Two former winners look ahead to Saturday's UEFA Champions League final
Jose Mourinho once called it "the biggest trophy in the world," and the wait to crown a champions league winner is now just one day away.
Former winners and pundits at TNT Sports, Rio Ferdinand and Steve McManaman, join World Sport's Amanda Davies in Munich to look ahead to the match between PSG and Inter Milan.
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New York Times
11 minutes ago
- New York Times
Champions League final: PSG 5 Inter 0 – Desire Doue stars as Parisians end long wait to become European champions
Paris Saint-Germain landed European football's biggest prize on Saturday night, dismantling Inter 5-0 in Munich to win the 2024-25 Champions League, only the second French side to be crowned continental champions, after Marseille in 1993. PSG have made a habit of starting quickly in the Champions League this season and the final was no different, Luis Enrique's team finding themselves 2-0 up after 20 minutes thanks to goals from Achraf Hakimi and Desire Doue. In an era where showpiece events can be sterile, cagey affairs, this was very much business as usual for the French champions. Advertisement To their credit Inter improved after half-time but the game was sealed just after the hour mark when Doue scored his second of the evening, after delightful work from Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha. Further goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu were merely the icing on a highly impressive cake. Their winning margin of five goals is the biggest ever recorded in a Champions League final. The Athletic's writers break down the key moments from a memorable game. Can you really have much European Cup heritage when your club is only 55-years-young, has spent only 40 of those years playing at this rarefied level, and just 12 of them at these late, defining stages of the competition? Well yes you can, if you're Paris Saint-Germain: you can have a heritage of failing and falling short, of calamity and collapse, of wasting talent and resources at an unprecedented scale. In recent years, such a commanding first half performance — soaring into a 2-0 lead inside 20 minutes — might still have set us up for another night of schadenfreude across much of the rest of Europe. But as everyone has been at pains to point out on the road to Munich and throughout PSG's run to this final, those Benzema hat-tricks at the Bernabeu, late Rashford penalties and remontadas now feel a thing of the past. Everyone expected Luis Enrique's side to at least dominate possession. In the end, they dominated entirely. For all the talk of Inter's threat on transition after their helter-skelter semi-final with Barcelona, the Serie A side were contained, controlled and totally overcome. The Qatari state's vision of a team of superstars lifting European football's greatest prize has not come to pass, but it was perhaps inevitable — given the level of expense — that at some point, PSG would make history. Advertisement And this young, hungry, brilliantly-talented team — such a departure from the PSG sides of the recent past — may well be the future too. Mark Critchley Inter were on course for a treble going into the end of April. Emulating the immortals of 2010 was an opportunity they cautiously believed in seizing. In the end, Inter finished the season empty-handed — unless the Club World Cup figures as a goal. It is hard to imagine an exhausted team being up for it. Much has been made of the average age of this Inter team and how the squad needs to undergo a rejuvenation over the summer. Overseeing that process will be president Beppe Marotta and sporting director Pier Ausilio who will meet Simone Inzaghi this week to discuss his future. In addition to new younger players, Inter might be in need of a new coach if Inzaghi decides he has taken this team as far as he can. Make no mistake this has been a painful week for Inter. Losing the Scudetto on the final day was hard to take. But the pain would have been salved had they won the Champions League, the only trophy this group of players is missing. Getting over the disappointing denouement of this campaign will take a long time. It will live with these players for the rest of their careers. James Horncastle Desire Doue has been enormous fun this season. PSG have such a glut of talent that standing out in their crowd would be a challenge for almost anyone, but Doue has often been a delight — and perhaps that's because he has felt so new and novel during this Champions League run? Most people knew his name a year ago, when he became a gossip column staple ahead of his transfer from Rennes, but how many really appreciated his body of work or could speak descriptively on what made him so talented? In material terms, Doue had an exceptional impact on this final. His drifting movement behind Inter's defence created the first goal and he scored the second, running the length of the pitch to keep up with a counter attack and eventually receive Ousmane Dembele's superb final pass. His second goal was more than a moment; it was history. It put the game beyond doubt and put Inter away. But Doue is in this rare territory in which, other than for those who watch him in Ligue 1 every week, he is doing something different in every Champions League round. A bit of skill. A type of finish. Some nous that he was presumed not to possess. First and foremost, his assist and goals have won his team the European Cup for the first time. That matters more than anything else. But his part in that historic achievement comes in a specific context — he has spent the year gently exploding into the mainstream, with this final crescendo in Munich, in the biggest club game of all. 1+1 – Paris SG's Désiré Doué is the sixth different player to both score and assist in a UEFA Champions League final, while at 19 years and 362 days, he's the youngest to do so. Star. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 31, 2025 Seb Stafford-Bloor Explosive starts accelerated PSG past Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal in the knockouts, and their two early strikes tonight quickly put the game to bed. It might sound simple, but consistently striking early in the knockout stages has helped them to seize control and throw their opponents' carefully laid game plans into disarray. Luis Enrique's side has now scored nine goals within the opening 20 minutes across their Champions League matches. The immediate start looked inauspicious, though, as PSG booted the ball straight into touch from kick-off. But this is how they often start games in the Champions League and the PSG machine clicked into gear almost instantly, suffocating Inter with their pressing and relentlessly pulling them out of shape with fluid rotations. Advertisement Luis Enrique remarked that they 'scored the goal early playing the way we play' after Ousmane Dembele's early strike in the semi-final against Arsenal. The opening goal in Munich similarly showcased their free-flowing attacking philosophy. Vitinha slipped a delicate pass to Desire Doue on the left, who had drifted to the opposite flank, before squaring for right-back Hakimi, arriving in the box to tap home. Beyond the obvious advantage of taking the lead, PSG's early goals provide the perfect platform to unleash their devastating counter-attacks — no side has scored more than their six on the break in this season's competition. Inzaghi's side, unaccustomed to chasing games having trailed for only 16 minutes all tournament before the final, were forced to overcommit in search of an equaliser. That opened the door for PSG to launch a lightning-quick break just before the 20-minute mark, ending with Doue's deflected finish. PSG have been quick out of the blocks throughout this Champions League campaign, and another blistering start tonight proved pivotal in sealing their first-ever title. Conor O'Neil As pretty as Paris Saint-Germain's opening goal was, Federico Dimarco's deep position clearly made it possible; Dimarco's decision to drop behind his own defensive line was fatal, playing Desire Doue onside and thereby opening up his own defence. The habit of modern football is to damn players for any mistake. Especially when they are made in finals. Big reactions, big clicks, big social media currency; that's the game. But it is worth remembering just how fast the game is at this level and how little time Dimarco had to make that decision. Surely he's due some empathy? Remember this, too: making a cautious move in the opening minutes of a Champions League final, against a team loaded with attacking strength, who can move the ball quickly and with disguise is a very human thing to do — a natural act of self-preservation. Advertisement And the deflection for the second: given the state of the handball law, players can be forgiven for taking that kind of stance when facing a shot, assuming a position that could survive even a split-second-by-split-second VAR replay. He just got unlucky and, again, that's something that can befall any player on any occasion. Seb Stafford-Bloor You have to say it was pure class from Achraf Hakimi. The timing, the composure, the presence of mind, all on the grandest stage of all. No doubt about it. That was one of the all-time great non-celebration celebrations. The finish wasn't bad either. Can you blame Hakimi? After all, whom among us can forget his 45 appearances for Inter during the 2020-21 season – some four years ago now – when he forged such an unshakeable bond with the Nerazzuri faithful as they sat watching behind-closed-doors game at home? In all seriousness, it takes some real sangfroid to open the scoring just 12 minutes into a Champions League final and have the equanimity to not even look remotely happy about it, to hold your hands up in apology rather than start wildly windmilling. Maybe you would've preferred Hakimi to celebrate properly, but perhaps he knew the beating that was coming for his former side. And you imagine the Inter fans were thankful for it by full time. It was the only moment of the night that anyone in Paris Saint-Germain shirt showed mercy. Mark Critchley I wonder what a PSG vs Barcelona final would have looked like? That's not to say that Inter did not deserve their place in Munich; they did, clearly. But perhaps PSG-Barcelona would have taken on more of a basketball, back-and-forth feel, with each team trading stylish punches, in some sort of flair-off. Advertisement Maybe. PSG still win that game, though. It would be a mistake to say that they just overwhelmed Inter with their attacking ability when they controlled the game, too, and nullified all of the Italians' considerable threat. Where was Thuram? Where was Martinez? Where were Barella and Dumfries? As Barcelona showed in the semi-final: they will always give their opposition a chance — either through naivety or imbalance. So, had they played PSG it might have been a more entertaining game, but such a streetsmart and talented team would surely have been too much for them too. Seb Stafford-Bloor We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference. We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference. Sunday, June 15: Atletico Madrid, Club World Cup group match (Pasadena Rose Bowl), 8pm UK, 3pm ET Tuesday, June 17: Monterrey, Club World Cup group match (Pasadena Rose Bowl), 2am Weds UK, 9pm ET (Header photo: Getty Images)
Associated Press
11 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Champions League winners
1956 Real Madrid, Spain 1957 Real Madrid, Spain 1958 Real Madrid, Spain 1959 Real Madrid, Spain 1960 Real Madrid, Spain 1961 Benfica, Portugal 1962 Benfica, Portugal 1963 AC Milan, Italy 1964 Inter Milan, Italy 1965 Inter Milan, Italy 1966 Real Madrid, Spain 1967 Celtic, Scotland 1968 Manchester United, England 1969 AC Milan, Italy 1970 Feyenoord, Netherlands 1971 Ajax, Netherlands 1972 Ajax, Netherlands 1973 Ajax, Netherlands 1974 Bayern Munich, West Germany 1975 Bayern Munich, West Germany 1976 Bayern Munich, West Germany 1977 Liverpool, England 1978 Liverpool, England 1979 Nottingham Forest, England 1980 Nottingham Forest, England 1981 Liverpool, England 1982 Aston Villa, England 1983 Hamburger, West Germany 1984 Liverpool, England 1985 Juventus, Italy 1986 Steaua Bucharest, Romania 1987 Porto, Portugal 1988 PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands 1989 AC Milan, Italy 1990 AC Milan, Italy 1991 Red Star Belgrade, Yugoslavia 1992 Barcelona, Spain 1993 Marseille, France 1994 AC Milan, Italy 1995 Ajax, Netherlands 1996 Juventus, Italy 1997 Borussia Dortmund, Germany 1998 Real Madrid, Spain 1999 Manchester United, England 2000 Real Madrid, Spain 2001 Bayern Munich, Germany 2002 Real Madrid, Spain 2003 AC Milan, Italy 2004 Porto, Portugal 2005 Liverpool, England 2006 Barcelona, Spain 2007 AC Milan, Italy 2008 Manchester United, England 2009 Barcelona, Spain 2010 Inter Milan, Italy 2011 Barcelona, Spain 2012 Chelsea, England 2013 Bayern Munich, Germany 2014 Real Madrid, Spain 2015 Barcelona, Spain 2016 Real Madrid, Spain 2017 Real Madrid, Spain 2018 Real Madrid, Spain 2019 Liverpool, England 2020 Bayern Munich, Germany 2021 Chelsea, England 2022 Real Madrid, Spain 2023 Manchester City, England 2024 Real Madrid, Spain 2025 Paris Saint-Germain, France
Associated Press
11 minutes ago
- Associated Press
European soccer trebles
Men's teams who have won their domestic league, domestic cup and Champions League/European Cup in same season 1967 Celtic, Scotland 1972 Ajax, Netherlands 1988 PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands 1999 Manchester United, England 2009 Barcelona, Spain 2010 Inter Milan, Italy 2013 Bayern Munich, Germany 2015 Barcelona, Spain 2020 Bayern Munich, Germany 2023 Manchester City, England 2025 Paris Saint-Germain, France
