When Paris Saint-Germain waved goodbye to Lionel Messi, Neymar, and eventually Kylian Mbappé, the assumption was the project would collapse under its own weight. For over a decade, PSG had chased European glory through individual brilliance, investing in global icons with Ballon d’Or pedigrees and blockbuster salaries.
The results were glamorous but ultimately hollow. Now, one season removed from all three, PSG are in the Champions League final—not because of who they lost, but because of what they finally found.
A team.
Luis Enrique, hired in the summer of 2023, was adamant from the start: he wouldn’t manage a front three that didn’t defend. Messi had already left for Inter Miami. Neymar followed to Saudi Arabia. Mbappé stayed for one more season, but Enrique didn’t bend his system around him. When Mbappé left for Real Madrid in 2024, the rebuild began in earnest.
What emerged was a collective built not on stardom but on synchronicity. In past seasons, PSG were a team split in two—eight defending, three waiting. Now, they run together. Press together. Win together.
From fractured to fluid
Luis Enrique changed more than formations. He changed habits. PSG now press higher, recover faster, and run more than any other team in Europe. In the Champions League this season, they covered an average of about 73.3 miles per match—roughly 6.2 miles more per game than the previous year, reports ESPN.
The shift began in January, on a soaked night at the Parc des Princes. PSG were down 2-0 to Manchester City and facing elimination from the Champions League’s new league phase. Then Ousmane Dembélé scored in the 56th minute. PSG roared back to win 4-2. Luis Enrique later said, “I think that match against Manchester City changed something around us because of the way we won that match. That was the turning point.”
Vitinha echoed that sentiment: “The turnaround happened against Manchester City in January, when we were 2-0 down and we came back to win 4-2. Everything we worked on since August clicked then, with the ball in our movement, transitions and switches, and without the ball in our pressing and counter pressing.”
That win unlocked belief. It was followed by a 4-1 victory over Stuttgart. Then came knockouts: Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal, each falling to a PSG side that now overwhelmed opponents with intensity and positional discipline.
Central to the transformation was Dembélé himself. Once a winger known more for chaos than end product, he was repurposed as a center forward—a decision Enrique first made when Dembélé was a teenager at Rennes. This season, he has scored 33 goals across all competitions. However, beyond the numbers, his defensive work rate played a crucial role in leading Enrique’s pressing structure.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 48 |
| Goals | 33 |
| Assists | 13 |
| Goals per Match | 0.69 |
| Shot Conversion Rate | 26.7% |
| Minutes Played | 3,245 |
| Yellow Cards | 1 |
| Red Cards | 0 |
Vitinha, now the midfield metronome, emerged as the side’s quiet conductor. His poise under pressure allowed PSG to build from deep and control tempo against elite pressing sides. He also embodied the collective ethos. No one player was above the system. Not even new arrivals.
In January, PSG signed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli for $64.8 million. He didn’t start the City match but quickly became undroppable. His dribbling and gravity on the ball freed up space for others. Alongside Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué, he formed an interchangeable, high-energy attack that pressed from the front and punished in transition.
Enrique didn’t just ask for more movement—he asked for more thinking. Fullbacks like Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes rotated into midfield when PSG had possession. That positional complexity enabled PSG to dominate central areas without compromising their width.
By spring, PSG were not only outrunning teams but outplaying them.
In years past, they relied on superstar moments. Now, they manufacture control. Their pressing numbers rival those of peak Klopp-era Liverpool. And they do it with the youngest squad left in the competition.
Marquinhos, one of the few holdovers from the 2020 final loss, summed it up: “We’re seeing beautiful things this year, a communion.”
PSG used to be football’s luxury showroom. Today, they look like a proving ground.
