Desire Doue’s incredible performance for Paris Saint-Germain against Inter Milan in the Champions League final on Saturday solidified his place among the top young players in the world of football. The 19-year-old scored two goals in PSG’s historic 5-0 victory in Munich, putting him in the running for the Ballon d’Or prize.
Achraf Hakimi scored the first goal of the final in the 12th minute after the teenager set it up. Shortly after, the brilliant Doue doubled PSG’s lead, leaving Inter with a mountain to climb.
Then, in the 63rd minute, Doue scored his second goal of the match, putting the game well out of Inter’s grasp. Senny Mayulu and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia made the scoreline more dazzling and made sure PSG broke the record for the largest margin of victory in a European Cup final.
Ferdinand Asks Doue and Lamine Yamal Question
Steven Gerrard shuts down such talk
Rio Ferdinand, who was giving TNT Sports his final analysis, was gushing about the outstanding Doue. The Manchester United veteran questioned if Doue and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal had the potential to become the next Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo as video of the trophy celebrations was shown to the public.
“A very special mention for Doue, a 19-year-old kid who plays on the largest stage at the back of his house like it’s a playground,” Ferdinand remarked. “Have we seen that Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two stars from our generation who dominated world football for a very long time?
“Lamine Yamal was a superstar before this, but she didn’t make it to the championship game. dominated the semifinals and the quarterfinals. Have we witnessed a change of leadership between the two players who are most likely to be them now that Doue has done it in the final?
Gerrard, however, put an end to the conversation by warning Ferdinand that such analogies are “extremely dangerous.” In response, the Liverpool hero said:
“Listen, I believe that drawing analogies is really risky, particularly when one is so young and immature. Hopefully they avoid injuries, but it seems a little early to me for them to be mentioned in the same sentence as Lionel Messi and Cristiano at such a young age. However, based on tonight’s and the season’s evidence, the two young children most definitely have the ability to follow in their footsteps.
“My point is that we’ve been sitting here saying that [Erling] Haaland and [Kylian] Mbappe (and maybe Vinicius) will be the next two people,” Ferdinand continued.
“These two have come out of nowhere and stolen the show, you would have never have said that a year ago.” Watch the following video at six minutes to see the discussion:
Lamine Yamal vs Desire Doue: Stats Comparison
Comparing their 2024-25 stats
Ferdinand is justified in posing the question, even though Gerrard is correct to advise against drawing comparisons between the two adolescents and some of the greatest football players in history. After all, Doue and Lamine Yamal in particular have shown us nothing short of spectacular this season.
Lamine Yamal has made 55 appearances for Barcelona so far this season, contributing 25 assists and 18 goals. In 54 games with PSG, Doue has scored 15 goals and provided 16 assists.
Desire Doue vs. Lamine Yamal (2024–25)
Yamal Lamine
Desire Doue
Looks
55
54
Objectives
18
15.
Helps
25
16
Trophies
3.
4.
Both starlets have bright careers ahead of them, that much is certain. Nevertheless, it will still be very difficult for Messi and Ronaldo to match their incredible accomplishments.
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