Has the Curse on PSG Been Lifted?
Facing Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League finals, Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to clinch its first trophy. After losing key players in their line-up from the previous season, such as Marco Asensio and Kylian Mbappe, they have fought to keep their dreams of a Champions League parade in Paris alive. PSG have been a dark horse in this competition, with not many people expecting them to have made it this far. However, PSG has been competitive in the UEFA Champions League in the last five seasons, making this the second time they have reached the finals.
Achraf Hakimi leads the PSG pack for the fourth season as one of the most notable game changers in the lineup. Hakimi was involved in the hard-fought win against Arsenal in the second leg of the semi-final, scoring a goal and remaining strong on the defensive end. The player of the match, Fabian Ruiz Pena, has been a force in pushing PSG forward this season, creating chances for goals and performing exceptionally when it has counted most. PSG is no stranger to high-pressure games, but they have fallen short in the past seasons.
After appearing in the Finals for the first time in the 2019-20 season, PSG has been looking to break the curse of just falling short. They have been up against difficult competition, from facing a talented Bayern Munich team in their only Finals appearance to seeing Real Madrid in the Round of 16 twice in four seasons. It is not an easy feat to win the coveted trophy, and some of the most talented soccer players have not achieved it. However, out of the last five times Inter Milan have faced PSG, the latter has come out victorious in three of those matches, with one draw. Granted, both teams look different since those matches, but who is to say PSG can’t pull through?
PSG is a team that has had some of the best talent, such as Mbappe, Neymar Jr., and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but has not been able to find the success they strive for in the Champions League. There is something to say about a team with so much individual talent that can not quite find a way to finish. The players have to find it within themselves to make history and compete against Inter Milan, while keeping injuries to a minimum for the next 22 days. The final will determine if they can finally put to bed the rumors of a curse and bring the trophy back to Paris.
