At Paris St. Germain, Willian Pacho immediately matured into an important support. The newcomer to Eintracht Frankfurt is an undisputed regular force. It will also happen to him in the semi-final second leg of the Champions League against Arsenal.
It was already significant which two protagonists fell into their arms after the final whistle of the semi -final atmosphere between Arsenal and Paris St. Germain (0: 1). Marquinhos, number five at PSG, and Willan Pacho, equipped with the number 51, not only formed a compact unit at this moment that harmonized in the away win in London.
The French champion delivered his masterpiece in terms of defensive work last Tuesday (April 29, 2025). The success in the first Champions League semi-final opens all options for the second leg in the Prinzenpark (Wednesday, from 9 p.m. in the live ticker) on the final on May 31st in Munich.
The ideal addition to Captain Marquinhos
Anyone who attributed the unsuccessful race of the “Gunners” to the splendid parades of the Italian glass goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma had overlooked the South American duo in the defense of the defense. The Brazilian Marquinhos, 30, and the Ecuadorian Pacho, 23, complement each other.
Marquinhos, 1.83 meters tall, was a long defensive midfielder, but is now used in defense. The right foot is the extended arm of the Spanish trainer Luis Enrique, who entrusted him with the captain’s armband. Who knows better than Haudegen playing in Paris since 2013 that former Parisian casts never had the right balance between defense and attack.
One unit: Defenders Marquinhos and Willian Pacho
Bundesliga only Passage station
This has also changed from the new anchor Pacho. The second regular defender measures 1.87 meters and is left foot. The imposing appearance came from Eintracht Frankfurt at the beginning of Eintracht, where Pacho matured with giant steps in just one season from the hope of hope to the sales candidate.
2023 committed to Royal Antwerp for around eleven million euros from a sniffer nose and sports director Markus Krösche, the ambitious defender continued to France for 40 million euros in base revenue in 2024. In the end, Germany was only one passage station.
From Ecuador first to Antwerp
“He is an extraordinary defender whose quick development is not a surprise for us. Of course we would have liked to have had him as a player and as a guy in our team. But the economic framework for us and the sporting perspective for him speak for this change”said Krösche back then.
Antwerp had assured a participation of 15 percent of the return gain. Because they recognized the development potential of this header and duel-strong defensive specialist who grew up in the Ecuadorian province of Esmeralda. At the age of 13, Pacho left his parents’ home to move to the football school of Independiente Del Valle, one of the best South American football academies, to the capital Quito.
The early death of his mother bothered him
“The structure and the way they treated us helped me a lot. It was the most difficult for me to get away from my family”he said to the Ecuadorian broadcaster “Goltv”. Exactly on the day when he gave his professional debut for the club in November 2019, his mother died of breast cancer. However, the then 18-year-old only learned of this after the game.
When he won the U20-Copa libertadores, the most important South American youth tournament, with independents, he had T-shirts printed with a picture of his mother. Then the inscription: “You are my warrior.”
“My mother always supported me a lot. She was always there for me when I was still a student. She made great attention to ensuring that I would learn to achieve my goals”, “ Pacho told the “Eintracht Magazin” in February 2024. There he also revealed that she actually wanted “That I will be a sailor – but we just wanted to play football all day.”
Conversion without the family initially difficult
The experience at a young age helped him to mature early as a professional. At Eintracht, they learned his diligence and focus, his willingness to learn and his strength of character. There was someone who did his job with a bear rest on the pitch – and also did a lot to get better. Of course, the fact that Pacho had already adapted to European customs in Antwerp.
The changeover, he confessed, was initially at his first station “very difficult” been: “It was hard for me, without my family and the usual food.” What he could enjoy, however: “To have freedom to be able to go everywhere where you could do. We cannot do that in our homeland.”
The way of playing under Luis Enrique comes towards him
In Paris, Enrique’s style of play seems to meet him. Pacho is not one who operates the forefenses with long blows. He likes the well -kept game structure better. His pass rate is 93.8 percent in the premier class, he records more than seven ball winnings per encounter, at 33.8 km/h his top speed is. In 27 games of the Ligue 1 and 15 games of the Champions League, he was on the pitch.
One is one of the undisputed regulars. Everyone agrees with his current employer: this investment was worth every cent for PSG. Paris and Pacho – that fits.