As only the second team to win the Champions League again, Paris Saint-Germain proved their place among the best teams in European football history. After a 1-1 draw in the final in Budapest, they nervously defeated Arsenal 4-3 on penalties to support their 5-0 victory against Inter Milan in Munich a year earlier.
By achieving this, they became the first team to successfully defend its championship since Real Madrid’s three-peat from 2016 to 2018, and only the second in the Champions League era, starting in 1993. In fact, PSG is only the tenth team in the 71-year history of the league to win consecutive titles.
“I’m mixed,” manager Luis Enrique said following the match. “Everything—excitement, exhaustion. However, this is the season’s finest moment. It’s incredible that we are still champions, two in a row.” PSG’s triumph versus Inter Milan was initiated by all ten of the outfield players who started against Arsenal. The only new player was keeper Matvey Safonov, who replaced Gianluigi Donnarumma, who joined Manchester City in the offseason.
Enrique cements legacy as PSG wins back-to-back Champions League titles
Luis Enrique’s team has won nearly every competition they have participated in during the last two years. They have won eight of the ten trophies available to them since the beginning of the previous season, with the exception of the French Cup this year and the Club World Cup last summer.
PSG might become just the fifth team to win three consecutive Champions League/European Cup crowns if they maintain their domination in the upcoming season. However, they still have a ways to go until they surpass Real Madrid’s five consecutive European Cup victories from 1956 to 1960.
On BBC Radio 5 Live, European football writer Julien Laurens declared, “Tonight PSG have made history.” “The previous season will always be memorable, but I believe they will appreciate this more since they had to battle, dig deep, and come back. It was almost too simple to defeat Inter last season… You join the best of all time back-to-back.”
