Sunday could very well be Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) final master stroke of the most successful 100 days ever experienced by a single soccer team.
If they defeat Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup Final on Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. ET) at MetLife Stadium, Luis Enrique’s men will win their fourth major trophy in just over three months.
The stretch began on April 5 when they clinched their 11th Ligue 1 title in 13 years. On May 24, PSG took care of Reims 3-0 to win the Coupe de France. Just seven days later came their most historic night, disposing of Inter Milan 5-0 to win their first-ever UEFA Champions League title.
At the Club World Cup, hosted in the United States, PSG kept its momentum going with wins in five of six matches. Besides a trip-up against Brazilian side Botafogo, the Parisians have been dominant. The beat Spain’s Atletico Madrid 4-0 and MLS side Seattle Sounders 2-0 during group play. They then dismantled Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and took down German giants Bayern Munich by a combined score of 6-0.
The coup de grâce of their run, so far, came in the semifinals with a 4-0 bludgeoning of Real Madrid, which included three goals in the opening 24 minutes — two of which came from midfielder Fabian Ruiz.
“It was a beautiful victory,” PSG manager Luis Enrique said. “We are in the finals, and that matters a lot to us.”
“We’re truly happy to be in another final,” Ruiz added. “Now we have to enjoy it because we’re doing something historic. It’s very difficult to reach every final this season, and now we’re one step away.”
To win this many major trophies in a single season is as rare a feat as they come. Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, Champions League, and the Club World Cup in 2019-20. Real Madrid won the Spanish Supercup, the UEFA Super Cup, the Club World Cup, and the Champions League in 2017-18, and swapped out the Spanish Super Cup with La Liga titles for a quadruple in 2016-17. Barcelona did the same a year earlier in 2015-16. Munich pulled off another quadruple in 2012-13 with the DFL Supercup, Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, and the Champions League.
Celtic were the first club to achieve this feat in 1966-67, winning the European Cup, Scottish First Division, Scottish Cup, and Scottish League Cup.
This is not just rarified air; this is the continuation of cementing French soccer as a force that has often lagged behind at the club level. And it could happen just a stone’s throw away from the Big Apple.
“That was an objective that was always our goal, from the onset,” Enrique said. “It’s often very difficult to achieve that because everyone wants it the same. But we are one game away to not just make history, but to build the history of Paris — a French club that might get every cup, every tournament that they have participated in this year. This is very significant for us, for our fans, for the club.”
