Arjen Robben, the captain of the Netherlands national team and Bayern Munich winger, poked fun at big-spending Paris Saint-Germain on the eve of Bayern Munich’s key Champions League away match in the French capital, AFP reports.
With Anderlecht and Celtic also in the pool, the PSG-Bayern clash at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday could go a long way to deciding who wins Group B.
“Paris have certainly given out a few more euros than us, but money doesn’t score goals, quality on the pitch scores goals, good teams score goals,” said veteran winger Robben.
PSG signed Neymar from Barcelona for a world record €222m last month and recruited Kylian Mbappe from Monaco on an initial loan deal which is set to be made into a permanent move for €180m next year.
But when asked about PSG’s star-studded ‘MCN’ attack – Mbappe, Edinson Cavani and Neymar – Robben said, “The important thing is the performance of the team, not just to focus on particular players.”
Meanwhile, when asked about his Dutch teammate’s comments, Bayern centre-back Mats Hummels was slightly more diplomatic about PSG’s strengths.
“He is absolutely right that money doesn’t score goals but it does allow you to buy players who score goals,” Hummels told reporters at the Parc des Princes.
“PSG are a top-level club. They are very strong going forward, and are well covered in all other positions. A bit like us they have two players per position.”
Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is convinced the German champions – who beat Anderlecht 3-0 in their first group outing two weeks ago – can get a good result in the French capital.