Donnarumma shines and takes a swipe at Mbappé

By advancing against Arsenal, Paris St. Germain FC has earned another chance to finally claim the long-awaited European football crown with another victory. For good reason.

Five years after the 2020 Corona final in Lisbon behind closed doors against FC Bayern (0-1) , then under coach Thomas Tuchel , PSG can claim the European football crown for the first time in its club history. Perhaps the biggest difference between 2020 and 2025 for Paris Saint-Germain is the collective: Back then, the focus was primarily on top stars Kylian Mbappé , Neymar , and Angel di Maria .

The only player from that time who still plays a prominent role today is current captain Marquinhos . The Brazilian, however, represents the strong community that has made Paris a more cohesive team than it was back then.

"It's a wonderful feeling; the club has done everything to earn this. We've gained experience through disappointment," the Brazilian told L'Equipe , referring to the defeat against Bayern. "Those are scars you keep throughout a playing career. But I think it's better to always take the positives, because that's what makes you grow. Some are still new to PSG, and I remind them that you don't just have or don't have that DNA; it takes time to build it."

The strong team started the clash with Arsenal in goal, as Gianluigi Donnarumma , who had already put in a strong performance in the first leg, produced several outstanding saves in the return – most notably in the 8th minute, when he parried a powerful and slightly obscured shot from Martin Odegaard, and in the 64th minute, when he made a magnificent flying save to tip a curling shot from Bukayo Saka over the goal with his fingertips. The Italian international goalkeeper was the talk of the town after the match and received high praise from the Gunners .

"I'll be facing people I love in the final, including my old goalkeeping coach," Donnarumma told Gazzetta dello Sport , adding that he himself had previously coached at PSG under Inter's current goalkeeping coach Gianluca Spinelli. "I saw the game yesterday; Yann Sommer was very good—and I complimented the coach." His own brilliant save against Odegaard at the start of the match was the result of "a lot of training with flat balls," but also "Mother Nature's contribution."

Meanwhile, Donnarumma also took a quick swipe at his former teammate Kylian Mbappé on Prime Video : "The spirit has changed with us. We now perform much more as a team. We play for each other. Of course, we miss him; he's one of the best players in the world, and I wish him only the best because he's a good friend. But right now, the team is close-knit, and things are going well. That's how we won the European Championship ( 2021 ; editor's note ) with Italy. That makes the difference in every team."