'I tried to tell em' - Tottenham star predicted rapid rise of Desire Doue and described French superstar as 'Neymar reincarnated' ahead of Champions League masterclass

Doue's rise to fame with Paris Saint-Germain has been one for the books, as the French teenager helped Les Parisiens win their first-ever Champions League title with a brace against Inter Milan in the final. Rio Ferdinand backed Spence's claims that he had predicted Doue's rise to stardom, as the Manchester United legend also revealed that the Tottenham star had compared Doue with Brazilian icon Neymar.

After Doue's heroics in the Champions League final, Spence posted on X: "I tried to tell 'em, they laughed..."

Speaking on TNT Sports’ Champions League Final Preview Show, Ferdinand had said: "I sat with Djed Spence, and I said: ‘Give me a young player’s name, up and coming, we might not have spoken about.’ This was a few months ago.

"I didn’t realise he [Spence] went on loan to Rennes a couple of years ago, and he said: ‘I was with Doue there…Rio, this is like Neymar reincarnated.’

"At the time, he wasn’t [in the] knockout stages yet, I was like: ‘Alright, steady a little bit.’ But then I started seeing him and watching him a little bit, I was like: ‘He ain’t too far off.’

"He’s got huge potential, and I don’t know where his ceiling is."

Doue joined Paris Saint-Germain last summer from Stade Rennais after having also been linked with a move to Bayern Munich. This season, the 19-year-old made a total of 54 appearances in all competitions. He has grabbed 15 goals and 16 assists for the new European champions.

Doue has only made one appearance for France so far, having made his international debut in March. However, the teenage sensation could very well be a starter for Didier Deschamps' side in their Nations League semi-final against Spain on June 6.