Manchester City should have done better than the quarters but without star turns, like those of Neymar and Ángel Di María, it is an uphill battle
Finally, for the first time in their history, Paris Saint-Germain are one victory away from glory in Europe’s top club competition and from realising the great ambition of their Qatari state-owned benefactors, Qatar Sports Investments. They have won 18 major domestic trophies since QSI bought the club in 2011, but the Champions League is the hardest trophy to buy. Just ask Manchester City.
When Neymar moved to PSG from Barcelona for £200m three years ago he was seen as the final piece of their Champions League jigsaw, and I am sure he would have expected to have won it by now. The French league does not have the appeal of Spain or England – it was the prospect of being the key man in a team destined for European glory that would have drawn him to Paris. But this is the highest ambition in club football and normally it takes a while to get there, which for a group of players used to success can be extremely frustrating.
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