PSG and Luis Enrique seek to make history in the Champions League while Europe rearms to stop them

Luis Enrique and PSG want to make history and the rest of Europe is working to prevent it. This week begins the league phase of a Champions League that can place the Spanish coach and the French team in the golden books of the competition. They have won the last two European Cups and are just one title away from being the third team to win three in a row. Madrid did it twice and Ajax once, and the big clubs of the old continent have spent 1,662 million to build squads capable of defeating the Asturian, who in turn has tweaked the project a little, selling players for 340 million to maintain the hunger of a locker room that wants more.

Manchester City (526.2), Liverpool (269.6), Arsenal (227.1), Real Madrid (225), Barcelona (184), Atlético de Madrid (123) and Bayern (107) have spent 1,662 million, they have rebuilt and rearmed forcefully to defeat PSG. The figure explains the reaction. Everyone has realized that they need more than what was shown in the previous two courses to defeat the French.

The three Englishmen go with everything. City, now without Guardiola and with Maresca in charge, has been the club that has put the most money on the table. They have not touched the spring playoffs for several seasons and the departures of Rodri and Bernardo Silva have caused a true revolution. He has spent almost 400 million just on restoring his midfield: 145 for Enzo Fernández, 135 for Elliot Anderson and 100 for Bouaddi, in addition to 75 for winger Iliman Ndiaye.

Arsenal, current continental runners-up and winner of the Premier League, appear as one of the first-tier teams that will face PSG. They have a settled project, a coach with years at the club behind him and a backbone with Raya, Gabriel, Rice, Odegaard and Saka. In addition, this summer they have added Guimarães, Newcastle midfielder, Konsa, Aston Villa centre-back, and Tzolis, Bruges winger, along with confirming the purchase of defender Hincapié, who played for the team on loan last season. Arrivals that make Arteta's block even more solid, although they lacked the icing on the cake of Julián or Vinicius, in whom they were interested.

Liverpool, who lost in the quarterfinals of the last Champions League against PSG, have handed over their project to Iraola and have made the second most expensive signing this summer: Barcola, the PSG winger whom they have signed for 135 million. A player that Luis Enrique has been forced to sell because he asked for more minutes. The Spanish Víctor Muñoz and the French defender Jacquet, from Stade Rennes, have arrived with him. Iraola still lacks a midfielder, but he has the confidence of the board to face the first season without Salah.

Of the favorites, Bayern has spent the least, just over 100 million (107) on two players: the Moroccan Saibari, one of the revelations of the last World Cup, and the German full-back Brown. A few months ago they fell in the semifinals against PSG after a crazy tie that ended 6-5 for the French, and this year they finally want to play metal.

LaLiga, meanwhile, is still waiting. After Madrid's titles in 2022 and 2024, both Barça and Atlético have been on the verge of reaching the final in the last two years. The Blaugrana, dominators in Spain, have had problems transferring that superiority to the last continental rounds. In 2023 they clashed against Inter and last year against Atlético. To avoid a third failure in Flick's project, they have signed Rodri, Gordon and Adeyemi. They don't have a regular nine since they couldn't sign Julián, but for now it seems that Raphinha has assumed that role.

Atlético, with an angry Julián and with Kang-In Lee, Hjulmand, Cuti Romero and Grimaldo as the main additions, will try to achieve European glory in what seems to be one of the last opportunities for Simeone, who last year almost achieved the feat in the semifinals.