Paris St-Germain winger Bradley Barcola says he has had a “right laugh” with strikers Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele during a first season at the club which has taken the 21-year-old to the Uefa Champions League semi-finals.
France youth international Barcola joined the reigning Ligue 1 champions from Lyon for around £38.4 million in August and scored his first Champions League goal in their win over Real Sociedad in the round of 16.
“You can only get better when you train with [players like them],” Barcola told UEFA.com of Mbappe and Dembele.
“Off the field, we have a right laugh together. They are older but, at the same time, they are quite like us [younger players] too; they’re young at heart.
“Ousmane is a massive tease. You can do the smallest of things wrong and he will make fun of it. Even when you score, he will tease you about it – but that’s fine.”
Read our other football news stories here:
Kane tells Bayern to be clinical
Webb admits Nottingham Forest denied at least one penalty against Everton
Enrique plays down favourites tag ahead of Champions League showdown
Dembele and Mbappe each scored twice across PSG’s quarter-final tie as Luis Enrique’s side came from behind to beat Barcelona 6-4 on aggregate courtesy of a 4-1 away win in the second leg.
In Mbappe’s final season at the club, they visit Dortmund in the first leg of the final four on Wednesday before the return leg on Tuesday.
Barcola is pure art 🖼️❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/uxonI8GUS7
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) April 23, 2024
Bradley Barcola stats
Barcola has become increasingly impactful during recent weeks, setting up Dembele’s crucial equaliser on the night in Barcelona in the first of four PSG goals without reply to turn the tie around after their opponents had Ronald Araujo dismissed.
He has been directly involved in three goals in his last three Ligue 1 appearances, scoring in the league for the first time since January in PSG’s 3-3 draw at home to Le Havre on Saturday.
All-time Champions League top-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo is his favourite player. “It’s mostly his mentality of never giving up and working hard,” said Barcola.
“That’s what has left the greatest mark on me and driven me to be where I am today.
“I’ve always worked hard and had the right mentality, so that’s really what I’ve taken from him.”
