2011 is a year that will forever be historic for Paris Saint-Germain fans. Perhaps even a time that every avid viewer of the Ligue 1 remembers to this day. Prior to the commencement of the 2011/12 season The Parisians were bought out by Qatar Sports Investment and immediately began their trajectory toward French dominance. By signing legendary footballers like Zlatan Ibrahimović, Angel Di Maria, Edinson Cavani, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Lionel Messi; PSG fans were treated to the absolute best of the best in the industry.
With this financial superiority came domestic success as no French club could keep up with the spendthrift nature of PSG’s transfer window activity. In just the second season of Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s reign in Paris, the Red and Blues won their third Ligue 1 title in club history. PSG would go on to become Ligue 1 champions in 7 of the next 9 league seasons. Prior to the expansion of PSG’s trophy cabinet under Qatari ownership, the club had just won 4 trophies in the 21st century. To put that into context, PSG have won 29 trophies in the Qatar Sports Investment’s 12-year ownership period.
As domestic success became easier and more frequent, the expectation of continental success grew. Whilst the club had reached only its second UEFA Champions League knockout stage in 2012/13, pressure began to mount for The Parisians to deliver on the European stage. However, despite spending hundreds of millions of pounds year after year the Champions League success has still not happened for the Red and Blues. Most recently, PSG were knocked out of the RO16 for the 2nd consecutive year, as Bayern Munich’s 2-0 second-leg victory was able to get them over the line against Paris Saint-Germain.
Since this iconic PSG transfer window, they've failed to reach even the quarterfinals of the Champions League 🤯 pic.twitter.com/DcWE7UJ01F
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 9, 2023
Since the Qatari takeover, PSG have only made the UEFA Champions League final once, doing so in 2020. In this match, they lost 1-0 against German powerhouse Bayern Munich thanks to Kingsley Coman’s lovely cushioned header. The Parisians have since been knocked out of the semi-finals once and the Round of 16 twice. Even prior to their loss in Lisbon against Bayern, PSG had failed to advance past the quarter-finals in 7 straight seasons. Now more than ever though, it seems as if PSG’s time is running short. 2022/23 could have been the last opportunity for their star-studded front three to deliver European glory for the Parisian club.
A front three of Neymar, Mbappe and Messi is arguably one of the best trios in football history. Three of the most gifted and graceful footballers to have ever graced the planet have had two UEFA Champions League campaigns together, but it could all come crashing down for PSG this season.
The Argentinian Leo Messi is the oldest of the three and has his contract running out the soonest. La Pulga’s contract with PSG runs out at the end of the current season, and whilst he could extend his contract and look to grasp his 5th UEFA Champions League trophy, it would be a tough decision for the Argentinian to make. Two other viable options for the G.O.A.T are to return to his beloved Barcelona or to simply play for David Beckham’s Inter Miami in the MLS so that he can financially support his family for generations to come.
🚨 You're Leo Messi. You have three options for next season:
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) March 8, 2023
1️⃣ Renew contract at PSG 🇫🇷
2️⃣ Return to Barça 🇪🇸
3️⃣ Leave Europe for MLS/Argentina/Saudi Arabia 🇺🇸🇦🇷🇸🇦
Which are you choosing? 👇 pic.twitter.com/Im8INAiram
The 3x Ligue 1 Player of the Year Kylian Mbappe’s situation at the club is quite enthralling. In May of last year, Kylian Mbappe signed a mega-deal at PSG which keeps him at the club until the summer of 2024. However, recently it has been revealed that a third year is available within the contract if the French striker activates it. If Mbappe were to extend his current deal, it would give him an extra Champions League campaign with PSG to win their first-ever European trophy. However, the World Cup Golden Boot winner is being heavily watched by giant football clubs all over the world, particularly Real Madrid. If Florentino Perez were to come calling, it might be too enticing for the 24-year-old to turn down.
Despite being the least talked about of the three superstars, Neymar’s status at PSG is also interesting to explore. Having signed for The Parisians in August of 2017 for a world record fee of 222 million Euros, expectations were high for the Brazilian to conquer the French league and become an all-time great for Paris Saint-Germain. Whilst Neymar has scored 118 goals and was awarded the Ligue 1 Player of the Year Award in his first full season, the winger’s endless amount of injuries have kept him on the sidelines for a significant period of time in Paris. In his 6 years at the club, Neymar has approximately played only 62% of all possible games and has missed 741 days through injury. The Brazilian’s contract expires at PSG in 2025, which means that Neymar could be the last member of ‘MNM’ to leave Paris.
The question that lies for PSG is where to now? If Messi decides to give it one last crack for Paris Saint-Germain, he could sign a short one-year deal for the Red and Blues which gives the power trio one more go at winning the Champions League. Regardless of their European success, this could see PSG potentially lose both Mbappe and Messi on a free in the summer of 2024. Perhaps it would be worth it though for PSG, as they would win their first ever UCL title and could use it as a bargaining chip to sign future world-class players.
However, with Neymar being passed his physical peak, Messi’s old age and inevitable decline and Mbappe’s growing frustration at a lack of European success, it is not outside the realm of possibility that this is it for ‘MNM’. If Messi were to leave this summer the goal of winning the UCL lies on the shoulders of Neymar and Mbappe. But, a lack of Champions League glory could see both players leave The Parisians as soon as their contract expires. If this were to become reality, what does the future hold for Paris Saint-Germain? Whilst they would still have the economic superiority over all French sides, their pull to bring in new superstars could be diminished and maybe entirely eradicated. Would PSG become a mid-table French side once again?
Over the past few weeks, news has emerged that PSG president and chairman of Qatar Sports Investment Nasser Al-Khelaifi is under investigation for alleged kidnap and torture in Qatar. The investigation is underway and whilst The Parisian’s president denies any involvement, some time away from the limelight could be a smart PR move. After all, it is not unheard of in football that a club’s owner sold their stake due to controversy, take billionaire Thai politician Thaksin Shinawatra for example. The former Manchester City major stakeholder sold his ownership in The Citizens less than 2 years after buying a controlling share in 2007. Whilst the future of this investigation is completely unknown, it is not impossible that PSG could lose its financial superiority in France if Qatar Sports Investment withdraws from its ownership of Paris Saint-Germain.
Ultimately, the Qatari takeover since the 2011/12 season has been a largely successful time period for The Parisians. The Qatar Sports Investment group’s frequent financial aid has helped PSG rise from a mid-table side in France’s top flight to the most dominant force the league has ever seen. With global superstars and a plethora of world-class players joining the Red and Blues, long-time PSG fans would be grateful for the Qatari’s 12-year reign so far. Whilst continental success has not been favorable for The Parisians, it is not over yet for PSG as keeping Messi, Mbappe and Neymar together for one last ride could lead them to their first-ever UEFA Champions League title.
