PSG's Champions League Project "Looks Like It's Going To Be A Failure"

Steve McManaman & Joe Cole don't think this generation of PSG players will ever win the Champions League after watching their latest bid for European glory end.
PSG's Champions League Project "Looks Like It's Going To Be A Failure"
PSG's Champions League Project "Looks Like It's Going To Be A Failure" /

Steve McManaman and Joe Cole do not think this generation of Paris Saint-Germain players will ever win the Champions League after watching their latest bid for European glory end on Wednesday.

PSG lost 3-0 on aggregate to Bayern Munich and have now exited the tournament in the round of 16 in back-to-back seasons.

The Paris giants have won France's Ligue 1 in eight of the past 10 years but Champions League glory has long been the main priority for the club's mega rich owners.

Kylian Mbappe and Co came close to achieving that goal in 2020 when they lost 1-0 to Bayern in the final.

But McManaman, who won the Champions League twice with Real Madrid at the start of the century, is not confident that PSG will reach another final any time soon.

Speaking on BT Sport after watching Wednesday's game, McManaman said: "PSG aren't going to get any better next year.

"Lionel Messi will be a year older, Sergio Ramos likewise. Neymar can't keep fit at the latter end of seasons. Marquinhos is getting on.

"The big players are going to have to move on. The coach will lose his job because that's what happens."

Kylian Mbappe pictured (left) during PSG's Champions League defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in March 2023
Kylian Mbappe pictured (left) during PSG's Champions League defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich :: IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Memmler

Fellow BT pundit Cole, who reached the 2008 UCL final with Chelsea, believes that PSG's goal of winning European soccer's biggest prize is destined to fail.

Cole said: "The Paris Saint-Germain project was built to win the Champions League and they've been miles off it. They've bought some of the best players in the last 20 years.

"The young French players scattered around Europe could be doing what these lads are doing for a quarter of the cost with an identity the fans connect with.

"The PSG project ultimately looks like it's going to be a failure."


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Robert Summerscales
ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.