Written by Han Bing This summer marks the 55th anniversary of Paris Saint-Germain, and the Champions League trophy, which symbolizes the status of a truly top giant, is undoubtedly the best gift. This is the 53rd trophy since the establishment of Grand Paris and the 37th since the acquisition by the Qatari royal family. This Champions League trophy not only allows Grand Paris to finally complete the ultimate transcendence of its sworn rival Marseille, but also allows Grand Paris to officially join the "Champions League Club" and become a real top giant in European football.

For Paris, 2025 is a milestone as 1970 (the club's founding) and 2011 (when the Qatari royal family takes over). Starting with the French Super Cup on 5 January, Paris won four trophies in just five months, becoming the third Grand Slam in European football to win the quadruple in a single season after Celtic (1966/67) and Bayern Munich (2012/13) in the Champions League. For Paris, this Champions League trophy could start a real dynasty.

The dream of a wealthy family, a dream for 14 years

When Romanian referee Kovac blew the final whistle at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, which won the Champions League trophy for the first time in team history, completed a real transformation and was finally able to sit at the same table as the Champions League champions led by Real Madrid. For this day, the Qatari royal family, the owner of Grand Paris, has waited for 14 years. However, compared to Roman Abramovich's Chelsea (19 years) and Abu Dhabi's Manchester City (15 years), Qatari and Parisian fans have not waited long.

In the past 14 years, the Qatari royal family has invested 2.283 billion euros in the ball market, introduced as many as 94 players, and successively appointed 8 coaches from 5 countries, before finally making Grand Paris a real giant dominating Europe. Enrique's predecessors have won four French trebles, but have only reached one Champions League final before (2020). Ironically, the Qatari royal family's "Galaxy Fleet" superstar strategy, which has been on par with Real Madrid, did not bring the coveted Champions League trophy. On the contrary, after Mbappe's departure, the team fully shifted to a younger and more French lineup, which created a miracle in the history of the Grand Paris team and French football.

Since winning the first Ligue 1 title in the Qatar era in the 2012/13 season, Paris has won 37 of the 46 French domestic titles, and the total number of Ligue 1, French Cup, French Super Cup and French League Cup (discontinued) all rank the most in France, far surpassing the sworn rival Marseille, completely completing the monopoly of French football. But in the Champions League, France's last Champions League trophy came from Marseille in 1993, so winning the Champions League trophy is a strategic goal of the first sequence for Paris.

In 14 years, neither Carlo Ancelotti, Unai Emery, nor Tuchel have been able to make the Champions League dream come true for Paris. It wasn't until Enrique's arrival that that changed all that. The Spanish coach and sporting director Campos worked together to establish a revolutionary strategic transformation in Grand Paris. Instead of buying superstars at high prices, they are hoarding young players and newcomers from France.

In addition to goalkeeper Donnarumma, central defender Marquinhos, and bilateral defenders Nuno Mendes and Achraf, most of the remaining players have been purchased or promoted from the echelon in the last three seasons. The average age of the team's starting line-up has been greatly reduced, and the average starting point of the team in the Champions League final is only 25 years old, with Douai, Kvaratskhelia, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes and Pacho all under the age of 25, and Vitinha has just turned 25. At the same time, the first team also has as many as 10 homegrown players led by Dembele, Douai, Barcola, Emery and Lucas, setting a record for the most in the Qatari era.

The passion, hard work and versatility of this younger, more French group of players formed the temperamental foundation of the Grand Parisian championship. The Champions League trophy is important for Paris, but what is even more important is the energetic team that is enough to lay a solid foundation for the team to start a dynasty in the future.

Enrique "Paris Dream Team"?

Enrique's success in French football and the Champions League this season stems partly from his tactical experience and belief in winning the treble at Barcelona 10 years ago, but more importantly the opportunity he was given to fully implement his philosophy in Paris.

Having learned the lessons of his previous coaching, Enrique doesn't need a big-name superstar, even if he wants to give up Mbappe, who is seen as the future core of the Qatari royal family. In the big Parisian dressing room without superstars, Enrique's authority and influence have never been stronger.

With the support of the Qatari royal family, Enrique worked closely with sporting director Campos to establish an effective possession strategy for the new Paris, based on high pressing and relentless running, while emphasizing discipline and willpower. But strategically, he also knows exactly when to face reality and win games with shrinking defence and counter-attacks. It was a revolutionary season of transformation from the superstar "individual" to a young team in the Qatari era, and Enrique was successful.

Le Parisien admits that compared with technique and tactics, Enrique's greatest wealth to Paris is "the belief of winners". He has always kept the young people of Grand Paris in the belief that they must win, which is the core internal drive that generations of Grand Paris with Ibra, Neymar and Mbappe at the core have never had. It was a habit for Enrique's previous Grand Paris to be reversed by their opponents, but the Grand Paris of Enrique's era, no matter how backward the situation was, the team remained united and confident in tactics and plans.

To be able to achieve the treble with two different teams, only Pep Guardiola has been able to do it before Enrique. And Enrique went one step further, winning only two quadruple titles in the Champions League's 70-year history.

The Champions League trophy can usually be used as a prelude to a team's establishment of a dynasty, as was the case with Real Madrid, Barcelona and even earlier Bayern, Inter and Ajax. In the 1990s, Grand Paris had a "small era" of reaching the semi-finals of European competitions for six consecutive years, but only won one Cup Winners' Cup. Now, Grand Paris has not only achieved the domestic treble for two consecutive seasons, but also reached the last four of the Champions League at least two consecutive seasons. This Champions League trophy is enough for Enrique to build his own "dream team" dynasty for Grand Paris.