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PSG have the potential to dominate Europe in the next few years. |
Paris Saint-Germain beat Inter Milan 5-0 in the 2024/25 Champions League final, the most lopsided result in modern football history. Luis Enrique's side put in an excellent performance, creating a record victory and raising many big questions about the future of European football in the coming years.
The Power of Wealth
The final in Munich was a display of superiority for PSG and their Qatari owners, as they demolished Inter Milan 5-0, making it the most one-sided final in history.
Not even the legendary Real Madrid side of the 1960s had ever won by five goals in a final. PSG became the second club owned by a Middle Eastern country to win the Champions League, after Manchester City.
Qatar’s approach to football has finally paid off, after many criticized them for being less clever than their UAE neighbors. Inter Milan were perhaps the team that suffered the most bitterness, losing both finals they played in, to teams funded by wealthy UAE and Qatari owners.
If the 0-1 defeat to Manchester City in 2023 made Inter regretful because they played on par with their opponents at times and missed opportunities, then this time everything is just shame. Coach Simone Inzaghi's Inter let PSG dominate in every aspect. It shows how world football's top level seems to have entered a stage of great class division.
A team with limited resources and budget like Inter cannot compete with a young, strong, expensive and intelligently built squad like PSG. More than 2.23 billion euros have been spent by the Qataris to build the PSG squad over the past decade.
In the 2024/25 season, they no longer have a superstar worth more than 100 million euros in the squad, but even a PSG reserve player when entering the field costs no less than 50 million euros. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia costs 70 million euros, Joao Neves costs 69 million euros or Desire Doue was bought at the age of 18 for more than 60 million euros. Of course, in previous seasons, PSG spent much more, but they could not win the European championship.
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PSG will go far. |
Everything changed when the French club found the right direction by hiring coach Luis Enrique. Money and ambition from Qatar combined with Enrique's wisdom and talent created an equation with the perfect solution.
Big questions about the future
Luis Enrique has made a name for himself by building the PSG team to the current level of success, winning the Champions League and the second treble of his coaching career. However, unlike his triumph with Barcelona 10 years ago, PSG fans hope that Enrique will stay in Paris for a long time to build a new empire.
Enrique's side boasted a remarkable amount of youth, with three of the five goals in the final coming from 19-year-olds. Desire Doue was outstanding with two goals and an assist, while Senny Mayulu (another 19-year-old) came off the bench to seal the record.
Kvaratskhelia are also only 24. Enrique’s young squad are inexperienced but very expensive, with hundreds of millions of euros spent on teenage stars. They have also benefited from the fact that the French league has become a laughing stock due to the financial gap, in contrast to the fierce competition in Serie A that Inter are experiencing.
PSG's youth and intensity create a huge energy gap. If Pep Guardiola once said it was difficult to know how to press Inter, PSG did it too easily.
The game was a battle between the young and the old, and it was easy to see why Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Matteo Darmian and other older Inter players were so cheap on the market.
PSG seem to play the football of the future. They are fast, strong, defend and attack as one unit, dominate possession and rush forward from all directions. It is a more attractive version of tiki-taka.
Obviously, dominating Europe is not easy, and PSG will face many challenges. The stability of the young squad is a big question. Doue, Mayulu and Barcola are all bright talents, but they need to maintain their form and avoid falling apart under the pressure of stressful seasons.
In addition, the future of key players like Donnarumma remains unclear as his contract has only 12 months left, and the Italian goalkeeper has not committed to an extension.
Competition in Europe is getting fiercer. Teams like Barcelona, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Liverpool will not stand still. Many believe that if Barcelona had reached the final instead of Inter, things would have been different.
Source: https://znews.vn/psg-du-suc-thong-tri-chau-au-vai-nam-toi-post1557496.html
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