Platini criticises the Paris and Bayern epic: they conceded nine goals and you call it the match of the century!
The former France star mocks both teams' defenders: they turned into sieves
Michel Platini, the French football legend and three-time Ballon d'Or winner, has taken aim at the way modern football is judged. The game, he argues, has drifted towards "showbusiness", with matches now measured by goals rather than quality of performance or technical detail.
In a lengthy interview with the magazine "L'Équipe", Platini set out a vision of football far removed from the one that prevails today. He also picked apart the relationship between players, clubs and fans compared with his own playing days.
"Professional football has now become a matter of brands and mercenaries," Platini said, as reported by RMC. "We used to play for the team and for the fans, but today the players say: I want to enter history, yet they have no connection to the clubs or the fans."
Platini rejects describing the Paris and Bayern clash as the "match of the century"
That vision came into sharp focus when he turned to last season's Champions League semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. The first leg produced nine goals and a 5-4 win for the French side. The return leg finished 1-1.
The first leg drew acclaim across the globe, hailed in the world's media as the "match of the century". Platini saw it very differently.
The former UEFA president said: "I preferred the 1-1 draw in the return leg."
The three-time Ballon d'Or winner added: "A beautiful defensive tackle, and a superb save by the goalkeeper, are no less beautiful than scoring a goal."
His sharpest words followed. "The goalkeepers have become like sieves and the defenders have become even more so, how can they concede 9 goals and half of them describe it as the match of the century?"
He continued: "We are indeed living in an age of showbusiness right now."
"I may not always be right"
For all his criticism, Platini accepted that his verdict is not the final word. Football's fan base keeps growing, and opinions on what makes a match enjoyable or exceptional are endless.
He said: "After that, there are two billion people who talk about football and express their feelings. I am just one person among them, and perhaps I am not always right."
