Qatar-Backed Paris Saint-Germain Still To Win Club Football's Biggest Prize - Champions League

More than a decade of hiring and firing and splashing the cash has so far failed to deliver a Champions League trophy for Paris Saint-Germain바카라�s Qatari owners. (More Football News)

Amid reports that the oil and gas rich Gulf state is now planning a move for Manchester United, a return to the summit of European soccer cannot be guaranteed.

Despite all the superstar signings, a series of coaches have not managed to achieve PSG바카라�s owners바카라� ultimate ambition.

When Christophe Galtier was hired last July he became the seventh coach since Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) took over the club in June, 2011.

With its motto 바카라�Dream Bigger바카라� splashed on the team bus, the owners had a clear ambition to make PSG one of Europe바카라�s leading clubs.

Yet PSG바카라�s 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday in the first leg of the round-of-16 in the Champions League was its third straight loss and fifth in 11 games.

Since playmaker Javier Pastore became PSG바카라�s first marquee signing for 42 million euros ($45 million) in 2011, the club바카라�s net expenditure has risen to more than 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion).

Despite this outlay, there바카라�s been more humiliating exits than finals.

The only Champions League final PSG reached was in 2020바카라�s pandemic-shortened format 바카라� when it lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.

In 2017, PSG was the first team knocked out after winning the first leg 4-0 in the round of 16, losing 6-1 in the return leg at Barcelona.

In 2019, PSG became the first team to be eliminated after winning the away leg 2-0 in the round of 16, losing 3-1 at home to Manchester United.

Against Real Madrid last year, PSG was leading 2-0 on aggregate before Karim Benzema바카라�s devastating 17-minute hat trick.

While other stars inflicted damage on PSG, neither Kylian Mbappe nor Neymar 바카라� who cost a combined 402 million euros ($432 million) 바카라� scored during the Champions League바카라�s Final Eight tournament in 2020.

That loss to Bayern was also symbolic because the goal scorer was winger Kingsley Coman 바카라� who left PSG when he was 18 바카라� and he scored again on Tuesday.

PSG바카라�s signing of stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar and Lionel Messi, pushed homegrown forwards like Coman, Moussa Diaby and Christopher Nkunku 바카라� who all became France internationals 바카라� to leave for other clubs.

PSG바카라�s academy had also previously failed to snap up other rising talents.

World Cup winners Thierry Henry, Paul Pogba (Juventus) and N바카라�Golo Kanté (Chelsea) were Parisian youths but didn바카라�t go through PSG바카라�s academy, while Mbappé was also missed and signed from Monaco.

HIRE AND FIRE

PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi sat alongside Galtier at the coach바카라�s unveiling and made a pledge: 바카라�We have a new era to start, a new atmosphere, new objectives.바카라�

Al-Khelaifi, however, was long seen as too close to PSG stars who were indulged while coaches had a hard time keeping their jobs.

Since QSI took over, Carlo Ancelotti is the only coach not to be fired. He left for Real Madrid in 2013.

Ancelotti was hired only after Antoine Kombouaré was moved out in December 2011 with PSG three points clear at the top. PSG lost the title to modest Montpellier by three points.

Galtier replaced Mauricio Pochettino, who had one year left on his contract and became the fourth coach in succession to be fired by PSG after Thomas Tuchel, Unai Emery and Laurent Blanc.

Pochettino, who took over in January 2021 from Tuchel, paid the price for the Madrid defeat last season.

Tuchel had been shown the door after reportedly claiming that managing PSG was like being a politician, such was the level of difficulty. Emery reportedly fell out with Neymar.

Pochettino and Blanc had signed new contracts before getting fired, exposing PSG바카라�s impatience and apparent indifference to hefty compensation packages.

Pochettino and his staff reportedly received around 10 million euros ($10.8 million). When Blanc was fired in 2016, PSG paid out 22 million euros ($23.7 million).

Fans were also angered at how long-serving captain Thiago Silva and Cavani 바카라� PSG바카라�s all-time leading scorer with 200 goals 바카라� were encouraged to leave.

Considered too old for two-year contracts in Paris, Silva then won the Champions League with Tuchel at Chelsea and Cavani scored in the Europa League final for United in 2021.

But the Madrid defeat last year finally prompted an introspective overhaul at PSG.

Sporting director Leonardo 바카라� whose strong contacts with AC Milan made it possible to sign Ibrahimovic, Silva and European Championship-winning goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma 바카라� was fired during his second spell.

Yet problems have resurfaced under the new regime.

PSG hadn바카라�t lost three straight games since late 2011, and its five losses in 2023 are more than all of last year.