Paris Saint-Germain crowned 2024/25 Champions League winners

Paris Saint-Germain are the Champions League winners for the first time in their history. In a mouthwatering showpiece between one of the continent's old guard and one of the state-owned modern superclubs, the Parisians came out on top to beat Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena and conquer the summit of Europe for the first time.

A goal from Kingsley Coman in Lisbon denied PSG the chance to end their European drought five years prior, with Hansi Flick's Bayern Munich triumphing in Lisbon to cap off a remarkable season with a treble. The Paris outfit have since been on a mission to avenge their painful defeat, but they had a few bumps on their way to glory.

Looking back, PSG's start was one to forget. They began their Champions League campaign with a 1-0 win over Girona, but a four-match winless run followed, as they lost to Arsenal and Atletico Madrid, and drew with PSV Eindhoven. However, they regrouped and responded with wins over Salzburg (0-3), Manchester City (4-2), and Stuttgart (1-4) to conclude the league phase in 15th place and earn a play-off spot.

They faced fellow Ligue 1 side Brest in their play-off tie, dispatching them 0-3 away before delivering a 7-0 hammering at the Parc des Princes for a 10-0 aggregate score. But things quickly got serious for PSG when they drew Premier League champions and league phase toppers Liverpool in the round of 16, and Paris feared the worst.

Harvey Elliott's late strike handed the Reds a huge advantage heading into the second leg at Anfield, but this was the moment it all clicked for PSG. No goals followed Ousmane Dembele's early opener, which forced the game into extra time, and, eventually, a penalty shootout. Known for his penalty heroics against England to lift the Euro 2020 trophy with Italy, Gianluigi Donnarumma rose to the occasion again to send his side into the quarters.

Next up was Aston Villa, managed by an old acquaintance: Unai Emery. The 3-1 first-leg win pointed the way for the French side, but Birmingham made things nervy, with the Villans falling just one goal short of forcing extra time. The tie ended 5-4 on aggregate, and PSG marched into the semi-finals, where they faced and won against Arsenal, their English opponent.

Ousmane Dembele silenced the Emirates with a 0-1 win in the first leg, and in the return leg, Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi completed the job despite a consolation goal from Bukayo Saka. Their ultimate test came against Simone Inzaghi's experienced-filled Inter Milan side, who had already seen off favourites Bayern Munich and Barcelona on their way to the final. But PSG proved their superiority again to emerge victorious, and did so in brilliant fashion.

Teenager Desire Doue scored twice for PSG and set up the opening goal for Achraf Hakimi in Munich's Allianz Arena before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia made it four, and then 19-year-old substitute Senny Mayulu completed the scoring to seal off the most one-sided final in the competition's history. PSG are just the second French club to win the competition since Marseille's 1993 triumph, which also came in Munich against Inter's city rivals AC Milan. 

Luis Enrique's silent revolution

Luis Enrique has been at the heart of PSG's revival. The 55-year-old was appointed in July 2023, six months after Spain dismissed him for his disappointing exit from the 2022 World Cup against Morocco in the last 16. The PSG job appeared as a poisoned chalice, with his predecessors unable to deliver the success in the Champions League that the club's Qatari owners desired.

The team was handicapped by the presence of Neymar Jr, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, three great forwards who naturally did not care much for defending. The South American duo departed before the 2023/24 campaign, with Mbappe leaving to chase his Real Madrid dream the following summer. PSG fans feared the worst, particularly after Mbappe's exit, but Enrique insisted that the club would be better without their all-time top scorer.

"If everything goes well, I'm convinced we'll have a much better team than this year," Luis Enrique said in February 2024. It was hard to believe then, even less so after PSG opted not to sign a new striker last summer, but the Asturian coach proved all critics wrong. It turns out the Parisians are better without Mbappe, and Enrique deserves huge credit for that.

Victory not only makes him the man to give PSG their first-ever Champions League and treble, but it also puts him among an elite group of managers to have won the Champions League twice, and makes him the only manager to have won two career trebles alongside Pep Guardiola. Enrique's silent revolution opened the door for an exciting young Paris side that has taken Europe by storm.

Ousmane Dembele has been the standout with 33 goals in all competitions, ably assisted by fellow forwards Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola and January signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Others like Achraf Hakimi, formerly of Inter and perhaps the world's best full-back, and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma have also been superb this term.

PSG's midfield three sees Portuguese pocket dynamos Vitinha and Joao Neves team up with Fabian Ruiz, the elegant Spaniard whose tireless work rate can almost go unnoticed. Vitinha makes the team tick and is the designated penalty taker. The energetic Neves, signed last summer from Benfica, starts the press and is also surprisingly useful in the air, while Ruiz is the most experienced of the three.

In defence is skipper Marquinhos. The Brazilian is the most decorated player in Paris Saint-Germain's history with 34 trophies, but the Champions League was the one missing jewel from his stacked crown. After 13 years at the club, Marquinhos completes his quest to lift Europe's elite club trophy and cap off a remarkable season, which will forever be etched in Paris Saint-Germain's history books.