple saves from Mbappe and dealing with sustained PSG pressure. Excellent penalty save to deny Messi. Couldn’t do anything about the goal. AFP -
Dani Carvajal – 5. Toughest job of the night for the Spain international, playing directly against Mbappe. Some good recovery tackles, but got squared up too many times, even with help from Modric and Asensio. EPA -
David Alaba – 8. The former Bayern centre-back had to be alive to the danger of Messi, but he defended well and won his fair share of individual battles. His timing of tackles around the penalty box was excellent. Getty Images -
Eder Militao – 7. The Brazilian defended well under pressure and showed decent use of the ball. AP -
Ferland Mendy – 6. Good battle with Hakimi, but couldn’t get himself forward to be as potent an attacking threat as he would’ve liked. EPA -
Toni Kroos – 6. Good strike from 30 yards that just dipped over the bar midway through the second half, but a quiet night for the German playmaker as Madrid’s midfield were dominated. Getty Images -
Luka Modric – 6. Uncharacteristically wasteful in possession at times and did most of his good work in his own half helping out defensively. EPA -
Casemiro – 8. Picked up a booking in the first half which will keep him out of the second leg but gave everything he had for the rest of the match. Madrid’s best performer. AP -
Vinicius Jr – 5. Ineffective going forward. Got into some good positions on rare Madrid attacks but made poor decisions. AP -
Karim Benzema – 6. Didn’t get much change from PSG’s defence. Also didn’t get much service, but Madrid would’ve been looking for him to hold the ball up more and link play better than he did. AP -
Marco Asensio – 6. Lots of effort defensively, but didn’t affect the game in the attacking third. No real penetration and a lack of a final pass was the story of Madrid’s night. EPA -
SUB: Lucas Vazquez (Carvajal, 72’) N/A – Should’ve done better for the goal, didn’t get his body in the right position to defend. EPA -
SUB: Rodrygo (Asensio, 72’) N/A – Had no real impact on the game. AP -
SUB: Eden Hazard (Vinicius, 72’) – Came on for Vinicius with eight minutes left, but couldn’t influence the proceedings. EPA -
SUB: Fede Valverde (Modric, 87’) – Replaced Modric late on, and you could argue his presence was missed from the start. AP -
SUB: Gareth Bale (Benzema, 97’) – Got three minutes at the end, and again did well in his short cameo as he continues to earn more game time. EPA
From that point on, Mbappe has been on Real Madrid’s future agenda, and since he burst through as the most exciting young attacking player in Europe in his later teens, the club have plotted ways to lure him from France. Madrid offered PSG €200m for him last summer. PSG turned it down, even though Mbappe’s contract with them only had a year left to run.
Madrid believe Mbappe will let that contract expire in June and he will join them. PSG are pushing vigorously for him to renew. The duel over the France striker will return to the top of both clubs’ agenda as soon as this evening’s joust is over.
It intruded in yesterday’s preambles. Luka Modric, Madrid’s senior player, was assigned press conference duties and, anticipating questions about Mbappe’s future, had prepared a welcoming message to the player.
“Of course I would love to play alongside him,” said Modric. “You always want to play with the great footballers and he is one. It’s hard to talk about players who aren’t here because it can make other clubs angry. But, obviously we’d like to have him with us.”
Carlo Ancelotti, the Madrid coach, was asked whether he would be surprised if the home supporters at the Bernabeu, well aware that their club have been in extensive contact with Mbappe about his future, gave Mbappe a special ovation?
“If you look at the history of the Bernabeu, great players have always been applauded here,” said Ancelotti, “so I would understand it.”
Most important for Ancelotti is how to tame Mbappe for a night. “Our plan must deal with all of them, Messi and Neymar too,” said the Italian, a former PSG coach. “It means playing with intensity and intelligence.”
Madrid will be without the suspended pair Casemiro, a key miss from midfield, and left back Ferland Mendy, while midfielder Toni Kroos’s recovery from a hamstring problem will be assessed this morning.
“If Kroos is 100 per cent fit, he’ll play. If it’s 95 per cent, he won’t,” said Ancelotti.
