A guest in Klagenfurt

The giant from Paris has not forgotten “Richie”

Sturm will test against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday in Klagenfurt (18:30) against a real big name for the upcoming Champions League. Styrian Richard Niederbacher, who played for both clubs and is unforgotten in Paris, has been invited as a guest.

"I played for Paris Saint-Germain for a year and a half when I was 21," says the now 62-year-old former striker Niederbacher, delighted that the French serial champions (who played professionally in Belgium for seven years) have not forgotten him, "that was 40 years ago, but the Parisian board still invited me to the match. At first I thought it was a joke. But it's true. And they also want to give me a little surprise. I'm delighted, of course. I was also invited to the club's 50th anniversary with my family, but unfortunately coronavirus put paid to that."

Mbappe said goodbye to Paris with the double.(Bild: AFP)

"Richie" is already curious to see how the upheavals at the French giants will affect him: "The era of superstars like Messi, Beckham and Ibrahimovic is over at Paris after Mbappe left. With Luis Enrique, there is now a coach who will probably stay longer, I think. He's supposed to build a younger team without big stars, a team that will march forward and finally make the dream of major European success come true." With Dembele, for example, Paris still has some really great players, but not so many superstars: "Of the current team, Fabian Ruiz, who has just become European champion with Spain, is particularly popular."

Fan of Horvat
And his former club Sturm, for whom he played for seven years? "It's hard to say what you can expect from Sturm in the Champions League, because the opponents are of real caliber. If you draw Real or Arsenal, it will be difficult. But I think the boys will score a few points thanks to the bigger group. The euphoria of the recent successes will certainly make it easier." His favorite player at Sturm is captain Stefan Hierländer - he also appreciates Otar Kiteishvili, and of course Tomi Horvat: "He's a fine technician with a good shot and he's a left winger, just like I used to be (grins)."

Richard Niederbacher (right) in PSG kit.(Bild: Niederbacher privat)

What makes him a little sad? "I think it's a real shame that there's no stadium for the Champions League in Graz and everyone has to travel to Klagenfurt."