PSG finally did it.
The weight of a decade’s worth of "almosts" and "not quites" evaporated into the humid Munich air on May 31, 2025. Honestly, the 5-0 scoreline against Inter Milan felt like a glitch in the matrix. You’ve seen dominant performances before, sure, but this was something else entirely. It was a demolition that felt both surprising and, in a weird way, inevitable.
If you weren’t paying attention to the details of last years champions league, you probably missed how the new format actually changed the texture of the tournament. It wasn't just about the final. The whole road to the Allianz Arena was a chaotic, high-stakes experiment that left several giants looking very human.
The New Format: Chaos by Design
UEFA decided to ditch the traditional group stage for a 36-team "league phase." Everyone panicked. Critics said it would be too many games. Players complained about the schedule. Basically, it was a mess before it even started. But then the matches actually happened.
Instead of playing three teams twice, everyone played eight different opponents. This meant we got heavyweights clashing in September and October. Real Madrid, the kings of Europe, actually struggled. They finished 11th in the league phase. Can you imagine that? The most successful club in history having to play an extra knockout round just to survive.
They ended up facing Manchester City in that playoff. It was basically a final in February. Madrid eventually clawed their way through, winning 6-3 on aggregate, but it drained them. By the time they hit the later rounds, the "DNA" wasn't enough to carry them past an Arsenal side that looked sharper than ever.
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Why the Final Was a Total Wipeout
Let’s talk about that night in Munich. Inter Milan arrived with the best defensive record in the competition. They had eight clean sheets. People expected a tactical chess match. Simone Inzaghi is known for making teams "suffer," but PSG didn't give them a chance to breathe.
Luis Enrique turned the Parisians into a high-pressing machine. It wasn’t just about the stars; it was about the system.
The Breakout of Désiré Doué
If you didn’t know the name Désiré Doué before last years champions league, you certainly do now. The 19-year-old was everywhere. He became the first teenager to score two goals in a Champions League final.
- 12th Minute: Achraf Hakimi opens the scoring.
- 20th Minute: Doué gets his first, a deflected shot that left Yann Sommer rooted.
- 63rd Minute: Doué makes it 3-0.
- 73rd Minute: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia adds a fourth.
- 86th Minute: Senny Mayulu finishes the 5-0 rout.
It was clinical. It was ruthless. PSG didn't just win; they made a statement that the post-Mbappé era (at least at the Parc des Princes) was actually more balanced and dangerous than the one that came before it.
The Stats That Tell the Real Story
People love to look at the trophy, but the numbers from the 2024-25 season reveal some bizarre trends. Barcelona, for instance, were the highest scorers in the tournament with 43 goals. Raphinha was a man possessed, finishing as joint-top scorer with 13 goals alongside Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy.
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Yet, Barca crashed out in the semis to Inter. They had the ball, they had the goals, but they didn't have the "clutch" factor that Inter showed—until the final, anyway.
Man City led the tournament in possession (62.7%) and passing accuracy (92.2%). They were the best team on paper, yet they were out of the competition before the quarter-finals. It goes to show that the new format rewarded momentum over historical dominance.
What Most People Missed
There was a massive narrative shift regarding "smaller" clubs. Because of the league phase, teams like Brest and Aston Villa had legitimate runs. Brest actually made it into the knockout stages, eventually losing to PSG in a 10-0 aggregate slaughter, but their presence was a breath of fresh air.
Also, the attendance was staggering. Over 8.3 million people attended matches throughout the season. The 36-team expansion meant more "meaningful" games, or at least that’s what the marketing departments told us. In reality, it just meant more football, which for fans, is rarely a bad thing.
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Actionable Insights for the Next Season
Looking back at last years champions league, it's clear that the "Swiss Model" league phase rewards squad depth over a starting XI of superstars.
- Monitor the Playoff Round: Don't assume the big clubs are safe. Real Madrid and Man City proved that finishing outside the top 8 of the league phase is a death sentence for your energy levels.
- Bet on System over Stars: PSG won without a singular "Galactico" ego. Luis Enrique’s tactical fluidity was the real MVP.
- Watch the Teenagers: The emergence of players like Doué and Lamine Yamal (who hit a €200m market value) shows that the gap between "prospect" and "world-class" has narrowed.
The 2024-25 season wasn't just another year of European football. It was the birth of a new era. The old guard is no longer safe, and the French giants have finally found the recipe for success that eluded them for so long. If you want to stay ahead of the curve for the current 2025-26 campaign, keep a close eye on the league phase standings in January—that’s where the real damage is done.