Top 5 players who left US Saint-Etienne

DBasia.news –  Ligue 1 now tends to be monotonous with only competition dominated by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and their financial strength. Nevertheless there is one thing that has not been achieved by PSG in Ligue 1: to equal or to surpass US Saint-Etienne’s record.

In the mid-50s to the early 80s Saint-Etienne was a major force in France. The club nicknamed Les Verts (The Greens) won 10 Ligue 1 titles and is a record that has survived to date.

The power of Saint-Etienne is no longer the same in the era of modern football. Let alone to compete for the Ligue 1 title, Saint-Etienne has had difficult to maintain a place in the European zone. Nevertheless Saint-Etienne remains a historic club in France.

Aime Jacquet, Jacques Santini, Laurent Blanc, and Michel Platini, are talents developed by Saint-Etienne. The club’s habit of developing these talents was still there, but they were unable to maintain it.

Large bids from other clubs are difficult to refuse by Saint-Etienne. Some players also choose to leave because of tempting offers from other clubs, whether it’s a chance to be successful or a high salary.

It is inconceivable that Saint-Etienne still maintains these stars. It is not impossible that they will become a respected force in Europe. Who are they? Here is a review from Bolaskor.com on the top players who had left Saint-Etienne:

1. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2011-2013)

Released from AC Milan with a loan period that did not go well in Dijon, Lille and AS Monaco, until Saint-Etienne knew how to maximize his talent. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored 41 goals in 96 matches in all competitions with Saint-Etienne.

Aubameyang (30 years old) was recruited by Borussia Dortmund in 2013 and scored 141 goals in 213 matches. In January 2018 the striker came from Gabon to Arsenal and is still playing there today.

2. Dimitri Payet (2007-2011)

Dimitri Payet’s career is like a flea in many clubs, but only Saint-Etienne knows how to maximize his abilities. There the attacking midfielder from France played 148 matches and played neatly until Lille recruited him in 2011.

The player who has recorded 38 caps and eight goals with the French national team is currently defending Olympique Marseille. Payet (33 years old) has entered his third year in Marseille after previously strengthening Lille, Marseille and West Ham United.

3. Fredy Guarin (2006-2008)

His great success in terms of trophies was won in Porto (2008-2012), but Fredy Guarin developed his ability for two years at Saint-Etienne with 39 appearances.

The Colombian midfielder had strengthened Inter Milan and Shanghai Shenhua before defending Vasco da Gama from 2019 to this day at the age of 33.

4. Blaise Matuidi (2007-2011)

Juventus recruited him in 2017 after playing six years with PSG. Before PSG Blaise Matuidi maximized his talent with Saint-Etienne with a record of 154 appearances.

Saint-Etienne believes in his playing quality and gives plenty of playing time since he was recruited from Troyes in 2007. Matuidi still strengthens Il Bianconeri at the age of 32 years and has now won the World Cup title in 2018 with the French national team.

5. Kurt Zouma (2011-2014)

A Saint-Etienne academy product that played in the first team from the period 2011-2014 after playing at the academy in 2009-2011. Kurt Zouma was recruited by Chelsea in January 2014 for 12 million pounds.

Despite being loaned back to Saint-Etienne, Stoke City and Everton, the 25-year-old center-back is now Frank Lampard’s main player at Chelsea. Zouma played 73 times with Saint-Etienne.