Once accused of prioritising glamour over grit, Paris Saint-Germain now find themselves on the cusp of the one trophy that has evaded them – and the path here could not be more different from the one they travelled before.
Gone is the glitzy front three that once embodied PSG’s star-chasing identity. Kylian Mbappé’s exit to Real Madrid marked the definitive end of the Neymar-Messi era – and with it, a reset in Paris. What emerged from that dramatic break-up was not decline, but reinvention. At the heart of this rebirth stands Luis Enrique, a manager whose vision, discipline and emotional resilience have sculpted PSG’s most coherent and compelling side in years.
Their destination? Munich, and a Champions League final against an experienced Inter Milan side. Their journey? One of transformation, youth and defiance of expectations.
The Enrique Effect: Football’s Reluctant Philosopher
Enrique’s arrival in July 2023 was not about quick fixes or instant silverware. It was a bold admission by PSG’s hierarchy that their past methods – the marquee signings, the power-centred dressing rooms – had delivered everything except the Champions League. The Spaniard was tasked with recalibrating the club’s soul, and he did so by focusing not on names, but on systems, discipline, and unity.
The decision wasn’t without risk. In choosing Enrique, PSG passed over proven short-term winners like José Mourinho and Antonio Conte. But what they gained was a football obsessive with a long-term plan, a man as rigorous in his methods as he is resilient in life. Enrique’s personal story – marked by tragedy, ironman triumphs, and an almost monastic dedication to routine – has shaped a manager who leads by example and demands total commitment.
His insistence on being the central authority has transformed the internal dynamics of the club. Under previous regimes, players often had a direct line to the president, bypassing coaches. Not anymore. Enrique rules the sporting side with total autonomy – a requirement he laid out from day one, and which the club finally embraced.
Building a Team, Not a Brand
The post-Mbappé era was widely expected to be a transitional one. Enrique himself hinted it could take more than a season for PSG to reach Europe’s summit. But with every match, those expectations were rewritten. The turning point came with a resounding 4-2 dismantling of Manchester City – a night when the youthful energy of Bradley Barcola, the directness of Ousmane Dembélé, and the creativity of Desire Doue announced the arrival of a new PSG.
By the time Arsenal were sent packing in the semi-finals, it was clear this wasn’t a rebuild – it was a revolution.
The January signing of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli added the final piece. A winger blessed with trickery, fearlessness and the ability to draw defenders out of shape, the Georgian star has embodied the new ethos: flair within structure.
PSG’s pressing game, the youngest average starting XI in the competition, and their tournament-best tally of 37 shot-ending high turnovers tell the tale of a side that suffocates opponents not with individual stardust, but with orchestrated intensity.
And the discipline isn’t just tactical. Dembélé, once considered enigmatic and inconsistent, found himself dropped earlier in the season for poor work-rate. Instead of sulking, he returned reenergised, becoming a driving force behind PSG’s domestic double and continental charge.
A Final of Contrasts: Youth vs Experience
Inter Milan, PSG’s final hurdle, are their tactical and philosophical opposite. With an average starting age of over 30, Inter represent experience, patience and pragmatism – a sharp contrast to PSG’s youthful verve. But while Inter boast hardened veterans and defensive mastery, PSG bring an unpredictability that has left a trail of Premier League giants in their wake.
Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal – all undone by PSG’s fluid, aggressive transitions and fearless young stars. And in the calm at the centre of this storm, Enrique watches and guides, never too high, never too low.
Captain Marquinhos brings stability, while goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has grown into a continental giant, delivering a string of crucial saves that belie his years.
Munich Awaits: A Night for the Believers
For PSG’s ultras – the heart and soul of the Parc des Princes – this is more than a final. This is redemption. The 2020 final loss to Bayern Munich, played behind closed doors, left a generation of fans without their moment. On Saturday night, that wrong could be righted in full voice and full colour.
Their banners have told the story of this campaign. “Beaten by the waves, Paris never sunk,” read one before the demolition of City. “55 years of memory behind you to write history,” another declared before Arsenal’s fall.
Now, those memories converge on Munich, where Enrique’s side could become legends not through ego, but through ethos.
Should they lift the trophy, it will not only mark PSG’s long-awaited arrival at Europe’s top table. It will be the triumph of a strategy rooted in trust, youth, and unity – and of a manager who traded superstars for soldiers, and delivered something even more valuable than silverware: belief.
