French champions PSG returned to training this week ahead of the Champions League restart, and Leandro Paredes stole the spotlight, arriving at the Camp des Loges training ground in his new Ferrari 488 Pista.
When you’re on the same team as Neymar and Mbappe, how do you get any time in the spotlight? If you’re Leandro Paredes you rock up to the first training session since lockdown in a £203,000 Ferrari 488 Pista. The Argentine midfielder looked cool as you like as he cruised into the complex behind the wheel of the powerful machine. The kind of commute we could handle.
PSG have been out of action since March when football was shut down and the country went into lockdown. When Ligue 1 became one of the few leagues in Europe to abandon the season they were confirmed as champions for the seventh time in eight years as they sat 12 points clear with a points-per-game record of 2.52. But while the majority of the division's teams are done until next season, PSG are among the few sides with plenty to play for and have therefore returned to training.
The French champions have the rearranged Coupe de France final against Saint-Etienne, which could have as many as 5,000 spectators in attendance, as well as the Coupe de la Ligue final with Lyon to play as they look for another domestic treble. But the primary focus will undoubtedly be on the Champions League.
Peredes and his Ferrari were undoubtedly the highlight of PSG's return in a motor sense. Got to feel for former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera, arriving in his 4×4 Mercedes – a decent a pricey automobile, for sure – only to look in the rearview and see Peredes in his Ferrari. Still, could have been sporting director Leonardo, who arrived in his Mini.
Mauro Icardi, Julian Draxler and boss Thomas Tuchel all made low-key, understated arrivals while Presnel Kimpembe – in his bright orange hoody – and Layvin Kurzawa – wearing a bucket hat – posed for the cameras.
The Champions League is set to return in a mini tournament format, hosted in Lisbon, Portugal, between 12 and 23 August.