Opportunities to acquire bright young talent can come and go in the blink of an eye, which may have been the case for both Paris Saint-Germain and France.
Souleymane Sané grew up in France before going to Germany for his mandatory military service. While over there, his wife, Olympic gymnast Regina Weber, gave birth to Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sané (28).
A few circumstances, though, may have changed his playing trajectory along with his father’s.
According to Souleymane, he had an opportunity to play at PSG, and so did his son, Leroy, if only PSG had played their cards right.
Speaking to L’Équipe Souleymane explains why he never wound up with Les Parisiens during his playing career.
“When I was in Viry, I had a tryout at Paris Saint-Germain,” says Souleymane. “Two of us are coming to the final stage for a single contract. Except that I showed up on the wrong day for the final selection. It was a Wednesday, and I came on Thursday. So, they took the other player. “
Eventually, Souleymane played at Nürenberg in the early 90s when French legend Michel Platini oversaw Les Bleus.
Platini had seen him play in Germany, and Souleymane says the Frenchman promised to call him in a few weeks about the prospects of committing to the French national team.
While waiting for that call, however, fellow Frenchman Claude Le Roy swooped in and swayed Souleymane to play for Sénégal, his country of birth.
He’d go on to earn 11 caps for the Senegalese senior team while playing his entire club career in Germany, Austria or Switzerland before retiring in 2010.
His son Leroy’s birth was declared at the French embassy in Essen, Germany, on January 11, 1996.
That would have allowed him to claim French nationality and have an opportunity to feature for Les Bleus.
Unfortunately, the French federation never reached out, and their loss was Germany’s gain, with the winger currently on 67 caps with Die Manschaft.
France weren’t the only one to miss out on his services, with PSG being in the running to sign him years ago.
“He could have played in France if the PSG had manifested itself more concretely,” said Leroy Sané’s father. “Before signing pro at Schalke, a friend mentioned it to the club, but they did not go any further. They came back timidly once he started as a professional.”
In March 2014, he joined Schalke before moving to Manchester City, where he won two Premier League titles in four seasons. At Bayern, he’s claimed three Bundesliga crowns and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2020.
GFFN | Joel Lefevre