Everything is spinning too fast for Désiré Doué, who has scored 12 goals and provided 12 assists for PSG since mid-December. The 19-year-old winger is determined to break all timelines with blatant audacity. In fact, only a month has passed since he converted the decisive penalty at Anfield, granting passage to the Champions League quarter-finals. Two weeks later, he made his debut with France, where he also confidently scored from the penalty spot on the way to the Nations League Final Four. Last Wednesday, his contribution was once again decisive, with a stunning goal against Aston Villa who had just taken the lead at Parc des Princes. Paris, the city that idolized Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, and Leo Messi, now bows to its new star.
During the past week, Doué's jersey has been the top-selling item at the club's official store, surpassing those of Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The frenzy surrounding his versatile and rapid football has increased to the point that Luis Enrique struggles in every press conference to temper the excitement. "Compliments are nice, but one must focus on the work. At the beginning of the season, he faced some criticism and has managed to adapt. He still has a long way to go," said the Asturian before the match against Liverpool.
Among the young stars of the Champions League, Doué's brilliance now rivals that of Lamine Yamal, who is two years younger. However, unlike the Barcelona player, Doué has shown greater versatility in all three attacking positions. Since the start of the season, Luis Enrique has alternated him as a right winger (38% of the minutes), left winger (21%), and striker (9%). He even deployed him as an attacking midfielder (28%) to reinforce his central channel runs.
"He is very young, dribbles well, is very technical, physical, and defends well. I like him, but I want more from him," commented the former Barcelona coach at the start of the season. Back then, his main attacking asset was Bradley Barcola. Between August and December, Doué started only three Ligue 1 matches and one Champions League match. However, something changed at the end of the year. Just when Luis Campos decided to definitively part ways with Xavi Simons. After a couple of loan spells at PSV and Red Bull Leipzig, the PSG sporting director transferred the Dutchman in exchange for 50 million euros. The same amount he paid in the summer to Stade Rennes to secure Doué.
Today, Barcola no longer finds a place in PSG's starting eleven and sees his status in the national team threatened. On March 23, Didier Deschamps brought on Doué in the second half against Croatia, sacrificing Barcola and overlooking the fact that the rookie had arrived slightly late to the Clairefontaine training camp. These early indisciplines bear a resemblance to those of Neymar, his great idol. Like the Brazilian, Doué often stands still in front of defenders before making a move. He enjoys that backheel self-pass or celebrates a goal with the same pose, as a tribute. Neymar, of course, never got as involved in defensive tasks.
To mention another difference, Désiré does not yet have the Olympic gold of his idol, who scored a goal and the final penalty in the shootout against Germany in Rio 2016. On August 9, Spain defeated France at Parc des Princes thanks to a brace from Sergio Camello. That Friday, Doué led the bleu attack during extra time, although he couldn't convert the last chance just before the 3-5. After a spectacular nutmeg against Jon Pacheco, he was blocked by Adrián Bernabé, and his shot narrowly missed the goal defended by Arnau Tenas.
Just a week later, PSG presented their new player and filled Stade Rennes' coffers. Another milestone for the best French football academy, which in recent years had already cashed in on Eduardo Camavinga (31 million to Real Madrid), Mathys Tel (20 million to Bayern), and Dembélé himself (35 million to Dortmund). The contract signed until 2029 must be considered a success of Maho, his father, who also acts as his agent.
That paternal lineage, from Ivory Coast, is the one chosen by Guéle, his brother, who plays as a right-back for Strasbourg and has opted for The Elephants, the reigning African Cup champions. The French roots, on his mother's side, should be interpreted through the lens of semantics. Rarely have a name and a surname spoken so much about a footballer. Désiré, in the language of Montaigne, means "desired" and Doué, "talented".