Bilbao (Spain) (AFP)

Back to the future! Part of the Spanish Basque Country to take a step forward, Paris SG captain Irene Paredes returns with the objective of winning the Champions League, an episode necessarily "very special" for the former defender of Real Sociedad and the 'Athletic Bilbao.

"It's going to be very special", a "unique" experience to live, smiles the 29-year-old Spaniard, confiding to AFP that he has kept "very good friends" in Bilbao and San Sebastián, home to a final tournament (21-30 August) unpublished and planned behind closed doors due to the new coronavirus.

Born in Legazpi, an hour's drive from both cities, this judo and hiking lover pushed her first balls "very small" in this town of 8,000 inhabitants, where she also practiced athletics at a good level.

"But when I arrived at Real Sociedad, I couldn't do both, so I made a choice," rewinds the central defender, holder of a first professional contract at 17 with the club of San Sebastián .

In three seasons (2008–2011), she managed to win in the blue and white jersey despite a difficult start. His performances caught the eye of the neighbor and rival, Athletic Bilbao, with an already rich track record of four Spanish league titles.

Between the two clubs, "it's the derby, so it was complicated to leave. But at that time, I left to win titles," explains the one who now has about sixty selections with the team of Spain, in addition to the capes obtained with the Basque selection, unofficial.

- Competitor until training -

In Bilbao, the N.14 inaugurates its trophy cabinet with a title of champion of Spain acquired in 2016 with a small point ahead of the girls of Barça, quadruple title holders. By the way, the defender punctuated her last season with nine goals at Athletic.

"It was incredible, especially with the philosophy of Bilbao, where you can only play with Basque players! It was even more complicated given how Barcelona and Atlético (Madrid) recruited strongly, with foreigners in particular", she remembers.

Rather than stay in his "comfort zone", close to his family who remained in Legazpi, Paredes left the Basques who had qualified in the Champions League, yielding to the sirens of PSG.

"The choice was not easy. But I wanted to continue to improve, to increase my level," explains the player, who does not speak French when she arrived in the capital. In Paris, "everything was different: the language, the culture, the training, the way of understanding football. It took a little time but it's okay".

At PSG, where his contract runs until 2021, Paredes is described as "the great sportswoman of the team, the most rigorous, the one who always finishes first the exercises", a model captain close to the Chilean goalkeeper Christiane Endler, also Spanish speaking.

On 22 August with her teammates, she will face Arsenal in the quarter-finals in San Sebastián. Does knowing that the semi-final will be played in Bilbao make him even more eager to win?

"Already it's a great motivation to go to the semi-finals, that's the most important", cuts the former athletic player. "After that if we can play in Bilbao, at San Manés, that would be great ...", she adds.

Finalist of the C1 in her first season in France, against Lyon in June 2017, she does not hide her ambition. "We want to win the Champions", the team "is training for that, we work hard and we will give everything".

© 2020 AFP