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As the halfway point of the league season eclipses, fans of Europe's elite clubs turn their sights to the illustrious quest for the Champions League crown. For supporters of French giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), the prospect of becoming European champions has been a long-awaited wish.
Since the French club’s takeover by Qatari Sports Investments in 2011, domestic success has almost been a foregone conclusion. Yet, despite the billions invested in the creation of one of Europe’s most formidable squads, the heavily lauded Champions League trophy has always eluded the Parisian club.
The Rise of PSG: French Dominance vs European Underachievement
PSG were never destined to be this good. Prior to 2011, the Parisians had only won two Ligue 1 titles in their over half-a-century existence in the French top flight. However, all of this would change in 2011. After decades of domestic ownership of the club, PSG were taken over by the Qatari Sports Investment group. With this acquisition came a comprehensive overhaul of the team’s operations on and off the pitch.
Suddenly, a club that had previously been unable to afford top talent was able to attract some of the sport’s biggest stars. Starting with the high-profile signing of a pre-retirement David Beckham in 2013, they would later on bring in big names such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani.
The high-profile signings continued with the signing of Brazilian superstar Neymar from Barcelona at a record-breaking fee of €222 million in 2017 and French wonderboy Kylian Mbappe from Monaco for €180m.
PSG's blockbuster signings in the transfer window served as the catalyst for the club’s commitment to establishing themselves as one of Europe's top teams. It also enabled them to become a multi-billion-dollar global brand. After the takeover, the Parisians became the undisputed kings of France, capturing the French League title eight times in the last 10 seasons.
PSG's Champions League Journey
The Parisians became regulars in the Champions League and would frequently make it to the knockout stages, but claiming the European crown itself remained a mere pipe dream.The years between 2012 and 2015 marked an era where the Parisians were seemingly cursed to never progress beyond the quarter-final stage of the Champions League. During this period, they suffered defeats at the hands of formidable opponents such as Barcelona (twice), Chelsea, and Manchester City.
However, a 4-0 thrashing of Barcelona in the first leg of their round of 16 tie during the 2016-17 campaign seemed to signal that PSG had finally broken free of their Champions League shackles. But in the second leg, their fate was dealt a cruel blow as the French club became victims of the greatest comeback in the competition's history. Barcelona would win the second leg 6-1 to advance to the quarterfinals, in a game now infamously nicknamed “La Remontada”.
In the aftermath of the embarrassing exit in 2016, PSG failed to make the quarter-finals stage for the next three seasons. It wouldn't be until 2020 when they would finally make the Champions League final with a fully fit squad. However, PSG would lose 1-0 in a narrowly fought match to a formidable Bayern Munich squad.
New Superstar, Same Fortunes
In the summer of 2021, following contractual issues preventing him from staying with Barcelona, Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi signed with PSG. The Argentine maestro’s move to the French capital sent shockwaves throughout the footballing world and formed arguably one of the greatest attacking trios in footballing history.
Domestic success reigned in Paris once again but despite adding one of the greatest players of all time to their ranks, Champions League glory once again escaped the grasp of PSG.
In their latest UCL excursion last season, PSG took a 1-0 win over Real Madrid in their Round of 16 tie, but would crumble in the second leg, losing 3-1 to the eventual champions and marking another early exit.
Messi's addition was supposed to be the missing piece to the puzzle for PSG, but in Europe’s elite competition one slip up is enough to lose grasp of a dream.
Champions League or Bust
As it stands, it's highly unlikely PSG will assemble another squad of this caliber. Although the Parisians possess arguably the most talented team in Europe, there are cracks pointing to the probability they may lose the staples of their monstrous attack sooner rather than later.
Star man Kylian Mbappe, despite signing an extension with the club until the end of the 2024-25 season, has been flirting with the prospect of a move to Real Madrid for some time. The Frenchman may be looking to conquer Europe with the team best known for their Champions League reputation.
Neymar has been with the club since 2017 and with his career not getting any younger. He too could opt for a change of scenery and Messi is yet to have officially signed an extension with PSG following the World Cup, with rumors circulating about his future still being undecided.
With that being said, this year might be the Parisians' last chance at cashing in on all their chips for a long awaited UCL triumph. But considering PSG’s Champions League fortunes and an abysmal run of form recently, as well as injuries to star forwards Messi and Mbappe, the path to glory is steep.
After being unable to secure top spot in their Champions League group, PSG have been matched up with a familiar foe in Bayern Munich for the round of 16. The tie will prove to be their biggest challenge of the season and granted they make it past the German giants, PSG are once again more than capable of capturing a European title.
Anything other than a Champions League triumph, regardless of any success domestically, will prove to be another season marked by disappointment.
