Foreign press applauds PSG after its Champions League triumph

In Munich, PSG swept past Inter Milan in the Champions League final and now reign supreme in Europe. A stunning 5-0 victory that inevitably impressed the foreign press. Most of the headlines published this Sunday, June 1st, were enthusiastic about the Parisian team.

Two Parisians are receiving most of the praise: coach Luis Enrique and attacking midfielder Désiré Doué, who scored twice and provided an assist in the final. The Spanish press applauded, starting with Marca : "Luis Enrique signs his masterpiece and crowns PSG with its first Champions League title," before analyzing: "Winning the Champions League is not the same as winning it as a 'great team.' And Luis Enrique's PSG did it. They beat Inter Milan in Munich, eliminating them from the map in just twenty minutes, and then inflicted a historic thrashing on them. Désiré Doué, MVP [most valuable player, editor's note] of the final with two goals and an assist, led PSG to its first Champions League title... and Inter to the biggest rout in the history of a European Cup or Champions League final."

The same compliments from El Mundo Deportivo , which gives pride of place to "Mr. Luis Enrique" who "offers PSG its first Champions League." "Luis Enrique had a plan and he executed it perfectly to achieve the goal that in recent years had become an obsession for Paris Saint-Germain. Coinciding with Kylian Mbappé's departure to Real Madrid, the Asturian coach affirmed that PSG would be a better team this season than it had been until then. No sooner said than done. Lucho managed to lead the Parisian team to the first Champions League title in its history, and he did so by remaining true to himself at all times," congratulates the other sports daily.

Only AS is sarcastic, with a headline like "A Champions League worth 2.283 billion euros." The newspaper sums it up this way: "On a hot May night, after an excellent match, football accepted PSG forever, the Champions League welcomed into its hands a new champion, built by Qatar, which invested 2.283 billion in recruitment in less than fifteen years until its coronation. It will also remain written in the annals that the one who achieved this was Luis Enrique, this genius disapproved of in half of Spain but idolized in the rest of the world, this coach who made the Emir and Al-Khelaïfi understand that glory is achieved on the bench, and not with the stars. His project, more football-related than media-related, has once again proven the experts right: in this sport, strategists win and megalomaniacs lose. Always."

The Italian media have obviously not spared Inter. "Not like this," rages the Gazzetta , disgusted by the humiliation suffered by the Interists. The Italian daily analyses: "PSG is exaggerating. A final won by dominating in all areas. We will long wonder what kryptonite was that paralyzed an unrecognizable Inter from the first dribbles of the Kvara-Doué duo. Luis Enrique's tactical weapon, Doué with the predestined name, is the boy wearing number 10, Mbappé's alter ego who emerged from the shadows after his farewell, while Dembélé – 33 goals this season – had received an instruction: to bite the feet of Sommer, the main instigator of the game."

Tuttosport also criticised Inter, with the headline "Inter humiliated". "The Nerazzurri overwhelmed, a one-sided final. Doué drives Acerbi and his teammates crazy, glory also for Kvaratskhelia" , who played for the Naples club. Tuttosport added: "A heavy defeat that will go down in history" .

The German press, Bild , raved: "What a final!" "Paris in turmoil, Inter in tears. Too much pace, too much technique, too much class, this PSG team was simply too good! For years, the directors of the Sheikh's club have relied on exceptional talents such as Mbappé, Neymar and Messi to bring the trophy back to France. However, this historic victory was won by a team without an obvious superstar."

The BBC , meanwhile, also focuses on Luis Enrique and Désiré Doué: "Revamped PSG make history on emotional night for Luis Enrique," the British outlet headlines. "Brilliant teenager Désiré Doué has confirmed his status as one half of a new pair of young superstars – alongside Barcelona's Lamine Yamal – who have the genius to dominate the game for years to come."

And as a bonus, how can we not mention the front page of Provence , now that Marseille is no longer the only French team to have lifted the cup with the big ears? "Forever second," headlines the daily newspaper of the South-East this Sunday, in reference to the expression "Forever first" repeated ad nauseam by the Marseillais since 1993 and their inaugural coronation against AC Milan.