Bradley Barcola needed exactly one touch to announce himself on the World Cup stage. The 23-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward entered France’s opener against Senegal as a substitute on June 16 and promptly scored the team’s second goal, extending the lead to 2-0.
It was his first World Cup goal. It was also, quite literally, the first thing he did after stepping onto the pitch.
A perfectly timed audition
PSG acquired him from Lyon for €45 million, a fee that seemed hefty at the time for a player still finding his footing at the top level. Prior to the World Cup, Barcola had already accumulated 20 senior caps and three international goals for France.
Just four days before the Senegal match, reports surfaced on June 12 that PSG was reportedly open to selling Barcola for approximately €100 million. That figure represents nearly double what they paid for him.
