EVERY football pundit has made an outrageous prediction or outlandish declaration which has come back to haunt them at some stage in their careers.
But when Jeremy Rothen, the former Rangers midfielder who is now an outspoken television and radio analyst in his native France, described the decision by his old club Paris Saint-Germain to offer Lionel Messi a contract extension two years ago as “a joke” viewers across his homeland exclaimed “sacre bleu” in unison.
When Rothen claimed the presence of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe at the Parc des Princes was preventing the Ligue 1 champions from fulfilling their vast potential in Europe, many fans asked if he had drunk one too many glasses of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
However, somebody at Qatar Sports Investments, who had turned PSG into one of the wealthiest clubs in the world game when they had bought a majority shareholding in them in 2011, was clearly paying attention to the one-time Scottish title winner.
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There has been a definite shift away from the superstar-centric strategy since. Messi, Neymar and Mbappe, who had cost in excess of €400m, have all been allowed to depart. There has been a move towards a more collective mindset. The change has worked wonders.
Paris Saint-Germain are, having swatted aside Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal in Europe this year, favourites to beat Inter Milan in the Champions League final in the Allianz Arena in Munich tonight and win the competition for the first time.
Rothen, who has covered Les Parisiens’ exploits on the continent for RMC Sport in France this term and who will be cheering on his boyhood heroes this evening along with millions of others around the globe, has been proved emphatically correct in his assessment.
“Managing Messi, Neymar and Mbappe was complicated,” he said ahead of the eagerly anticipated encounter between Luis Enrique’s team and Simone Inzaghi’s side. “They also had to pay huge sums to cover their salaries, which were very high. I thought it was a bad idea to renew their deals.
“Messi in particular made no attempt to engage with the club or with the fans when he was here. It looked like he was only interested in his image rights. He never waved to the fans or acknowledged their backing. I thought it was best for him to go. The money they have saved since he has gone has allowed them to improve the squad.”
His charges have run for 117.94 kilometres on average in every game in the Champions League this season, far more than any other side in the competition. In addition, they have completed more passes, created more scoring chances and had more shots on goal than any other team. They have been nothing short of relentless in the past five months.
John McGinn, the Scotland midfielder and Villa captain, was helpless to prevent his Premier League outfit from slumping to a 5-4 aggregate defeat against them in their last eight double header last month. However, he claimed that he and his team mates could be satisfied of how they acquitted themselves against opponents he rated highly following the final whistle.
“We should be proud that we turned the game around against one of the best teams in the world and fought to the very end,” he said. “PSG are the best team I’ve ever played against. I definitely wouldn’t want to face them every week.”
Enrique, whose team recorded just one win during their first five Champions League league phase games and at one stage looked set to miss out on qualification for the knockout rounds, has made important tactical changes as well as an inspired signing.
He moved Ousmane Dembele from the right wing to striker, deployed Vitinha as a holding midfielder and gave right-back Achraf Hakimi the freedom to move upfield and infield.
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On top of that, he landed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli for €60m in January. The wide man has established himself as a regular starter alongside Dembele, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola in his front three.
Enrique’s insistence that PSG attack together and defend together – something which did not happen when Messi, Mbappe and Neymar formed the forward line – has impressed Rothen.
“Everything has gone well this year,” he said. “There are no problems with the team, no problems behind the scenes, no problems in the media. That is unheard of at PSG. They have won a lot in previous years, but there was never the same atmosphere.
“It hasn’t been perfect. They switched off against Aston Villa after scoring two early goals and allowed their opponents to come back into the game. They fell asleep. But they have been a blessing in disguise because they will know now they can’t afford that sort of slackness. But everything has gone well for the club. All of the planets are aligned.”
Inter, who beat Barcelona 4-3 after extra-time in the second leg of the semi-final in the San Siro last month to complete a remarkable 7-6 aggregate triumph, can certainly be crowned European champions for a fourth time in Germany this evening. They, too, have an abundance of talent in every area of the pitch. But if Paris Saint-Germain scale the heights they are capable of they should prevail and make history.
