Reaching a Champions League final is not easy. Football is decided by details and a bad decision, a failure in extremis or a moment in which fortune eludes you, turns a successful season into a resounding failure. For that reason, megalithic projects such as PSG or Manchester City, the so-called state clubs, do not ensure European success. Although money obviously paves the way. Since Nasser Al-Khelaifi took over the presidency of the Parisian team in 2011, those from the capital have tyrannized Ligue 1 with seven titles in nine years. However, the thorn came when the Champions League anthem sounded. Nine years later, after clearly beating Leipzig (3-0), PSG have qualified for their first final of the top continental competition. The price? 1,254 million euros. Almost nothing.
The foundations of the project
Javier Pastore was the first big name to come to Paris at the stroke of a checkbook in 2011-12. The Argentine, one of the biggest promises of the moment, landed from Palermo in exchange for 42.5 million euros, accompanied by other names with less substance such as Motta (€ 11.5 million to Inter), Gameiro (€ 11 million to Lorient) or Maxwell (€ 3.5 million to Barça). The € 107.1 M spent only served to finish second in the league after Montpellier and in 2012-13 the ante was raised. € 151 M with names that laid the foundations of current PSG: Thiago Silva and Ibrahimovic (€ 42 and € 21 million to Milan), Lucas Moura (€ 40 million to Sao Paulo), Lavezzi (€ 30 million to Naples) or a newcomer Marco Verrati (€ 12 million to Pescara) changed the dynamics of the team and they triumphed in Ligue 1.
The disbursement went ahead to try to replicate the national successes beyond the French border. Edinson Cavani (€ 64.5 M to Naples) and Marquinhos (€ 31.4 M to Roma) arrived in 2013-14 (135.9 million of total spending), David Luiz as the only signing of 2014-15 (€ 49.5 M to Chelsea) and Ángel Di María (€ 63 M to United) led the 116.10 M € spent in 2015-16. Same story, tyrants at home, dominated abroad and the reinforcements of 2016-17 (€ 134.5 M), with Julian Draxler at the top (€ 36 million to Wolfsburg) – they also came Guedes (€ 30 M to Benfica) and Jesé (€ 25 M to Madrid- they did not solve the ballot. In fact, the Monaco of Mbappé, Lemar and company gave them a wake-up call and they stole Ligue 1.
The 2017-18, the key to success
Thus we arrive at the key campaign of the project, the 2017-18. To the surprise of the entire soccer planet, Neymar, called to inherit the keys to the Camp Nou once Messi deemed it appropriate, left Barcelona and, after paying the 222 million that appeared in his clause, landed in Paris. Also, Kylian Mbappé, wanted by Real Madrid after hatching in the Monegasque principality, accompanied the Brazilian star. Mbappé arrived on loan to avoid financial Fair Play and his signing would be effective the following year for € 145 million.
In the next two seasons, in 2018-19 and 2019-20, operations would be focused on finding accessories for the stars. Two years ago a free from Stoke City came Choupo Moting who has acquired a leading role with his heroic intervention against Atalanta in the quarterfinals of this Champions League. In the last summer window, Idrissa Gueye (€ 30 M to Everton), Sarabia (€ 18 M to Sevilla) and Ander Herrera (free from United) contributed solidity to the midfield and Keylor Navas security at the goal after leaving Real Madrid (€ 15 million). The icing on the cake would be the assignment with a purchase option (already exercised for € 50 M) of Mauro Icardi, from Inter, who would end up shelving Cavani's stage at PSG.
All these ingredients, and millions, have ended up leading the capital's team to the Champions League final, now it remains to finish the job and overcome Bayern. Next Sunday 23rd, the Estadio da Luz will host the final match that can put the icing on the cake that the golden Parisian project has been looking for for so long.
The City and its 1,846 million
The other side of the coin is Manchester City. The Mancunians, eliminated at the hands of Lyon, see as one of the most powerful squads on the continent, if not the one that does not participate in the penultimate round of the competition. In fact, with Guardiola at the helm (he arrived in 2016-17) they don't know what it's like to go through to the quarterfinals. Yes, Pellegrini did, who was eliminated by Real Madrid in the 2015-16 semi-finals.
The expense citizen is even greater. Since i arrived Robinho from Madrid in 2008-09, in exchange for 43 million and in search of the Ballon d'Or, as the first signing of the era he would taste in Manchester, € 1,846.17 M has been spent as a whole skyblue. Adebayor and Tévez (€ 29 M to Arsenal and West Ham) in 2009-10, Silva (€ 28.75 M to Valencia) a year later, Agüero in 2011-12 (€ 40 M to Atleti), De Bruyne and Sterling in 2015-16 (€ 76 and € 63.7 M to Wolfsburg and Liverpool), Laporte in 2017-18 (€ 65 M to Athletic) or Rodri last year (€ 70 M) have not served to succeed in Europe as they have made in the Premier League. As we said, money paves the way, but football is not mathematics and a detail can ruin an equation that seems perfect.