In the most lopsided Champions League final ever, the French powerhouses easily defeated Inter Milan, scoring five goals.
Given that they had to work hard to defeat Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the earlier rounds, Inter Milan were no easy pickings. Expectations were high that they would finally make amends for the 2023 final, as this was their second final appearance in three years.
However, with goals from Achraf Hakimi and Desire Doue within the first 20 minutes, the Nerazurri fell apart in spectacular fashion. In the second half, Doue scored once more before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu added even more misery.
Celebrations continued all night long, with one side of the stadium still in shell shock and the other side bursting into tears of joy that reached as far as Paris.
What prevents PSG from keeping the Champions League trophy?
For the first time in PSG’s history, the team’s longest-serving captain, Marquinhos, lifted the trophy, but it turns out they won’t be able to keep it.
Although UEFA has made numerous changes to its trophy regulations, the fundamental idea is still that clubs cannot retain the original trophy unless they have won the Champions League (formerly the European Cup) five times or three consecutive years.
According to BBC Sport, Real Madrid, Ajax, and Bayern Munich were all permitted to keep the original trophy because they had all won the championship three times in a row. In addition to having the original one, Liverpool and AC Milan have won it more than five times.
But in 2008, the regulations were altered, and UEFA acquired ownership of the trophy. As a result, clubs only received a replica trophy, with UEFA keeping the original. This meant that when Barcelona won their fifth Champions League trophy in 2015, they did not receive the original trophy.
A badge of honor was subsequently introduced by UEFA to indicate the number of Champions League victories a club has had. To indicate how many times they have won the trophy, Real Madrid, for example, wear a badge with the number 15 on their sleeves.
“UEFA always retains ownership and custody of the original trophy, which is used for the formal presentation ceremony at the final and at other official events that have been approved by UEFA. According to Article 11, the victorious team receives the UEFA Champions League winners’ trophy, a full-size replica of the trophy.
In preparation for their anticipated trophy parade in Paris, PSG will now receive a replica trophy. The trophy cannot be removed from France without UEFA’s prior written consent.
Kylian Mbappe communicates with PSG
According to a related report, following his former team’s Champions League victory, Kylian Mbappe sent a message to PSG.
Last summer, Mbappe left Paris for Real Madrid, only for his old employers to win the trophy the season after he left. This season, Real Madrid advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to Arsenal.