Ben Arfa not keen on PSG star man role

Forum 7 years ago

Ben Arfa not keen on PSG star man role

The forward says he holds no interest in taking over Zlatan Ibrahimovic's mantle as the club's best player and believes the Ligue 1 champions' main asset is the squad as a whole
Hatem Ben Arfa says he does not want to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic as Paris Saint-Germain's star player following the Swede's departure to Manchester United.

Ibrahimovic was PSG's undisputed main man in recent years, but the experienced forward opted to leave the Ligue 1 champions in favour of a move to Old Trafford this summer.

Ben Arfa, meanwhile, joined PSG after a stellar campaign with Nice, but he insists he is not thinking about individual success but only about winning trophies as a team.

"The star of PSG is the entire team, the technical staff and the club. There is no individual star," the 29-year-old toldL'Equipe.

"You do not necessarily need one big superstar to have a great team. You only have to look at Atletico Madrid to realise that.

"I do not want to be PSG's star man. I want to be part of a bigger collective and I want to win trophies with PSG.

"You have to put the team's interests first in order to become one of the best players."

PSG have dominated domestically in recent years but have been unable to replicate that success in Europe, bowing out at the Champions League quarter-final stage in each of the last four seasons.

Nevertheless, Ben Arfa believes it is only a matter of time before they win their first European Cup.

"I am convinced that we can win the Champions League this season," he added.

"All the right ingredients are there to do it, a great group of players, a lot of quality and commitment.

"Everything has been done to win the Champions League and I have no doubt that I will win it one day."