by Hollywood Sports
Saturday, May 31, 2025Paris Saint-Germain had never won a UEFA Champions League title despite being the premier professional football club in France and one of the elite programs with deep pockets in all of Europe. But that all changed on May 31st in their dominant 5-0 victory against Inter Milan in what was the largest margin of victory ever in the finals of the Champions League.
This was not the roster expected to bring the European championship back to Paris. The previous strategy by ownership was to assemble a roster of superstars headlined by Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe. The latter two forwards led PSG to the UEFA Champions League title game in 2020 before losing against Bayern Munich. They added Messi to the mix two seasons later after reaching the semifinals of the Champions League in 2021. But even with that trio of superstars, Les Bleus could not advance past the Round of 16 in the Knockout Stage of the Champions League in 2022 and 2023. Ownership said goodbye to both Messi and Neymar for the 2023-24 season — and Mbappe led Les Parisiens to the Champions League semifinals again before losing to Borussia Dortmund.
When ownership then said goodbye to Mbappe last summer when he signed with Real Madrid, PSG was expected to take a step back. But manager Luis Enrique was able to get more out of his roster this season who all bought into his tactics.
The biggest development this season has been the emergence of striker Ousmane Dembele who has shined in the role of replacing Mbappe. His improved finishing skills make him one of the best players in the world — and he is on the shortlist to win the Ballon d’Or awarded to the player who enjoyed the best season in all of soccer. The roster was talented and balanced — and keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and right-back Achraf Hakimi may very well be the best players in the world at their position. Adding Khuicha Kuaratskhelia in the January transfer from Napoli was a shot in the arm for the scoring attack. Overall, the unity and cohesion of this team are better than the ones they had when Mbappe was the clear superstar and Talisman. The squad also had depth.
PSG proved themselves against some of the best competition from the English Premier League in their march to the European championship. It has been a remarkable campaign for PSG who needed to win their final three matches in the Group Stage of the Champions League to claim the 15th seed. But Les Parisiens beat the EPL champion this season, Liverpool, in the Round of 16 before taking care of Aston Villa in the quarterfinals. PSG also beat Manchester City in the Group Stage of the Champions League. In the semifinals, they defeated Arsenal by an aggregate 3-1 score.
Thoroughly dominating Inter Milan is a testament to just how much this group improved during what looked like a lost season late in the Fall. The Nerazzurri have proven themselves to be one of the best clubs in Europe after reaching the UEFA Champions League final two years ago in a loss to Manchester City. They outlasted an excellent Barcelona squad in the semifinals by an aggregate 7-6 score after surviving what might have been the match of the year in the second leg in a 4-3 victory in extra time. PSG won the expected goals battle against Inter Milan by a 3.51-0.50 margin.
Les Parisiens concluded their season with five clean sheets in their final nine matches in the UEFA Champions League. They also pulled off the rare treble by winning the Champions League, the Ligue 1 title, and the Coupe de France after a 3-0 victory against Reims on May 24th.
PSG’s ascension offers some lessons for handicappers. First, assembling superstars is not necessarily the formula for success. Les Bleus were stronger by the sum of their parts than previous squads that had superstar talent. Second, be open to the possibility that teams improve their form as the season progresses. Bettors who assumed that PSG was destined for a down season after their early struggles lost themselves a lot of money. Those of us who appreciated the improvement Les Parisiens made in the second half of the season profited.
Best of luck — Frank.
This was not the roster expected to bring the European championship back to Paris. The previous strategy by ownership was to assemble a roster of superstars headlined by Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe. The latter two forwards led PSG to the UEFA Champions League title game in 2020 before losing against Bayern Munich. They added Messi to the mix two seasons later after reaching the semifinals of the Champions League in 2021. But even with that trio of superstars, Les Bleus could not advance past the Round of 16 in the Knockout Stage of the Champions League in 2022 and 2023. Ownership said goodbye to both Messi and Neymar for the 2023-24 season — and Mbappe led Les Parisiens to the Champions League semifinals again before losing to Borussia Dortmund.
When ownership then said goodbye to Mbappe last summer when he signed with Real Madrid, PSG was expected to take a step back. But manager Luis Enrique was able to get more out of his roster this season who all bought into his tactics.
The biggest development this season has been the emergence of striker Ousmane Dembele who has shined in the role of replacing Mbappe. His improved finishing skills make him one of the best players in the world — and he is on the shortlist to win the Ballon d’Or awarded to the player who enjoyed the best season in all of soccer. The roster was talented and balanced — and keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and right-back Achraf Hakimi may very well be the best players in the world at their position. Adding Khuicha Kuaratskhelia in the January transfer from Napoli was a shot in the arm for the scoring attack. Overall, the unity and cohesion of this team are better than the ones they had when Mbappe was the clear superstar and Talisman. The squad also had depth.
PSG proved themselves against some of the best competition from the English Premier League in their march to the European championship. It has been a remarkable campaign for PSG who needed to win their final three matches in the Group Stage of the Champions League to claim the 15th seed. But Les Parisiens beat the EPL champion this season, Liverpool, in the Round of 16 before taking care of Aston Villa in the quarterfinals. PSG also beat Manchester City in the Group Stage of the Champions League. In the semifinals, they defeated Arsenal by an aggregate 3-1 score.
Thoroughly dominating Inter Milan is a testament to just how much this group improved during what looked like a lost season late in the Fall. The Nerazzurri have proven themselves to be one of the best clubs in Europe after reaching the UEFA Champions League final two years ago in a loss to Manchester City. They outlasted an excellent Barcelona squad in the semifinals by an aggregate 7-6 score after surviving what might have been the match of the year in the second leg in a 4-3 victory in extra time. PSG won the expected goals battle against Inter Milan by a 3.51-0.50 margin.
Les Parisiens concluded their season with five clean sheets in their final nine matches in the UEFA Champions League. They also pulled off the rare treble by winning the Champions League, the Ligue 1 title, and the Coupe de France after a 3-0 victory against Reims on May 24th.
PSG’s ascension offers some lessons for handicappers. First, assembling superstars is not necessarily the formula for success. Les Bleus were stronger by the sum of their parts than previous squads that had superstar talent. Second, be open to the possibility that teams improve their form as the season progresses. Bettors who assumed that PSG was destined for a down season after their early struggles lost themselves a lot of money. Those of us who appreciated the improvement Les Parisiens made in the second half of the season profited.
Best of luck — Frank.
