After years of waiting and several unsuccessful attempts, Paris Saint-Germain – led by Luis Enrique – have triumphed in the Champions League final after defeating Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan, finally winning a first historic title in Europe’s most prestigious competition.
After years of waiting, billionaire investments and bitter disappointments, PSG can finally celebrate their first Champions League with their win over Inter writing a new page in their history.
It is something they have never achieved before, not even in the 2019/20 season when PSG narrowly lost to Bayern Munich in the final played behind closed doors in Lisbon.
This time, however, it was clear from the off that the result would be different and that the French champions would finally lift the trophy they were desperate for, with Luis Enrique’s side taking an early lead and never looking back, ultimately storming to a stunning 5-0 victory.
The end of a 14-year obsession
Since 2011, when the Qatari sovereign wealth fund took over the club, the goal has been clear: to take PSG to Europe’s elite and lift the Champions League. After a long series of failures, premature eliminations, collapses, and criticism of a team often accused of lacking identity, the dream is finally a reality.
The path to glory was anything but easy. After having eliminated three English teams – the Premier League champions Liverpool in the round of 16, the ambitious Aston Villa in the quarters and Arsenal in the semi-finals – the Parisians then completed the task by defeating Simone Inzaghi’s side.
Luis Enrique succeeded in moulding a brilliant young team, capable of combining the pure talent of players such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha and Gianluigi Donnarumma with a clear tactical identity and a collective spirit that is finally producing results as Europe’s best.
With this triumph, Paris Saint-Germain officially enter the club of Europe’s greats. After years in the shadow of the historical powers, they have gained the respect and legitimacy they sought, becoming the second French team to lift the Champions League.
