“This is just the beginning of our time, with a young team and a new culture in the club,” said sources in PSG only a few hours after the Parisians were pulled against Real Madrid in the semi -finals of the Club World Cup. But this is not just another competition – it is a de facto final. The winner takes $ 29 million home and the honor to be the very first champion of the tournament. More than that, it has two huge football philosophies – and power structures – against each other.
Real Madrid: PSG's last challenge
PSG vs. Real Madrid is Luis enrique vs. Xabi Alonso. Al-khelaïfi vs. Florentino Pérez. Mbappé then vs. Mbappé now. Every corner of the matchup is accused of drama. In Paris, Madrid is not only the opponent – they are the ultimate villain. The reporters who travel with PSG from the start of the tournament have all circled Madrid as the team to beat.
There is a lasting feeling in the French capital that everything PSG is building must be validated with a milestone victory over Real Madrid. In European football there is an unwritten rule: to be considered the best, you must beat Madrid. Manchester City did it. Now it's PSG's turn.
And in Paris they are more than ready. The combat lines in European football are currently being drawn along presidential lines: Al-Khelaïfi at the head of the European Club Association (ECA) and Florentino Pérez for the Super League movement. “Let's talk about the semi -final when we arrive there. At the moment we are focused on the quarterfinals,” Nasser said before we were faced with Bayern, when he was asked for a potential collision with Madrid and the recently signed Kylian Mbappé. Since then he has not publicly spoke about the competition.
Psg (almost) go further from mbappé
The rivalry between these clubs has gone much further than the field. The most recent flashpoint? Kylian Mbappé. The long -term transfersaga turned into a summer soap for years. In the end Mbappé chose Madrid. PSG continued – but not without a persistent bitterness towards both the player and the club that finally got their husband.
In Paris it is convincing that the end of their “Galáctico” era – Messi, Neymar and Mbappé – has had the birth of a more balanced, coherent team under Luis Enrique. “The problems we used to have? Now they are Madrid,” noted a source, clearly referring to the arrival of Mbappé in Spain.
There are layers for this matchup. In Paris there is a quiet hunger to bring Madrid down. For Luis Enrique, beating the Blancos would mark a turning point – good that his team has arrived. This is the ruling champion versus the eternal king. And there is a feeling that this time the crown can finally move.