Yet another Champions League disappointment

Bayern have a team built to win the Champions League. I said from the start that we were going to do our maximum…our maximum is this.

― Kylian Mbappé

Our maximum is this…The sentence will resonate from the Parc des Princes to Doha in what could be the last straw for PSG’s owners and fans. When Qatar Sports Investments purchased the club in 2011, the objectives were simple: create a team worthy of the French capital and win the Champions League. Since then PSG has walked all over Ligue 1 but has been unable to meet expectations on the European stage.

The “Cup with Big Ears” — as it’s referred to in French — has eluded Paris for too long and the expanding list of last 16 or last 8 exits have left scars that a lonely 2020 runner’s up medal cannot begin to heal. This year’s elimination to Bayern was almost mundane compared to the Remontadas and Benzema hattricks of the past, and yet its consequences for the future of the club may be more severe. The maximum simply cannot be this.

Au revoir MNM?

A dream front three, the star players for Argentina, Brazil and France, the GOAT…what more could you want? In truth, Messi, Neymar and Mbappé have been nothing short of outstanding for PSG. Neymar was the fastest player in the club’s history to reach 50 goals in Ligue 1, Mbappé has just become the club’s record goalscorer and even Messi, having won everything at 35, has continued to rack up goals and assists.

And yet it has not been smooth sailing for the trio in Paris. Remember Messi and Neymar were booed off the pitch by their own fans back in March 2022, which has led them to stop saluting the crowd altogether after games. Neymar is also frequently scrutinized by the French press and fans alike for his frequent injuries, lifestyle, choice of meals and so on. If Messi is the GOAT, Neymar has to be the perfect scapeGOAT!

It’s easy to forget after his exemplary World Cup that Mbappé too was not without reproach at the beginning of the season. His attitude on the pitch was bordering the unprofessional, going as far as stopping his run suddenly and throwing an arm in the air because he had not received the ball. On top of that, his never ending links with Real Madrid and PSG’s approach to keep the French striker ‘at all cost’ have not been the best look for the club.

Collectively, the MNM has failed to reach the heights of their individual brilliance. French media have increasingly raised the question whether they can even be played together due to their defensive shortcomings and the instability it creates in the team. At the same time, and perhaps more worryingly, PSG have too often lacked a team identity. The two legs of Bayern Munich tie made it glaringly obvious how reliant the club was on moments of magics from their front men something that the well-organized German side in front of them was able to easily nullify. As Mbappé said: Bayern has a team built to win the Champions League.

Youth and new talents — what’s next for PSG?

One bright light coming out of the Paris youth academy is Warren Zaïre-Emery who has looked years ahead of his 17 years of age and has helped fill the gaps in a midfield in desperate need of renewal. His burst onto the scene could spark a renewed faith in homegrown talent, if Kingsley Coman had not already reminded PSG of their potential.

Now this will probably not mean the end of big spending at PSG, far from it. Rumors of links with Napoli’s high flying Victor Osimhen is a testament to that. PSG is however in desperate need of a strategic vision if it is to finally capitalize on its endless resources. This will likely mean the end of the MNM and the era of superstars at PSG.

Photo Credit: Moahad Saqib