PSG craved Champions League glory but Messi, Mbappe and Beckham couldn’t deliver. Doue could

Javier Pastore smiled as he carried the trophy out. He was genuinely happy for those who were about to receive it. His eyes lit up, because the eyes of all the Paris Saint-Germain players suddenly gazed upon him, watching his every step. He then handed it over, no doubt wishing he was the one lifting it up into the Munich sky, not PSG skipper Marquinhos.

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The retired Argentine, who is still only 35 and younger than some of the Inter players PSG beat, was the first major signing when Qatar Sports Investment bought the club in 2011. He cost €42million from Palermo and PSG’s president Nasser Al-Khelaifi explained the strategy behind Pastore’s acquisition in terms of a desire to find the new Lionel Messi, rather than buy the actual Messi.

PSG later reneged on that and bought Messi anyway, 10 years later. Messi’s arrival coincided with the World Cup Qatar were about to host, and the Qataris got plenty of bang for their buck. A bisht was placed on Messi by the Emir as he won the World Cup in a spectacular final in Lusail, achieving the fulfilment he craved with Argentina. But Messi did not bring a Champions League to PSG.

Messi lifts the World Cup wearing a bisht (Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

The whole thing became a question of: who would deliver it? If not Messi, then surely the Paris born-and-bred Kylian Mbappe. But last summer, Mbappe departed for Real Madrid. They had just won their 15th Champions League title at Wembley and figure as the closest thing to a guarantee of winning it in the history of European football. Evidently, he fancied his chances better with them.

After placing the trophy on a plinth at the Allianz Arena, Pastore stepped back and watched the jubilant PSG players file past. They stroked the trophy and kissed it. Desire Doue stopped and placed his hands on its handles as if they were the shoulders of an old friend. In the reflection of the polished trophy, he saw the player who had won PSG their first Champions League.

It wasn’t Pastore, Messi, Neymar or Mbappe. It wasn’t Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani or David Beckham, who was watching from the stands with Tom Cruise. It was him. Doue was the UEFA Man of the Match. He was the player who had ended French football’s 32-year wait for a European champion.

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“I don’t have words to describe it!” he said. Nor did Inter have ways to stop him. Federico Dimarco was supposed to be with Doue. Then he wasn’t. Francesco Acerbi thought he was marking Ousmane Dembele but Doue appeared. Benjamin Pavard had his hands full with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He didn’t need Doue popping up too.

“Wonderful. Magical,” was how Doue described his night. It was also the effect he had on Inter; his alertness on the first goal, showing for Vitinha’s defence-splitting pass, opening his body up with a turn on the back foot then scanning for Achraf Hakimi, who scored a tap-in against his old club.

Quarter-final goal ✅

Semi-final goal ✅

Final goal ✅ Achraf Hakimi gives PSG an early lead in the Champions League final, but refuses to celebrate against his former side Inter ⚽ 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/6nNcCd1dv0 — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 31, 2025

ACHRAF HAKIMI OPENS THE SCORING FOR PSG 💥 pic.twitter.com/6XhdwkegVR — CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 31, 2025

He sucked Dimarco in for that goal and dashed into the space he vacated for the second, making the Inter wing-back’s life a misery. Simone Inzaghi replaced Dimarco on 54 minutes. It was a mercy substitution. It also came too late.

While Doue got a little lucky on his first goal, the final touch deflecting in off the hapless Dimarco, his second showed a level of composure that belied his years. Released by Vitinha once again, he did not overthink his one-v-one with Yann Sommer, coolly passing a shot past him. It was a chance reminiscent of the one his team-mate Randal Kolo Muani missed (or, rather, Emi Martinez saved) in the 2022 World Cup final for France.

It’s Desire Doue’s world and we’re just living in it 🌟 The 19-year-old makes it two goals and an assist in the Champions League final 🔥 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/t5J0AQaMWf — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 31, 2025

DÉSIRÉ DOUÉ DELIVERS A BRACE IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL 🇫🇷🔥 HE’S ONLY 19 YEARS OLD 🤯 pic.twitter.com/mW2CYXbn6C — CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 31, 2025

Kolo Muani, incidentally, was sent on loan to Juventus over the winter, having lost his place to Doue and Bradley Barcola.

“It was business as usual for me,” Doue said of scoring twice and assisting another of PSG’s five goals. In doing so, he became the third youngest player to score in a Champions League final (his team-mate Senny Mayulu later nudged him down to fourth by coming off the bench and making it 5-0).

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“Business as usual,” eh? Doue only turns 20 on Tuesday.

Worthy of a digression is the business PSG and their sporting director Luis Campos did this season. Make no mistake, cheques were still written for tremendous amounts. Nearly €250m was invested and yet few people noticed. The lack of fanfare wasn’t because we have all become desensitised to PSG splurging money. It was because it did not go on household names. Even Kvara, a former Serie A MVP, is an unassuming and quietly spoken Georgian.

PSG paid Rennes €50m for Doue which, for context, is more expensive than any of the transfer fees paid by Inter for players on their current squad. It was not, however, the latest example of Qatari largesse. As with the signings of Joao Neves, PSG are playing the long game. They, along with Barcelona are the future of this competition. Both fielded the youngest teams in the tournament. Both dazzled.

The Allianz Arena is where Lamine Yamal announced himself to the world with an unforgettable strike in last summer’s Euro semi-final between France and Spain. Doue did something similar in the same venue with his display against Inter on Saturday night. In winning the Champions League, PSG have not only ended their quest, they have come full circle.

Pastore was signed in 2011 as the next big thing. Doue and this team genuinely are — and when the teenager looked at his reflection in the Champions League trophy, staring back at him was the future of his club and French football.

“We are rewriting the history, not just of this club but French football, European football,” he said. “We’re delighted with everything we’ve been able to pull off, not just this evening but throughout the season.”

(Photo: Alex Pantling — UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

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