St. Etienne director relishing 'beautiful' Pogba brothers reunion
The draw for the Europa League's Round of 32 posed some exciting encounters, but few can rival the family reunion that'll occur in Greater Manchester and in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region of France.
The world's most expensive footballer, Paul Pogba, will spar with his brother Florentin, a defender, following Manchester United's slated two-legged meeting with the latter's storied employer St. Etienne in February.
Considering that their ascents in football have taken a markedly different pace, St. Etienne's sporting director Dominique Rocheteau is excited the brothers will get the opportunity to pit their talents against one another.
(Courtesy: @EuropaLeague)
"Florentin and Paul, it's a beautiful story," Rocheteau told L'Equipe, with translation from ESPN FC's Ian Holyman.
"We're going to play one of the biggest clubs in the world. That's also why you play in European competition. We would have liked to have played them later in the competition."
Paul will be hoping to meet Florentin's twin in the future, too. Twenty-six-year-old forward Mathias is making a gradual rise through the levels, currently plying his trade with Sparta Rotterdam of the Netherlands after stints with Wrexham and Partick Thistle, among others.
St. Etienne may be more wary of one of Paul's United teammates, however, considering Zlatan Ibrahimovic's scoring record against Les Verts during his four-year stint at Paris Saint-Germain. The charismatic Swede bagged 14 goals in 13 bouts with St. Etienne, but also received the only dismissal of his Ligue 1 career against the outfit.
Regardless of the Pogba reunion, Ibrahimovic's tendency to dazzle when facing St. Etienne, and United being a clear favourite to make the final 16, Rocheteau is happy the fans will be able to enjoy a glittering European night so many years after the club's heady days in the 1970s.
"There is an overwhelming favourite," Rocheteau said of Jose Mourinho's lot. "We have drawn the top prize. I'm very happy for the fans who'll go to the stadium in Manchester. It's the top game of the Round of 32, so it's magnificent."