🤔 Champions PSG: Doué succeeds where Messi and Mbappé fell short 💥 | OneFootball

It was a historic triumph, the first Champions League won by Paris Saint-Germain. And what struck many was the fact that a younger team, less packed with stars, succeeded where Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Neymar had failed.

It’s no coincidence that the symbol of PSG’s victory is the very young Désiré Doué, the star of the night in Munich with his brace and assist at not yet twenty years old.

James Horncastle also discussed it in an article for The Athletic, highlighting how the trophy was presented to PSG captain Marquinhos by Javier Pastore. The Argentine was the first major signing (42 million from Palermo) after the club was acquired by Qatar Sports Investment in 2011.

At the time, Pastore’s signing was explained by president Nasser Al-Khelaifi as a strategy aimed at "finding the new Messi, rather than buying the real Messi." It was a strategy PSG would later abandon, purchasing Messi himself ten years later: a signing that, however, did not bring the big-eared cup to Paris.

Messi is just one name on the list of superstars who arrived in the City of Light but failed to deliver the big prize on the banks of the Seine: just think of the 222-million-euro deal that brought Neymar to PSG, or the 180 million paid to sign an 18-year-old Kylian Mbappé from Monaco.

And Mbappé himself best represents the symbol of PSG’s disappointments, with his decision to move to Real Madrid last summer in search of greater chances to finally lift the Champions League trophy—ironically enough.

But it wasn’t Mbappé, Neymar, or Messi who brought the Champions League back to France, 32 years after Marseille’s triumph over Milan. It was Désiré Doué, who on his magical night proved unmarkable for Dimarco, providing the assist for Hakimi’s goal that broke the deadlock, then scoring the next two goals himself.

Not bad for a kid who will turn 20 on Tuesday: a symbol of the work being done behind the scenes by sporting director Luis Campos.

Of course, the investments are still enormous (250 million, 50 of which were paid just for Doué), but they have been directed at less high-profile names: even Kvaratskhelia was a player who was starting to raise some doubts after struggling to fit into Conte’s Napoli.

In short, is this a PSG that’s less of an instant team and more focused on building the future and rewriting history?

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

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