Champions League: Why Paris Saint Germain Is a Failed Project Despite Domestic Sucess

• Paris Saint-Germain were knocked out of the Champions League once again on March 8
• The Parisians fell short of European glory against Bayern Munch in both legs of their tie
• PSG have failed to win their trophy for an 11th time despite massive financial backing

Paris Saint-Germain’s failure in the Champions League for an 11th consecutive time underlines a hidden shortcoming of the club since the Arab takeover more than a decade ago.

The Parisians were once again haunted by familiar foes, Bayern Munich, who triumphed 3-0 on aggregate to dump Lionel Messi and company out in the first stage of the knockout competitions.

While it is easy to argue why PSG were knocked out based on what was taking place on the pitch, on paper, it is concerning for a squad with some of the most expensive players in the history of the game.

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With the likes of the top two scorers at the 2022 World Cup, Kylian Mbappe and Messi in the squad, PSG somehow failed to find the net in 180 minutes of football.

It is more interesting to think that the Parisians are always among the favourites to win the Champions League practically every season but when it comes to the games that matter, they always fall short.

PSG’s recent eliminations

Since the takeover by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) in 2011, the owners pledged to create a team that was capable of competing for the Champions League trophy.

To be fair, the club’s hierarchy have done their part to some extent, as the club has spent more than €1.3 billion on player transfers since the summer of 2011.

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But whether it is luck not being on their side or simply a case of their football not being good enough, PSG have somehow fallen short in all their attempts of winning the coveted European trophy for 11 years.

As per Transfermkt, here is how they were knocked out since the 12/13 campaign:

PSG's Champions League eliminations:

12/13: Knocked out by Barcelona in quarter-finals

13/14: Knocked out by Chelsea in quarter-finals

14/15: Knocked out by Barcelona in quarter-finals

15/16: Knocked out by Man City in quarter-finals

16/17: Knocked out by Barcelona in the last 16

17/18: Knocked out by Real Madrid in the last 16

18/19: Knocked out by Man United in the last 16

19/20: Knocked out by Bayern Munich in the final

20/21: Knocked out by Man City in semi-finals

21/22: Knocked out by Real Madrid in the last 16

22/23: Knocked out by Bayern Munich in the last 16

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From the stats above, one can notice two trends: PSG are often knocked out in the early stages of the knockout competition and are at times beaten by eventual winners of the competition.

This could go to show that despite all the investments, heavy spending and the presence of world-class talents in the side, there is something lacking in the PSG project to enable them take on the big guns of the Champions League.

Perhaps the fact that they endured a spell as an average club prior to the 2011 takeover could have something to do with it.

What Christophe Galtier said

Speaking after their latest exit, PSG boss, Christophe Galtier was the first to express his disappointment, saying as per the BBC:

"It's a big disappointment. We have to deal with it and accept it. I don't know if it's a lesson to be learned, but there's a lot of frustration. If we'd scored first, it would have been different, but we didn't."

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Muller's comments on Messi

Sports Brief also reported on Thomas Muller's comments on Messi after Bayern knocked out PSG.

In his post-match presser, he appeared to mock the Argentine for his unproductive display in the tie.

The German also said Bayern had always struggled against Ronaldo when he was with Real Madrid.