​Edinson Cavani Knew Benjamin Pavard Was A Class Player Three Years Before The World Cup

Edinson Cavani knows a good footballer when he spots one - and this was no different when Paris Saint-Germain beat Lille 6-1.

PSG thrashed their opponents in 2015, in a game where World Cup star Benjamin Pavard came on as a subsitute in the final 15 minutes. He couldn't help his side avoid defeat, or the embarrassing score-line, but he did earn the plaudits of veteran striker Cavani.

Cavani was so impressed by Pavard's performance that game that after the final whistle he requested that they swap shirts.

Shocked, a bewildered Pavard asked: "Wait, you want my shirt?"

Of course, just three years later, the defender was a key player in France's World Cup success in Russia.

What a guy.

Pavard came to international attention with his brilliant displays during the tournament, and his outrageous goal against Argentina. It was voted the best goal of the 2018 World Cup in a poll run by the federation, and it's no surprise really. You'd be hard-pressed to find a goal as aesthetically pleasing as this one.

via GIPHY

The 22-year-old now plays in the Bundesliga for VfB Stuttgart for an undisclosed fee back in 2016. But after such a impressive World Cup, many top clubs will surely be looking at the Frenchman as a feasible option on the transfer market.

Topics: Football News, Football, France

Jacque Talbot

Jacque Talbot is a journalist and sports writer at SPORTbible. He graduated from Manchester Metropolitan with a BA in English and Film. He is a football, snooker, and basketball enthusiast and has been published in the Daily Mail, The Guardian, The Set Pieces, Planet Football and the Morning Star. He’s the greatest thing to come out of Essex since Nick Frost.

@Jac_Talbot