The President of Paris Saint-Germain thanks Messi, Neymar, Mbappe and other former players: they are the founders of the championship

The President of Paris Saint-Germain thanked Messi, Neymar, Mbappe and other meritorious players, saying that they laid the foundation for the Champions League championship

After Paris Saint-Germain defeated Inter Milan 5-0 and won the Champions League for the first time, club chairman Nasser Algelefi said in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT that he was grateful to the world-class stars who had played for the team in the past and emphasized that their contributions were an important cornerstone for Paris to realize his dream of Europe. After Algelefi took over Paris Saint-Germain in 2011, he started the era of "golden dollar football", and successively introduced world-class stars such as Ibrahimovic, Cavani, Di Maria, Thiago Silva, Neymar, Messi and Mbappe. Although the offensive trident, composed of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe failed to help the team win the Champions League trophy during their Paris years, Algelefi still gave them high praise.

"I want to say something very important - I will never forget everything Messi, Neymar and Mbappe have done for this club." Algelefi said, "They are part of Paris's great history." He also specifically mentioned other early signings, such as Pastorre, Thiago Mota, Cavani and Di Maria: "Every player who comes here has laid the foundation for our success today."

In the interview, talkSPORT host Jim White mentioned that Algelefi had earlier stated that Paris would change its team building strategy and turn to more young and local French players. Now, this vision has finally come true.

"You once told me that Paris will go a different path, that the team will be younger and more local, and that's true. For example, Douai, Mayulu, and the wonderful performance on Saturday night, is that exactly the direction you want?"

Algelefi replied: "Yes, I did say this. But I also want to thank all the players who have worked here."

He further explained: "We The strategy has been changed because we realize that some of the past practices need to be adjusted. Maybe we have not done every step right, but what we are sure is that this stage of growth is very important. "[2] Nowadays, Paris's main lineup is composed of a group of talented young people: Dembele was elected the Champions League Best Player this season; Douai was named the Champions League Young Player; and Seven of the eleven bests in the Champions League are from Paris.

"We have real star players now, but they are fighting for the team, not letting the whole team revolve around them," Algelefi said proudly.

In the 88th minute of the final, the score was 5-0, but the scene of Kvaratskhelia still fighting back to defend and running with all his might touched Alghelefi. "I was really proud of my team at that moment."

He described the young Paris team as passionate and fighting spirit: "These players are willing to give everything to this jersey, they are willing to do their best to win every game, for the club, for the teammates, for the fans."

In addition to the excellent performance of the players, Algelefi also praised head coach Luis Enrique and sports director Luis Campos.

"We have the best coaches and the best sports consultant in the world. This is our luck."

Paris reached the Champions League final for the first time in 2020, but lost to Bayern Munich 0-1 at the time. After that, they ended in the semi-finals twice in the following four seasons, until June 1, 2025, in the same city of Munich, they finally got what they wanted.

In this heart-stirring final, Douai scored two goals and gave an assist, leading the team to sweep Inter Milan. This victory brought Paris the first Champions League trophy in team history.

It is worth mentioning that Paris has become the second French team to win the Champions League after Marseille (1993).

In the 2024/25 season, Paris has won four important honors: Ligue 1, French Cup, French Super Cup and Champions League, and has completed the "Four Champions League" in the true sense.

Next, they will compete for the European Super Cup championship on August 13, and continue to write a new chapter belonging to Paris Saint-Germain.

At this moment, Paris is no longer just a wealthy family made of money, but a European king who wins respect with his strength and spirit.