Former Super Eagles players have split along nostalgic lines ahead of Saturday’s (today’s) UEFA Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal in Budapest, with Jay-Jay Okocha and Godwin Okpara backing PSG while Nwankwo Kanu and Tajudeen Disu have thrown their weight behind the Gunners.
The final at the Puskás Aréna pits the defending champions against Premier League title winners Arsenal, who are appearing in their first Champions League final in 20 years.
Okpara, who spent two seasons at Parc des Princes and won the French League Cup during his time in Paris, is backing his former club to retain the trophy. The 53-year-old believes the transformation in PSG’s collective approach under Luis Enrique is the defining factor that sets them apart from both their own previous incarnations and their opponents on Saturday.
“There is a lot of quality in this PSG squad, and they do not depend solely on Ousmane Dembélé. It is an elite team because they no longer play through just one player,” Okpara told Footy-Africa.
“The PSG team we are seeing now is entirely different. It is built on pure teamwork, not individual egos,” he said. While conceding that Arsenal are no pushover, Okpara settled on PSG when it came to a final verdict.
“When you look closely at the squads — ranking them position by position from the goalkeeper, through the defence, into midfield, and up to the attack — PSG simply possess more quality players. For that reason, I see them winning it.”
Okocha, who turned out for PSG earlier in his career and was present at the Allianz Arena in Munich last year when they demolished Inter Milan, has made no secret of where his loyalties lie.
