Paris Saint-Germain take on Inter Milan on Saturday night in the Champions League final in Munich seeking to secure European club football's most prestigious trophy for the first time and complete a clean sweep of four major competitions.
In January, PSG claimed the French Super Cup and the Ligue 1 title followed in April. Last Saturday, Bradley Barcola bagged a brace as PSG overpowered Reims to lift the Coupe de France for a record 16th time in its 108 year history.
But the Champions League crown has eluded them.
PSG has taken part in the tournament every year since the Qatari Sports Investment (QSI) group bought the club in 2011.
Millions were spent attracting star names such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani to lead the early charges to Champions League glory.
But while domestic honours started to flow, PSG failed to land what ambitious owners considered to be the ultimate prize.
Club bosses upped the ante and spent a record 222 million euros to bring the Brazilian star Neymar from Barcelona. A teenage Kylian Mbappé was also drafted in from Monaco.
Under head coach Thomas Tuchel, PSG reached the 2020 Champions League final for the first time, but they lost to Bayern Munich.
Tuchel's successors – Mauricio Pochettino and Christophe Galtier – were unable to better him as the star studded line-ups which included Lionel Messi faltered in the knockout stages of the tournament.
In July 2023, Luis Enrique replaced Galtier vowing to establish a dynamic collective on the field. The Spaniard also set out his stall just before the start of the 2023 Champions League campaign.
'We need to be hopeful'
"When any person, or any club, becomes obsessed with something, it is not a good sign," said Enrique who steered Barcelona to the Champions League title in 2015.
"We need to be hopeful, ambitious too, but becoming obsessed does not work in any area of life," he added.
In May 2024, without Neymar, who had been sold to the Saudi side Al-Hilal, PSG lost in the semi-final to Borussia Dortmund.
A year later, without Mbappé who left in July 2024 for Real Madrid, they are in the final.
"For PSG they have no Neymar, no Messi, no Mbappé, all out the door, but now they are a complete side," said former Arsenal defender Martin Keown on TNT Sports after PSG eliminated his old side in the semi-finals.
"I've not seen forward players working so hard. "How do you beat them? They have to be hot favourites to win the title now."
Stiff opposition
Gnawed by disappointments, Inter Milan's players will provide stiff opposition. They lost out to Napoli by a point in the fight for the Serie A title and they went down to city rivals AC Milan in the semis of the Coppa Italia.
Saturday's final at the Allianz Arena offers their last shot at glory this season.
"A Champions League win would clearly make all the difference in the world,” said Inter coach Simone Inzaghi as his side prepared for its second final in three years.
“The boys have been extraordinary this season because we played 59 games.
“On the field we tried to give everything we had … that was always our strength and we had an exciting journey in the Italian Cup, in Serie A and above all in the Champions League.”
For a side that lost to Manchester City in the 2023 final, the omens look propitious.
In the quarter-finals, Inter beat Bayern Munich who went on to become Bundesliga champions and in the semi-finals in which 13 goals were scored across the two legs, they edged Barcelona who proceeded to secure the La Liga crown.
“We’ve reached a wonderful milestone and played some incredible games," Inzaghi said. "But we know one final step remains to fulfil a dream and make history.”
Tight security around Paris
In Paris, police chiefs announced on Friday that nearly 6,000 officers will be deployed around PSG's ground in western Paris where the match will be retransmitted as well as along the Champs Elysées – the traditional gathering spot to celebrate sporting successes.
Fan zones around the capital showing the match will also be monitored.
"Police will react firmly to any provocation or bad behaviour," Paris's prefect of police Laurent Nunez told BFM TV on Friday.
"If things get out of hand, then of course even if PSG win there might not be a victory parade. It's a possibility," he added.
Following the semi-final victory over Arsenal, three people were injured, one critically, when they were hit by a car near the Champs-Elysées in central Paris as thousands of fans celebrated.
Hundreds of bars and cafes across the capital are expected to show the final which will take place at the same time as the third round night session match at the French Open.
Three-time winner Novak Djokovic will play in the slot. The sixth seed, who is seeking a record 25th singles title at the four Grand Slam tournament venues in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York, will take on Filip Misolic from Austria.
