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Willian Pacho is not the flashiest signing of the 2024 transfer window for the French champions, but the 22-year-old defender is perhaps the surprise of the start of the season for Paris Saint-Germain. Bought from Eintracht Frankfurt for €40 million at the beginning of August, the Ecuadorian international (16 caps, 2 goals) immediately established himself as a starter in the eyes of Luis Enrique. And for good reason. Performing in a friendly against RB Leipzig (1-1) for his first appearance in the red and blue jersey, Pacho was then lined up from the start against Le Havre (4-1) and Montpellier (6-0). With the return of captain Marquinhos, it was Lucas Beraldo (recruited last winter) who paid the price for this unexpected arrival. If you are a regular reader of French Football WeeklyWillian Pacho is not so unknown to you, however.
A surprise to see him arrive at PSG
In September 2023, we gave you a portrait of the new Ecuadorian golden generation and the new Parisian was there, alongside Piero Hincapie, the Bayer Leverkusen defender who was crowned German champion last season. The two men also have the particularity of coming straight from Independiente dell Valle, Ecuador’s laboratory club, renowned for being the official supplier of the country’s new golden generation. “Independiente is today the best Ecuadorian football club, there is a lot of work on football, physical and psychological training. There is a lot of work on scouting for children in Ecuador even to have the best in the country at Independiente. Just look at the players selected with Ecuador, the great base of the national team comes from there. It is not a surprise to see so much talent blossom. Recently, Ecuador was the Under-20 champion in the CONMEBOL tournaments, just as Independiente won the Under-20 Libertadores twice, and these recruitments are the result of this work.”Ecuadorian journalist José Alberto Molestina, who works for the media, told us DeUnaSF.
Straight out of his country’s champion factory, Pacho spent just three years (26 matches in total) with his training club before crossing the Atlantic at just 20 years old. “Good players are leaving the country today with few first-team games”explains Molestina, who adds that the player should have even arrived on the Old Continent much earlier. “He had a failed transfer to the German league before coming to Europe for the first time. He suffered a lot from that. What he is experiencing today is therefore doubly deserved.” Arriving in Antwerp in the winter of 2022, he only spent a year and a half in Belgium. There, he established himself among the best defenders in the Belgian championship (39 starts in as many appearances), before being recruited by Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer of 2023. In Germany, the scenario repeated itself. A starter from the start, Pacho was one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga, before heading to PSG a year later, in exchange for €40 million. A trajectory that surprised more than one in Ecuador. “The truth is that seeing him join the most important team in France was a big surprise. Many of us thought he could join a big German team like Dortmund or Bayern, but this is great news that opens the market for Ecuadorians in Ligue 1.”Molestina rejoices.
The fruit of Independiente’s XXL work
And given Pacho’s performances in the PSG jersey, the Ecuadorians’ rating is likely to rise in France. Very solid in duels, good in anticipation, the Parisian number 51 also appears very comfortable with the ball at his feet. A good impression that he will have to confirm against bigger teams, even if in Ecuador, these flattering returns are, according to Molestina, once again the fruit of the work of Indepediente. “Independiente is a team that plays with a line of three central defenders positioned quite high, who press a little and who have possession of the ball, so it is essential that the central defenders make good exits from the ball and Willian Pacho meets all these conditions. Those who have known him since his childhood are not surprised, his statistics are exceptional, he is one of the best U23 central defenders in the world along with another Ecuadorian, Piero Hincapie”.
Hincapie, a teammate, but also a leader in the national team that Pacho could well surpass. “That’s a good question, I think there will be healthy competition between the two. Ecuador know they have two top-level central defenders. I think Willian is faster and therefore can have a significant advantage at this level. Willian is an undisputed starter, he is also multifunctional since he can play as a right-back, as a left-back and even as a sweeper in a three-man defence. I don’t know if he is already a leader, but he is a key player in this new generation. His numbers don’t lie, he has everything to succeed in the elite.” This Pacho definitely has everything going for him.
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