Paris Saint-Germain advanced to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals after defeating Real Sociedad 4-1 on aggregate on Tuesday night at Reale Arena.
While all the focus will be on Kylian Mbappé since the 25-year-old scored a brace to push the Parisians into the next round, Lucas Beraldo was one of the unsung heroes in the victory.
The 20-year-old had to start due to Marquinho’s inability to go, and the young Brazilian played like a 10-year veteran. Beraldo had three clearances, three interceptions, and two tackles. Furthermore, he won nine of 14 total duels during his 90 minutes on the pitch.
In the passing game, the former São Paulo FC had one key pass while completing 47 of 56 passes for an 84 percent success rate on 71 touches. After the match, manager Luis Enrique praised Beraldo while speaking to TNT Sports Brasil.
“That’s the curious thing about football: you bring in a 30-year-old veteran player, and it might take them one or two years to adapt,” Enrique told the outlet. “Then there’s Beraldo, who’s 20 or 21, and in ten days, it seems like he’s been living in Paris for I don’t know how long.
“It’s truly marvelous. It’s a great surprise, a great signing by the Sporting Director, Luis Campos, who informed us of the possibility of signing Lucas Beraldo, and we’re very happy to have him. But here, nobody can relax; all players need to be prepared, and that’s the goal: to be a better team every day.”
With his performance on Tuesday, Beraldo might have secured the starting job going forward in these crucial matches.
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