Three former Fratton favourites link up in Russia to say hello to Portsmouth fans
Moscow hosted a reunion of three former Pompey favourites today – 1,846 miles away from where they graced the hallowed turf of Fratton Park.
Ex-Blues players Pedro Mendes, Richardo Rocha and Frédéric Piquionne were all in the Russian capital to compete in the annual Legends Cup for their respective countries.
And the trio, with 210 Pompey appearances between them, made the effort to link up and say a collective hello to Pompey supporters via Twitter.
Piquionne posted the moment on his twitter page with the simple message: ‘Good morning @Pompey fans’, which goes to show the impact Fratton Park had on the trio.
The French striker arrived on loan from Lyon for the 2009-10 Premier League season, featuring 45 times and scoring 11 goals – including one of the goals in the 2-0 FA Cup semi-final win against Harry Redknapp’s Spurs.
His last appearance for the club was the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the 2010 Cup final at Wembley – a game that also featured Portuguese defender Rocha.
The former Spurs centre-back played 97 times for the Blues over two periods, which also included two periods of administration.
Rocha served the club with distinction during that time, playing in three divisions and also the memorable 2-2 derby draw with Southampton at St Mary’s in 2012.
Mendes, who was lining up in the same Portuguese side in Moscow, made 68 appearances for Pompey between 2006 and 2008, scoring five times.
Two of his goals came in that dramatic victory over Manchester City in March 2006 – a game that kick-started the Great Escape.
The midfielder left the Blues to sign for Rangers in August 2008 after helping the club lift the FA Cup in 2008.