October 2022. “Wembymania” and all the hype around the French “alien” started barely two weeks earlier. One of Victor Wembanyama's first public outings took place at the Parc des Princes. He reserves an evening, a Sunday, to attend the PSG-OM clasico. Mbappé, Neymar and Messi are still there and PSG wins 1-0.
Already nicknamed “Wemby”, the giant from Boulogne-Levallois, poses in front of the panels at the edge of the field. In the front rows of the stands, PSG fans notice this huge boy in his black and white zebra jacket. But they are still struggling to put a name above his 2.22 m.
Thirty months later, Victor Wembanyama returns to the Parc des Princes as a global superstar. Twenty-four hours before challenging the Indiana Pacers at the Accor Arena for the first of the two “NBA Paris Games”, the Olympic vice-champion marked the PSG- Manchester City.
With the calendar going well, he wouldn't have missed the appointment for anything in the world. No doubt he will take his place in a sheltered box so as not to catch a cold before the two matches on Thursday and Saturday which remain “his priority”. His teammates and the San Antonio Spurs staff will accompany him. They will meet their opponents the next day, the Indiana Pacers who are also expected in the stands.
PSG also moved closer to Spurs
For Victor Wembanyama, a trip to the Parc des Princes is anything but a chore. Since his early childhood, the star born in Chesnay (Yvelines) has been an avid supporter of PSG. We have forgotten it, but his first sport was football at Chesnay. His first model was not Kobe Bryant but… Manuel Neuer, the Bayern goalkeeper. “Because when I played football, I was a goalkeeper. He was my favorite player. Idol is a bit of an exaggerated word because I also really liked Ronaldinho,” he told us one day. The Brazilian played for PSG (2001-2003) when Wemby was not yet born.
-Geographical distance and his golden exile in Texas have changed nothing. Victor Wembanyama remains passionate and doesn't miss anything from the Parisian results. He watches matches whenever his schedule allows him to do so. “My team is PSG” he proclaims freely while his partner of Polish origin Jeremy Sochan is an Arsenal fan.
In the wake of the Frenchman, the entire Spurs franchise is also moving closer to PSG. A year ago, its owner, billionaire Peter J. Holt, came to meet Parisian leaders so that each could inspire each other in their success. The meeting is taking shape today with a partnership between the two entities. This Tuesday, they launched a limited edition joint collection as well as “a program focused on the promotion of women in sport”.
“This collaboration highlights the importance of engaging with the Parisian community and fans while celebrating a shared love of sport with a club as renowned as Paris Saint-Germain. Spurs aim to establish lasting relationships in France and inspire the next generation of leaders and sports fans,” insists RC Buford, general manager of Spurs, the man behind their success.
