Paris Saint-Germain have finally secured their long-coveted place among Europe’s elite, thrashing Inter Milan 5–0 in the UEFA Champions League final to lift the trophy for the first time in the club’s history.

The victory, achieved at Munich’s Allianz Arena, also sealed a treble for PSG, who had earlier claimed the Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de France.

The five-goal margin is the largest ever recorded in a European Cup or Champions League final since the competition began in 1956, surpassing the 4–0 wins recorded by AC Milan in 1994 and 1989, and Bayern Munich in 1974.

Achraf Hakimi opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a tap-in against his former club after a smart assist from 19-year-old Désiré Doué. The teenager then scored twice himself—his first deflecting in off Federico Dimarco before calmly slotting in a second just after the hour mark. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, another of PSG’s young stars, added a fourth, and 17-year-old substitute Senny Mayulu put the icing on the cake with a fifth in the 86th minute.

“I have no words,” Doué said, still overwhelmed by the magnitude of his contribution. “That was just incredible. Simply incredible.”

A Bitter Irony for Mbappé

The win could not have come with more dramatic irony. Kylian Mbappé, who departed PSG for Real Madrid at the end of last season in pursuit of the Champions League title, watched from Spain as his former club reached the pinnacle without him—defeating the very Inter Milan side that had knocked Madrid out in the semifinal.

PSG’s triumph, long viewed as inevitable given the billions invested since Qatar Sports Investments took over in 2011, had eluded the club through years of heartbreak. Big-money signings like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Mbappé himself had been brought in to win the Champions League, only to fall short of their goal.

But this first European crown came not in an era defined by superstars, but rather through a shift in philosophy. Two years ago, PSG changed course, opting to phase out their expensive galáctico project and focus on young, dynamic talents. In their very first season without Mbappé, the results of that gamble have stunned Europe.

“We have made history, we have written our names in the history of this club,” Hakimi said. “For a long time, this club deserved it, we are very happy. We have created a great family.

Enrique Makes Coaching History

Manager Luis Enrique has now entered rarefied territory. The former Barcelona coach, who led the Catalan club to a treble in 2015, has become only the second manager in football history to win a treble with two different clubs—joining Pep Guardiola, who achieved the feat with Barcelona in 2009 and Manchester City in 2023.

“He is the man who has changed everything at PSG,” said Hakimi. “Since he came here, he’s changed the way football is seen in Paris. He deserves this more than anyone.”

Under Enrique, PSG have abandoned the individualistic play of past years for a fast, aggressive, collective style. His trust in youth—starting the likes of Doué, Warren Zaïre-Emery, and Kvaratskhelia in a Champions League final—was vindicated in the most spectacular fashion.

For veteran PSG defender Marquinhos, the night was as much about vindication as celebration.

“It’s a mix of joy, of all the emotions we’ve spent together,” PSG defender Marquinhos said. “I’ve suffered, but I’ve grown up with this team. I think of all the players who have come through and not succeeded. My idol Thiago [Silva], Lucas, Zlatan, [Edinson] Cavani, [Angel] Di Maria.

“So many players who have come through here who deserved this and didn’t succeed. Now we’re here and we’re bringing it home. I’m thinking of all the supporters who have been with us, those at the Parc des Princes and those around the world. I love you, enjoy it and we’re going to enjoy it here. This is the best day of my life.”

The last time PSG reached the final, in 2020, they fell to Bayern Munich in a hauntingly quiet stadium closed to fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This time, the Allianz Arena—again the stage—was filled with thousands of PSG supporters waving flags and lighting flares as they watched their team finally fulfill its promise.

With this win, PSG became only the second French club to lift Europe’s most prestigious trophy, following Marseille’s success in 1993. But whether this is the beginning of a PSG dynasty or a fleeting triumph will depend on whether the club stays the course.

Good People, the University of Calabar and The Guardian have selected an Ovim village boy on the 50th anniversary of UNICAL as one of the “50 Most Distinguished Alumni With Impactful Contributions To National Development”.

You see – things happen. If not, how do you include the name of a village guy when there are “His Excellencies”, “Her Excellencies”, “Honourables”, etc, that can easily make up the list? To my fellow Malabites and Malabresses, and to our great university, Thank You.

I have a tough LOVE for UNICAL because they taught me Business Strategy and Market Competition by the best in the game. Those days they hired former executives of companies and banks to teach students, and the MBA classes were academic-boardrooms, with practical, actionable, intellectual raw materials for professional ascension. My focus was on global markets and international currencies, and I wrote briefs for the World Bank, AU, etc. You can read this seminal one on the single African Currency (I remain against it until there is a prior convergence of regional economies under a supranational banking institution, so as to avoid welfare losses) which I presented before the African Union Congress on invitation.

Prof CK Ayo, ex-Vice chancellor of Covenant University, supervised my thesis and it was all about mathematics and statistics. When a professor of mathematics with focus on numerical computation guides you on analysis of currency and competition, you will see things from a different angle. He introduced me to SPSS and actually taught me how to use it. Prof whom I visited many times when he was in Covenant has since gone to heaven.

Of course, on a day like this, I will dedicate this to venerable banker, Chairman Paschal Dozie, who recently exited the solid bounds of the earth for the ecclesiastical heaven, with cherubim, seraphim and angels welcoming him, for the uncommon grace and favour I found before him when I was in Diamond Bank.

UNICAL – the best university for an impactful MBA in Nigeria. Get a print copy of the Guardian and read my short interview.

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