Failure of Mbappe, Neymar, Messi's "Galactico" Project at PSG

Mbappe's hope of giving a beautiful farewell gift to Paris Saint-Germain did not come true.

AFP/ODD ANDERSEN

The reaction of Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe when losing 0-1 to Borussia Dortmund in the second semi-final match of the Champions League at Parc des Princes Stadium, Paris, France, on Wednesday (8/5/2024). PSG failed to reach the final after losing with an aggregate score of 0-2.

Real Madrid once tried it with the "Galactico" project, but failed. Gathering mega-star players does not guarantee that a team will easily achieve their dream title.

The recipe which was proven to be ineffective was apparently tried again by Paris Saint-Germain. When Qatar Sports Investment took over PSG in 2011, their main goal was to win Europe's most prestigious trophy, which was done by spending heavily on assembling star players.

Their efforts began with one of the biggest surprises in the world of transfers when PSG succeeded in luring Neymar to leave Barcelona in 2017. One year later, "Les Parisiens" brought in a shining young star explained, Kylian Mbappe from Monaco, who has just led France to win the 2018 World Cup.

Also read: No Love for PSG in Paris

Still not enough, they managed to bring in the best player of all time, Lionel Messi from Barcelona, ​​in 2021. Not only that, to support the three attackers, PSG also brought in a midfielder, defender and best goalkeeper. Players such as Marquinhos, Angel Di Maria, Thiago Silva, and Gianluigi Donnarumma were also bought.

PSG formed a dream teamlike when the US national basketball team gathered its best players to appear at the Olympics. It is a dream for a coach to have the best players in the world like PSG have. It's not an exaggeration if the Champions League trophy seems like it's just a matter of time to be brought to the Parc des Princes Stadium.

Two seasons have passed, yet "Si Kuping Lebar" (a nickname for a PSG player) has not yet visited the trophy cabinet at PSG's home stadium. And then, one by one, the expensive stars purchased faded away and eventually left Parc des Princes.

Three star attackers from PSG are now scattered in various parts of the world. Neymar is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Messi is in Miami, United States. The remaining Mbappe is also set to depart from Paris at the end of this season.

AFP/PAUL ELLIS

Three Paris Saint-Germain superstars, Lionel Messi (left), Kylian Mbappe (middle), and Neymar, during the Champions League match against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England, on November 24, 2021. All of them failed to bring the dream title of Champions League to Paris.

Since 2017, PSG has almost won all possible trophies for them to win. Six out of seven French Leagues, three French Cups, and the French League Cup. However, their dream trophy of the Champions League remains out of reach.

Even since 2017, they have only managed to make it to the round of 16 three times, which was when they reached the final in 2020, the semifinals in 2021, and the semifinals this year. This semifinal is especially special because it will be Mbappe's last year in Paris. This is due to the fact that the contract of the 25-year-old player will expire at the end of this season and there is a possibility that he will move to Madrid.

However, Mbappe's dream parting gift turned into a nightmare because he was surprisingly eliminated by Borussia Dortmund with an aggregate of 0-2. In the second semi-final match at Parc Des Princess, Wednesday (8/5/2024) early morning WIB, PSG lost 0-1 after in the first match at Dortmund, they also lost 0-1.

Also read: PSG in Top 16 Curse Terror

However, even though Neymar and Messi have left, PSG is still favored to face Dortmund because they have quality players. Mbappe, who was expected to lead PSG to rise up, turned out to be unable to do much after Mats Hummels scored the winning goal for Dortmund.

Mbappe is one of the four PSG players whose shots hit the goalpost during the match. PSG coach Luis Enrique said his team, which had 31 shots on goal, was unlucky.

However, Mbappe doesn't want to make excuses even though his team was able to dominate the game with 70% ball possession. According to him, they were eliminated because they were simply not good enough, not because they were unlucky.

AP PHOTO/FRANK AUGSTEIN

Dortmund defender, Mats Hummels (right), scored a goal against Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals on Wednesday (8/5/2024) early morning Indonesian time.

"I don't like to talk about bad luck. When you play well, you won't hit the post, you score a goal. I try my best. When I speak, we have to be sharper, I have to score the goal," said Mbappe.

“The End of His Dream”, read the headline of the French sports daily, L’Equipe, which gave Mbappe a performance score of 2 out of 10.

Also read: One ​​Fuellkrug Goal, Two Advantages for Borussia Dortmund

Being kicked out from a team ranked fifth in the Bundesliga after massive investments is a disaster for PSG. This is a continuation of disappointment after disappointment experienced by PSG in the knockout phase of the Champions League. For example, in 2017, they were already leading 4-0 in the first match against Barcelona in the round of 16. However, they were later crushed 1-6 in the second match, in a game known as "La Remontada".

Then in 2019, once again PSG suffered a tragedy in the round of 16. At that time, they managed to win 2-0 at home against Manchester United in the first match. Only needing a draw at their own home, they then lost 1-3 in the second match and were eliminated. A year later, they managed to reach the final, but failed to become champions after losing 0-1 to Bayern Munich.

The defeat in the semi-finals against Dortmund this time marks a tragic end to the Galactico project of Neymar, Messi, and Mbappe. The Champions League they pursued was never achieved until their last star departed from Paris. (AFP)