It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that last night was the greatest in the history of Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG's 2-1 second leg win over Arsenal at the Parc des Princes confirmed their progression to the final, going through 3-1 on aggregate. This will see the Parisians play their second ever UEFA Champions League final, and this time they got to celebrate it with fans.
Their last appearance came in the COVID-19 altered 2019/20 Champions League campaign, with the latter stages played in one legged affairs behind closed doors at a neutral venue.
After a stunning late comeback against Atalanta in the quarter-final and easing past RB Leipzig in the semi-final, they secured their first-ever final, but the fans were not there to see it in person. Just as we saw when Liverpool secured the Premier League title at Anfield two weekends ago, PSG were able to celebrate such a massive achievement in front of their own fanbase.
PSG now go into the final against Inter Milan as favourites, despite no longer having the attacking trio of Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi. With a shift of focus from the hierarchy, they have proved that the Galactico’s method does not work.
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PSG opting for a team over a team of stars
It should not be mistaken, PSG still have an abundance of stars and paid 70 million euros as recently as January for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. However, this is just one. The majority of their main stars were either bought for a reasonable cost or developed through their academy.
Whilst Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi and Marquinhos remain from the failed “Galactico’s” era, the rest of PSG’s incomings came for modest transfer fees. Whilst they spent over €300 million in the summer transfer window, they also recouped just under €200 million in a period that signified the change in approach from the club.
This is the summer transfer window that saw the flashy names mostly depart and instead, they have brought in hard workers who have been far better for the team balance.
Sergio Ramos, Messi, Mauro Icardi, Neymar, Marco Verratti and Julian Draxler. In their place, Fabián Ruiz arrived for €21.5 million, Desire Doué arrived for €50 million, Vitinha signed for €41 million, Bradley Barcola arrived for €41 million, and Ousmane Dembélé arrived for €50.4 million with his reputation at a low.
The signs were there in the 2023/24 season, reaching the semi finals of the Champions League. They would bow out, knocked out in surprise fashion by Borussia Dortmund. The final part of the aforementioned front three departed in the summer, with Mbappé moving to Real Madrid on a free transfer.
Joining the European champions, the French international was expected to take to life in the Spanish capital like a duck to water. Despite 36 goals in 52 appearances in all competition, including seven in 14 in the Champions League, the team balance has looked completely off. Jude Bellingham has seen a form take a dip now he has been forced to play further back, and Vini Jr and Mbappé appear to both want to be on the left and the stars of the team.
Madrid crashed out of the Champions League to Arsenal in the quarter-final, and PSG are 90 minutes away from winning their first ever European Cup. Mbappé must be wondering what if. He will potentially see the team he was once a part of achieving success without him, joining the likes of Michael Owen and Philippe Coutinho in a list of players who have searched for trophies over legacy and fallen straight on their face, something Trent Alexander-Arnold will want to avoid next season.
In truth, despite Mbappé’s talent, there is a lot more balance to this PSG attack, and it is no coincidence that they have reached the final, one they will be the favourites for, after the big names have left.
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Real Madrid’s failed “Galactico” method
This is not the first time a team has tried the method of having big stars. Madrid president Florentino Pérez attempted this during his first tenure with a task of clearing the club’s debt. Adopting the approach of buying the biggest names from various countries to boost shirt sales, Luis Figo, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Owen, Ronaldo, and Roberto Carlos walked through the door. They joined a team already featuring Iker Casillas and Raúl.
On paper, this team should have dominated Europe. However, Beckham, Owen and Ronaldo failed to win a Champions League after they joined as the club went over ten years without winning the trophy. In fact, from the 2001/02 season when they beat Bayer Leverkusen in the final, they did not even make a semi-final again until the 2010/11 season, where Messi scored one of his most iconic goals to advance Barcelona to the final. From the 2004/05 season to 2010/11, they had six straight eliminations at the Round of 16 stage.
In the prime years of the Galactico’s era, this Madrid team failed to even come close to threatening a place in the final, in similar fashion to PSG who had constant Quarter Final and Round of 16 eliminations.
After a three-year absence, Pérez returned to his role as club president and once again, they adopted a Galactico approach, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Xabi Alonso, and Karim Benzema arriving in 2009 before Gareth Bale a few years later. However, he also adopted an approach of getting the best young talent, something that he has seen through to this day and has seen two Champions Leagues in the past four seasons, with the additions of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Federico Valverde and Rodrygo.
In 19-year-old Sergio Ramos (€18.5), an 18-year-old Marcelo (€4.5 million) and 21-year old Casemiro (loan move before a permanent €18.738 move), they found young talent that would end up being crucial to the team.
Unlike the first time round, Pérez found Galacticos who did not have an ego. Alonso, Benzema, Bale, along with future signings Toni Kroos and Modric, have all been widely lauded as being great team players. What followed was three straight Champions League successes across 2016 to 2018. With the aforementioned two in the past four seasons, this makes it six in the past 12.
Madrid have proven, just as PSG have now shown, that it is not just about the flashy names.
