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There is probably not a single sports fan in the world who has not heard of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The Ligue 1 giants have become a force of nature since the takeover by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011. They certainly count some of the best players in the world in their ranks.
Though we might be in awe of the contemporary talents currently with the club, they have had some big names in their ranks over the years. Les Parisiens do not have a famed talent academy and the huge infusion of cash makes buying players much easier than developing them.
PSG are a big club and they need to have top-quality players in their squad. While they are France's best team by some margin, success in the UEFA Champions League remains elusive.
PSG rely heavily on overseas talents
In modern football, football players have the opportunity and reach to play anywhere in the world, given that they have what it takes. So, it is quite common to see players from South America making a name for themselves in European football.
PSG boast a sizeable foreign contingent in their ranks and some of the club's legends have been overseas players. Bringing Kylian Mbappe to the club in 2017 was a great move by them. They can boast of arguably France's best players in their ranks to balance out the long list of overseas players.
In football, some factors hold true across all positions. Speed, strength, and a good footballing brain are some of them but none of them come close to the skills with the ball as the differentiating factor.
On that note, here we take a look at the five most skilled players in PSG history.
Honorable mentions -
Mbappe, George Weah, Pauleta, David Ginola, Rai, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
#5 Angel Di Maria
A move to PSG from Manchester United in 2015 proved to be a win-win situation for both the club and the player. The Ligue 1 giants got a highly talented player and Angel Di Maria saved his career from going into a spiral.
The Argentine winger is one of the best left-footed wingers in the world at the moment and is unplayable on his day. His slender frame enhances his abilities with the ball and allows him to overcome his markers.
He is one of the most prolific assist providers of all time and currently holds the title with the most assists across all competitions in PSG history (107). He has had the fortune to share the dressing room with some of the biggest players of his generation for club and country. This has certainly helped him improve his game.
#4 Safet Susic
Safet Susic is one of the many highly-skilled players from the 1980s, who do not get much recognition nowadays. The fact remains that he did not play for the bigwigs of that period, except for a short spell with Red Star Belgrade before retiring.
This contributed to his lack of silverware but he had more than enough technical ability under his belt to run the show for any team in Europe. The player was a playmaker but could pop in every now and then to find the back of the net in spectacular fashion.
His pirouettes, back-heels, and incisive dribbling gave him an edge over his opponents on a regular basis. It also made for a great watch for the spectators in the stands.
He was named the greatest player in PSG and Ligue 1 history in 2010 and 2012 respectively. He also holds the title of Bosnia and Herzegovina's best player of all time.
#3 Neymar Jr.
Neymar Jr. is a player who perfectly embodies PSG as a club. Full of talent, flashy, and inconsistent at times. The Brazilian forward enjoyed the status as the best player in the world behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the majority of his career.
Like most of his compatriots, he is very comfortable with the ball at his feet and puts on a show when he is in good touch. Slaloming through defenders near the corner flag and cutting inside with pace is something that he has perfected over the years.
Whether it is static dribbling or nutmegging his opponents in full stride, he is a master of dribbling and trickery. His decisiveness in the final third and set-piece prowess makes him one of the most complete attackers of our generation.
#2 Jay-Jay Okocha
Jay Jay Okocha enjoys a status as a cult hero, particularly because of the lengthy list of tricks and skills under his name. The Nigerian was a technically competent player but suffered from inconsistencies throughout his career.
The Nigerian star enjoyed the best spell of his career at Fenerbahce, scoring 30 league goals in two seasons. He then joined PSG in 1998 and went on to spend four seasons in Paris.
He scored just 12 goals for the club but brought his flair and trickery to the pitch. His main contribution during his spell was that he played the role of a mentor to a young Ronaldinho. He left a legacy as a move is named after him, called the Okocha Turn.
#1 Ronaldinho
Some fans still can't quite believe that PSG signed a young Ronaldinho in 2001. The Brazilian is one of the best players the sport has ever seen. Hence, it was quite surprising that the Ligue 1 club was his first destination in Europe.
While he failed to win a trophy with the club, he impressed with his quick feet, calmness in one-on-one situations and extraordinary skills. He had a wide array of skills up his sleeve and was not afraid to try out anything new on the pitch.
He gave a lot of people in Europe a real taste of Brazilian street-style football. Moreover, unlike most of players in the modern game, his tricks were not just for show. His touches were always very well weighted and he could beat just about anyone in one-on-one situations.
