PSG

Paris Saint-Germain crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in the round of 16 on Wednesday with a 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena which ...

The French champions have never looked so far from being what they set out to be and now sweeping changes feel inevitable to stand any chance of getting there in the future. Sergio Ramos rolled back the years with a decent display in Germany and can still expect to move on this summer with his deal also coming to an end. Messi and Ramos might not be the only ones leaving this summer with Galtier having massively failed his biggest test so far and allowing PSG to prematurely exit Europe and the Coupe de France. However, the out is there with Messi and even an improved second season at Parc des Princes does not make this any less of a debatable move. Not quite at the level of some of PSG's previous worst nights in Europe such as the 2020 UCL final loss to Bayern, a 3-1 home defeat to Manchester United and Remontada, it was still dismal. It was not even that much of a disappointment in the end as Christophe Galtier's shorthanded side fell back on bad old habits and produced a below-par display reflective of their post-World Cup form.

Paris St Germain were knocked out in the Champions League last 16 for the fifth time in 12 seasons under big-spending owners Qatar Sport Investment (QSI) ...

Tonight Vitinha was not up to it at all. "If we want PSG to win the Champions League, the players have to be more invested in the club, more committed." Register for free to Reuters and know the full story

So dominant in French soccer, Paris Saint-Germain continues to fall short in the UEFA Champions League.

Or will it continue to pursue the game’s biggest names? What must be tough to take for the PSG hierarchy is that two of its former players – Kingsley Coman and Choupo-Moting – scored two of the three goals for Bayern across the the two legs this season. With a now lessening need to bring eyeballs and star power to the club, will the club perhaps place its faith in the tremendous pool of talent that exists in Paris and its suburbs and build a more coherent team? “At PSG, when it comes to the knockout stages of the Champions League, defeat is a culture,” wrote L’Équipe journalist Vincent Duluc in a brutal analysis of the French club’s performance. ](http://www.cnn.com/2023/03/07/football/neymar-ankle-injury-paris-saint-germain-spt-intl/index.html)was altogether absent for the match – the fourth time in his six seasons with PSG that he’s been absent from a key European match. [Paris Saint-Germain](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/27/football/super-league-documentary-football-jeff-zimbalist-spt-intl/index.html) continues to fall short in the UEFA Champions League.

Amid more Champions League frustration, wealthy PSG must look to within to make the next step.

I’m still focusing on the end of the season with a lot of energy and determination.” From a more positive standpoint, Mbappé recently suggested performances will have no bearing on his future in France, with Real still courting the valuable winger ahead of a possible transfer. The club hierarchy has to reboot, from the executive level to the sporting setup, to achieve this. PSG must again take the consolation of a probable league trophy, crazy as that may sound, with the campaign in its final third. With Cristiano Ronaldo now in Saudi Arabia, high-earning strikers Messi and Mbappé are unrivaled in making millions on the continent. Apart from one thing: PSG lacks the ingredients to cap it all off and become the best in Europe.

Paris Saint-Germain have suffered a fifth Champions League last-16 elimination in seven seasons, underlining the fact that Nasser Al-Khelaifi's project is ...

](https://www.goal.com/en/lists/psg-player-ratings-bayern-munich-kylian-mbappe-marco-verratti/blt1ec946a127df20ad)There was no excuse for [Nasser Al-Khelaifi to go looking for the referee.](https://www.marca.com/en/football/psg/2022/03/10/62292ef646163f39888b45dd.html) There had been no contentious call. It was Al-Khelaifi himself who told L'Equipe that they had to win the European Cup within four years – back in 2014. Is it time to rip up the Paris Saint-Germain masterplan and start again?

Latest Champions League failure confirms gathering egos is no route to big trophies but maybe Qatar cares more about image and influence.

Mbappé in flight is one of the most exhilarating sights in the modern game, but he is a star who engages almost exclusively in cameos: on Wednesday he had only 33 touches. There is a sense of a profound talent being wasted – even if he has banged in hat-tricks in the past year against the full might of Metz, Clermont and Pays de Cassel. A weirdly stretched 4-4-2 in Paris was not that shape and Bayern had total control of the centre as a result but, apparently distrustful of their superiority, failed to take full advantage. Perhaps Warren Zaïre-Emery and El Chadaille Bitshiabu represent a new future but for now the only first-team regular from the capital is Mbappé, who PSG bought for a reported £160m and then, when his contract had run down, paid a further £100m as a signing-on fee. – it may be worth asking whether it’s really about the personnel. [completed easily enough](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/mar/08/bayern-munich-psg-champions-league-last-16-match-report), although a more ruthless side than Bayern might have had the tie won in the first half in Paris. A modern, multifunctional leader of the press he is not. Bayern fans displayed a banner that depicted their honorary president Uli Hoeness, middle finger of his right hand raised, left hand wielding a cleaver to lop off a forearm on which were tattooed the badge of PSG and the logo of Qatar Airways. PSG created only two decent chances: one after Yann Sommer had mysteriously decided to dribble out of his box and one a Sergio Ramos header from a corner. The 3-5-2 in the second leg at least made PSG competitive but the sense was that Bayern were quite happy to be contained. [Paris Saint-Germain](https://www.theguardian.com/football/parisstgermain), Qatar Sports Investment has spent a little over £1.5bn on players – or, to put it in terms Nicolas Sarkozy would understand, the equivalent of 16 Dassault Rafale multi-purpose fighter jets. [the first leg](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/14/psg-bayern-munich-champions-league-last-16-match-report), after Kylian Mbappé had come off the bench.

When signing for Paris Saint-Germain, you have to accept that the success or failure of your season is decided in a couple of matches in the spring.

[Barcelona](https://theathletic.com/football/team/fc-barcelona/), [Argentina](https://theathletic.com/football/team/argentina/) and now PSG. [World Cup](https://theathletic.com/football/world-cup/) that compromises their day job. Our Messi memories are primarily with Barcelona, a decent amount of Argentina, and almost no PSG. It would be entirely boring if PSG limited themselves to a couple of superstars, surrounded those two with technically proficient but hard-working players and became an intense pressing unit, a solid defensive side and swept up multiple European Cups. PSG just can’t offer anything comparable, in part because they’ve put all their eggs in the superstar basket. Sometimes, Messi needs to trust the ability of his team-mates in possession and concentrate on receiving the ball from them where he can do damage. [Lionel Messi](https://theathletic.com/football/player/lionel-messi-HlEFpLdbHt68CnvJ/)’s two-year contract in Paris, we’re left to conclude his arrival hasn’t worked. Now, they’ve been eliminated twice in a row from the round of 16. It’s become almost boring to criticise PSG along these lines, and it seems unlikely the club will build a European Cup-winning side that features all three of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe. Before that, they’d looked toothless, with Neymar and Messi badly disconnected from the rest of the side. When signing for Paris Saint-Germain, you have to accept that the success or failure of your season is decided in a couple of matches in the spring. In his 14 Champions League appearances for PSG he has managed a combined 13 goals and assists, a pretty good return.

Paris Saint Germain are set to withdraw their offer of a contract renewal for Lionel Messi because their fans "will not accept him" following Wednesday's ...

It is yet to be seen how Messi will be treated on March 19 when his team hosts Rennes, and Neymar will be spared any potential bad reception given an injury that has ended his campaign three months early. "The only thing that matters to me this season is winning the championship and then we’ll see," he explained. [said](https://twitter.com/DBR8/status/1633819693478805504) on the DirectoMARCA program on Spanish radio that the Qatari-backed giants will not renew Messi because the club's fans will not accept him after the latest continental KO.

Paris Saint-Germain must convince Lionel Messi they are still a "competitive team" if the Argentine is to extend his contract beyond this summer.

He has not thought of going to Newell's this summer and there has been no chance of that happening for next season. While the rumours of the Argentine's next destination rage on, there is one club that Balague has categorically ruled out of the race. [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64894272)), who has revealed that the Ligue 1 club remain Messi's preferred destination for next season, as talks between Jorge Messi, Lionel's father and agent, and PSG director Luis Campos are ongoing. WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI? "As usual, I imagine there will be demands, above all one in particular - that PSG continue being a competitive team. WHAT THEY SAID?: "The agreement in principle for Messi now has to be confirmed in writing and in details - wages, length of contract.