Paris Saint-Germain insist their appetite for Champions League success has only intensified since lifting the trophy for the first time, with captain Marquinhos and forward Ousmane Dembele saying the club is “ravenous” to defend its crown in Saturday’s final against Arsenal at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. PSG claimed their maiden European title last season with a 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan, and Marquinhos said the emotional high of that night sharpened the squad’s determination to experience it again. “Once you win the Champions League, once you taste that title, once you taste that moment, you want so badly to relive moments like that again,” he told reporters on Friday. “I still remember today the feeling and emotion in the dressing room after that final. And for us, as competitors, we always want to feel that emotion. And again, we have to be hungry, we have to have motivation”.
The Brazilian defender added that the motivation and ambition have not changed since last year and may be “even stronger because we’ve tasted it”. Dembele echoed that view, saying PSG’s young squad and staff are driven to win every trophy available. “We’re hungry to win every trophy, whether it’s the Champions League, the league, or the cup… if we want to be great players, we have to win this kind of trophy several times”. He added that the team is enjoying the moment but remains “very focused” ahead of the final.
Coach Luis Enrique, who guided PSG to their first Champions League title last term, said the objective is not simply to make history again but to remain the best team in Europe and the world. Responding to a PSG ultras banner that read “Once is historic, twice is legendary,” Luis Enrique stated, “Our motivation is not to make history because we already did that last year. Our motivation is to continue being one of the best teams in Europe and in the world”. He noted that last year’s final was exceptional and that finals are usually difficult, close affairs, stressing that PSG dominated Inter but will not underestimate Arsenal.
Marquinhos said PSG learned from last season’s run and are better equipped to handle the pressure surrounding a final. “The message in the dressing room was to change nothing, to continue working the same way and keep the same hunger we had last year,” he said. The squad’s belief has been reinforced by a dominant Ligue 1 campaign, finishing top with 76 points, and by the way they rediscovered the balance and mentality that delivered European glory. “We know how we won last year… that’s the path to follow if we want to hope for a double,” Marquinhos said earlier in the campaign.
Defender Willian Pacho added that PSG knows what to expect after last year’s triumph but remains determined to repeat it. “We already won it, thank God… But this season, we want to repeat that achievement. We now know what to expect, but we are going to do everything we can to win it again”. With Arsenal seeking their first Champions League title and PSG defending theirs, the French side heads into Saturday’s showpiece in Budapest convinced that one taste of European glory has only made them hungrier.
