As always, it’s not the most important title of the season. This season, the obligatory championship for Paris St. Germain in Ligue 1 came relatively easily. Kylian Mbappé will probably say goodbye with a league record
A recent statement by Luis Enrique actually reflects quite well where the league title ranks on the list of priorities for Paris St. Germain: “We are in no hurry to win the championship.” The decision was indeed delayed once again in the final few meters – but because the first chasers from Monaco lost in Lyon on Sunday evening, the twelfth championship in the club’s history can no longer be taken away from the Parisians.
Having rid themselves of the last of their worries, the focus in Paris is finally turning towards the semi-final against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League – the title that the Qatari owners have been hoping for and demanding for years is as close as it has been since 2021, when PSG were beaten by Manchester City in the semi-finals, thanks to their quarter-final victory over FC Barcelona. As PSG are also in the final of the French Cup, a historic treble is within reach.
It was not foreseeable at the start of the season that they would win the next trophy so early on. Under Luis Enrique, who arrived last summer, PSG got off to a stuttering start in the league with two draws against relegation candidates, followed by a 3-2 defeat at home to ambitious Nice on matchday 5. The only thing: it was to be their last defeat in the league to date.
Milestone against Monaco
Luis Enrique, who implemented a more collective approach to soccer in Paris following the departures of Lionel Messi and Neymar, had asked for patience early and often – and he was proved right, at least in the league. PSG displayed the expected dominance from the fall onwards, scoring at least three goals in six consecutive games, taking the lead after matchday 12 and never relinquishing it. The star ensemble set a first milestone at the end of November with a furious 5:2 win over Adi Hütter’s AS Monaco, who had got off to a strong start
The fact that PSG subsequently pulled away unstoppably was also due to the fact that – unlike the previous year, when a surprisingly strong RC Lens ended up just one point behind the faltering record champions – the competition was unable to keep pace on a sustained basis this time: Nice, unbeaten until well into December, completely collapsed after the winter break. Monaco experienced a winter that was too inconsistent. And Stade Brest, the surprise team par excellence and second in the table for a long time, were simply no match for the financially strong superiority from the capital.
Will Mbappé still lift the handle pot?
Kylian Mbappé, who looks set to leave PSG in the summer, will leave with at least one title – and a record that will be hard to beat. The 25-year-old leads the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts almost unassailably – despite Luis Enrique benching him at times – and is likely to become top scorer for the sixth time in a row (including once shared with Wissam Ben Yedder). No player in the history of the league has won the trophy more often. And yet: How exactly Mbappé enters his name in the Parisian club books will probably depend crucially on whether he lifts a trophy in London on June 1.
