Paris Saint-Germain won the European trophy last time, a long-haired Mauricio Pochettino and a long-haired Roberto Baggio. That was 24 years ago, but another number was immediately familiar in the video. In 2001, the first alternative to Brescia, who beat Baggio that day, still had the same slim structure, the same hairstyle. Now, if Mikel Arteta gets European Silver for the second time, he will have to overcome the club that won the first inning.
Nearly a quarter of a century later, both Arteta and PSG are more important than Intertoto Cup. In an era when PSG was a continuous Ligue 1 winner and a persistent force in the Champions League knockout stage, their days in the Intertoto Cup were even more curious. They weren't even the only winners of 2001 - Aston Villa and Troyes also won one of the three finals of the tournament - but it provided a snapshot of a while, which was a time at Paris Saint-Germain.
Some parts of it are unrecognizable, but some identities in the French capital are longer than Arteta himself. He joined the 18-month loan in 2001 as a teenager and was sold to Rangers by Barcelona in 2002.
Before Arsenal beat PSG last October, Arteta recalled what he described as a "perfect" roommate. Still, they seem to be strange couples, Arteta and Ronaldinho, Control Freak and Libertine. The temptation is to assume that the Brazilians will go to bed when the Spanish get up.
Ronaldinho will travel to Arteta with Barcelona in 2003. However, his presence in Paris is an illustration that PSG is a charming club with an international air long before investing in Catari. Arteta's teammates, if not all, include Ronaldinho, Pochettino, Jay-Jay Okocha, Nicolas Anelka, Gabriel Heinze, Laurent Robert and Ali Benarbia.
Maybe they were talented weak people at that time. They were only ninth in Ligue 1 in 2000-01, although they did reach the second stage of the Champions League (such as Intertoto Cup, which is an innovation that has not continued), and Arteta began to play two draws against AC Milan. PSG ranked fourth in the only whole season in France. In the low-scoring Ligue 1, a team with talent and entertainers scored only 44 goals in 34 league games.
It can be said that they are smaller than the sum of each part. Ronaldinho's season ended with him winning the World Cup, but he spent some time on the bench. Anelka is loaned to Liverpool mid-season. His relationship with manager Luis Fernandez is not necessarily the most harmonious. Some people might say that each is typical.
Now, PSG is managed by another excellent midfielder based in Spain, Luis Enrique, another manager who won the European trophy. Luis Fernandez, part of the 1984 European Champions League, has brought PSG to the 1996 Cup. He managed George Wel, David Ginora and Ray in the first spell in Paris. There was stardust when I came back from the locker room, but it was also weak. Fernandez and Robert fell down and were later sold to Newcastle when the winger starred in the Intertoto Cup victory. Okocha scored five goals in the Intertoto Cup in 2001-02, but only four goals in Ligue 1.
For two decades, a star player from Paris Saint-Germain moved to Bolton Wanderers, but he did. Another went to the ranger. Arteta performed well in Paris. Some suggest that PSG hopes to turn the loan into a permanent signing. Instead, the Wanderer made a £6 million fee with Barcelona in March 2002, even before his time in France ended.
Manager Alex McLeish later made him a possible manager for stylists like Arteta with Dour's reputation as a defensive football, but he was impressed by him in the UEFA Cup game between the two teams. Arteta will receive a fine and win the Scottish title in 2003; he scored in the shootout against them, but Okocha, Heinze and Pochettino missed them when PSG exited.
These days, PSG certainly won't tend to lose Rangers players. Gone are some elements of PSG in the Arteta era.
Others lingered for a longer time. People have a love for big guys, they have not achieved what they could have done on the mainland stage. Luis Enrique could change this year; if he could get a better Arteta. The Spanish have an influence on young people in Barcelona.
However, as Luis Enrique wanted to change the identity of PSG, perhaps the focus was on Arteta-type signatures. He has a talented, young midfielder who is the target and signing UP player. Nearly a quarter of a century ago, that was exactly what happened to Arteta.