MUNICH (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain has finally claimed the Champions League.
The club that was transformed by the billions of dollars pumped in by Qatar and that bought and sold a steady stream of the world’s best players in an extravagant bid to reach the top now holds the grand trophy that had eluded it for years.
The most prestigious prize in European club football has found a new home after PSG hammered Inter Milan 5-0 in the final held in Munich.
The trophy that even Lionel Messi, Neymar, or Kylian Mbappé could not deliver to the French club was finally claimed by Luis Enrique, the Spanish manager who has overseen PSG’s shift from a galactic‑era shopping spree to a real-driven team-building approach.
It seemed fitting, then, that Désiré Doué, the 19-year-old French forward who has come to symbolize the club’s new generation, provided the primary spark on a warm night. He became the third teenager to score in a Champions League final, following Patrick Kluivert and Carlos Alberto.
Doué scored twice and assisted on another goal in just over an hour on the pitch before being substituted in the second half.
Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and substitute Senny Mayulu—the fourth teenager to score in a final—added to Doué’s brace. With that flurry of goals, PSG secured the largest margin of victory in a final in the 69-year history of the competition.
Now PSG can truly sit alongside European football’s royalty not for its earnings or marketing might, but for its on-field achievements.
The Champions League is the ultimate barometer for Europe’s elite clubs, and up to now PSG had been a flashy contender that always fell short.
That all changed at the Allianz Arena, home to Bayern Munich, one of Europe’s giants, and a fitting stage for PSG’s defining moment. The setting carried additional symbolism because it was against Bayern that PSG lost its only other Champions League final in 2020, leaving Neymar in tears in a vacant Lisbon stadium where fans were barred due to the pandemic.
This time, thousands of PSG supporters were there to savor the moment, waving flags, lighting flares, and drowning out the chants of Inter’s fans, many of whom left the stadium well before the final whistle.
Champions League Winners in History
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 SV, 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
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The European Cup was rebranded as the Champions League in 1992.
