Football Daily - New-look PSG make history & what happened to Inter?

Episode Date: June 1, 2025

Steve Crossman chews the fat in Munich with correspondent John Murray and Italian football expert Daniele Verri. This after PSG win the Champions League for the first time by thumping Inter Milan 5-0.01:20 John’s traditional Munich breakfast 02:30 Daniele leaves the match early! 03:00 PSG get their first European Cup 04:45 Ousmane Dembélé plays important role 12:10 Luis Enrique achieves greatness? 15:45 Can PSG keep this young group together? 21:10 Will the Club World Cup be big for PSG? 24:15 Where did it go wrong for Inter? 30:35 What about Simone Inzaghi’s future? 35:10 Powerful moment with PSG’s tifo 36:35 How did the new format pan out?BBC Sounds / 5 Live commentaries: Tue 1800 Spain v England in Women’s Nations League, Sat 1700 Andorra v England in men’s World Cup Qualifying.

BBC Sounds music radio podcast. This is the Football Daily podcast with Steve Crossman. Hello, welcome to Munich on the morning after the night before the Champions League final Paris Saint-Germain 5 into Milan 0 at the Allianz Arena. Let me give you a few numbers before we begin over breakfast here in the Schwabing district of this wonderful green city. The European Cup turns 70 next year. Last night was the biggest margin of victory ever in the final, bigger than the 7-3.

Real Madrid, Frankfurt famously finished with two hat trickstricks, Di Stefano and Pushkas. PSG didn't quite get seven, they did get five. That hasn't happened since 1962. Eusebio got one of the goals for Benfica that night when they beat Real Madrid. No Real Madrid in this final of course, no English team. It was meant to make it a coin toss final. It was an historic final but not a close final. Now what we tend to do on the radio, just taking you behind the curtain

is when you're trying to get a bit of level, you say what have you had for breakfast and correspondent John Murray, you've had a very traditional Munich breakfast. Yeah, Ruhr Eier I've had had which I've had every morning here and also the traditional Munich white sausage with it and also a very nice tomato and chickpea salad which has a little bit of tang to it. It's an excellent combination. Well thankfully we have with us a man who has lived in Munich for 15 years, European football journalist Daniele Verri. Daniele, you did a good job of explaining what John was supposed to eat with the sweet mustard. Yes, most definitely it comes

with the sausages, it's something very typical. My breakfast unfortunately wasn't as nice as because I mean after last night I only had a little bit of cereals and fruits and that was it because I mean the game was hard enough for me to swallow. Very good, very good. We are right next to the big English Garten, which as I mentioned yesterday is a huge Munich park, bigger than Central Park. I think Danny, if any Inter fans wanted to hide this morning, they could have gone there. Yeah, most definitely it's the biggest park in Europe and I think in the world,

park within a city. Inter fans were very disappointed last night. Many of them left the stadium before the end of the game. I did the same, if I have to be honest, because then it gets honestly difficult to get away from the stadium with 20,000 people, 40,000 people living at once, but obviously they left because of the result, because of the performance, maybe even more than the result. So we will get into Inter's regret.

We'll do the future of Simone and Zargi a little bit later. We'll talk Luis Enrique, of course we will. But I think, John, let's just start broad brushstrokes, you know, history for PSG, first ever European Cup and in such a swashbuckling way. Well I think that's just it, isn't it, that this team that I've seen over and over again this season, this year actually, since they were down in the elimination places in the league phase in January and we went to the Parc de France with Manchester City who are obviously faltering mid-season as well and there was a question over which way

this would go and it went emphatically PSG's way on that night if you remember Manchester City were 2-0 up in that, very fortunately to be 2-0 up, but then they played PSG the football that has then been replicated again and again and again. I mean I think that night was possibly the peak of it, probably because it was new, but I know PSG supporters were saying to us post-match that that's the best they've seen their team play in 10 years. So I took from that. But I think also the fact that they've done it again and again and again, it just feels that it has all come together for Luis Enrique, that this was the target, this was the plan. He wanted his team to play like this.

And how satisfying must it be for him to have had that happen and to be crammed in the way that they were last night? 2025 most definitely the best team in Europe, has to be said, since the beginning of the season. You said it very well, John, so I can only confirm that from what I've seen. Fantastic, it's incredible the way Luis Enrique goes into the mind of the players, especially Dembélé, who was a player who's been known through the years for his behaviours, mis-attitudes, difficulties with food and everything, and nutrition. So the way he was pressing last night and throughout 2025 also, the way he was playing

for the team, the way all of Paris Saint-Germain moved as a unity, as a block, pressing high, which we've seen already, but last night was for me the peak also in terms of pressing. You've seen Inter not being able to come out of their defence playing the ball. They always had to play long balls, which is okay if people press you. You have to play then probably long ball to get to the strikers but they never had the chance to do anything over the line of the Paris Saint-Germain defender. It was a perfect game from them, a perfect game. And that's what we saw in all of those rounds whether it was whether it was

Manchester City that night whether it was whether it was Liverpool whether it's Aston Villa or Arsenal but I think even more so last night in those opening stages they were absolutely ravenous weren't they? Inter just could not settle into the match and that also threw them right out of their stride and because of the fact that PSG scored the two goals that they did in that 20 minutes period there was no recovering from that and I thought interesting when Luis Enrique came in to speak to us in the conference room last night he was asked about Dembele who of course didn't get on the score sheet last night but I thought he was excellent his all-around play and he carried out what Luis

Enrique said the previous day which was that this man Dembele is he said he's the leader because of he leads by example but also the way that he leads the team and Luis Enrique said to us last night he said he said I'd give the Ballon d'Or to Usman Dembélé for the way that he defended and pressed last night and he said Luis Enrique said he was exceptional in the final and I think most observers would probably agree with that. I definitely do I definitely do I I definitely do. I mean, it's incredible the way he goes into his mind by telling him that he can be the leader, the most important player,

by not doing the incredible things on the pitch or the incredible one-off play. Bo being constant and reliable throughout the game by helping his teammates. And this is what he has done. Obviously last night everything went their way, Inter almost didn't take to the pitch but the difference on the pitch was like, I mean, uncommentable. I've never seen a final with such a difference in between the two teams. It was incredible and credit to Paris Saint-Germain. We can discuss in detail why Inter probably didn't perform as they expected, what will they have as consequences and blah blah blah. But at the end of the day you have to recognize that Paris Saint-Germain were the better team. That's it.

I think, don't you, that sitting here the morning after and having witnessed what we did, it feels strange that we didn't think that that was going to happen. But yet no one did. We all thought, well, you know, and I think possibly we were suckered a bit by Inter Barcelona. I'll tell you what's funny is Danny is very calmly and very honestly talking about how great Paris Saint-Germain were even as an Italian. And now it's just started to absolutely hammer down with rain. You can't catch a break Danny. Life is hard. You have to go with it. I mean I don't decide how the teams play on the pitch.

I don't decide what the weather is like so I'll have another coffee mate. I don't decide what the weather is like, so I'll have another coffee, mate. Just on John, Dan Belletti, one of the things I thought was interesting is, stay with me here, there was a time when Brendan Rodgers always used to be sort of, not like laughed at, but laughed with, because he would be asked any question about any player, and he would find a way to make it about Joe Allen, and we'd go, oh, we, Joe, though, wasn't he really good? Enrique was a bit like that last night in that one of the first questions he asked

was just sort of, you know, congratulations, you've won the Champions League, et cetera, et cetera. And unprompted Luis Enrique started talking about Dembele. So he's never far from his thoughts, I think. Yeah, and of everything that he's done, he probably thinks that's arguably his greatest achievement to turn Dan Belli into the player that he has always threatened to be. And just for those who don't know, I think it's worth running through his career really. So he's 28 now,

started at Rennes, who produce players consistently over the years, you know, excellent young French players, then went to Dortmund, then he got that move to Barcelona and remember that was 145 million euros back in 2017 and I think that's interesting when we when we talk now June 2025 as it is now about the kind of money that Liverpool are seemingly going to pay for Florian Wirtz. You know that back in 2017 is significantly more than Liverpool would be playing for Wirtz right now. But then of course it didn't work out. You know he had his years at Barcelona. He was there for six years at Barcelona. 185 appearances in six years so that reflects

the injury problems that he has. He did score 40 goals in that time, was in the World Cup squad, won the World Cup with France, but it's been a faltering career. And, you know, he was on his uppers again in the French squad in Qatar at the World Cup there as well. So that's where we are. And then suddenly, after only ever in a season scoring maximum 14 goals here he is now with 33 goals and 14 assists as well in all competitions and suddenly whatever Luis Enrique has done and probably down to the player himself as well enormously.

That's where we are. Exactly. We go back to the same point as before. So credit to him obviously, as John said, credit to the manager who found the right key to talk to his player and explain him what he expects and make it credible, make it realistic for him. So I do think that Dembélé saw an opportunity in what his manager said. Otherwise, he wouldn't perform like this.

It's not a matter of just the physical being fit and not getting injured because not getting injured belongs or is a consequence of your behaviour off the pitch, basically. And that was probably the issue he had at Barcelona where he missed so many games. I mean, the quality of the player was never a matter of discussion because you know, you knew he was a good player. Otherwise, even Barcelona,

even though he was a Barcelona with a lot of problems in terms of club, wouldn't invest 140 million on him. But now he's fair, now he's willing, he's willing to play and he's willing to help and that's down to the manager, that comes from the manager. He was able to get into his mind. So credit to him, credit to him and to Dembele because then Dembele goes on the pitch and has to do it. So you talk about the player Dembele, but as you said Luis Enrique returning to Dembele every opportunity, but I think we then need to turn that back on Luis Enrique who

clearly with what he's already achieved as a coach was up there but I think now because of what he's done with this team and Dembele I think that now has moved him right up there into the stratosphere which is an obvious thing today say because he's just won the Champions League again but I would say he would be possibly the most sought-after coach in world football because of what he's done at PSG? One of the most sought after coaches in football for sure. What really strikes me is exactly as you said, the fact that he has already won a Champions League with Barcelona,

but there was a Barcelona with Deymar Swartz and Mitzi. So obviously it wasn't his thing really. That's what I wanted to say. That wasn't I mean, he wasn't the main character. Obviously he took some important decisions like having Rakitic playing in a more central position and that was the end of the career of Savi basically so he had an impact on that team most definitely but nowhere near what he did with Paris Saint-Germain. I fully agree with John, I don't need to add anything to that.

But also, I think the reason I'm saying that about him as a coach is because of the way the team play. And I think, I hope actually, that one of the pieces of fallout from this will be a little bit like Manchester City and the way that everyone else, so many other managers and coaches, said that's the way I want my team to play. And that's why we've seen it replicated and copied to varying

degrees of success in so many different places. Well I think with this PSG team, I think other coaches and managers will say well that's the way I want my team to play. So I think that's good for all of us because that is entertainment. That's what this game is all about watching players like that frontline who are just thrilling to watch. Most definitely obviously Paris Saint-Germain is a club who can afford by Kvaryskeliyev for 75 million in a January window so I do fully agree with him John but it's a different Paris Saint-Germain that the one we are used to know with the Neymar's with the Papé, Messi and all that but still they come with a very solid back so

into discussion and business and that so no every cup will have the opportunity to feel that midfield like that or a striking line like that I mean fantastic I don't want to downgrade what they've done still I'm just adding that Paris Saint-Germain remain one of the clubs who can afford buying almost anyone will Will they do? I don't know because they got rid of Papé, they got rid of Neymar, so probably they won't buy a player again for 200 million but they could if they wanted to. He certainly has Louis Enrique as they say main character energy but then so do a lot of players that he coaches as well and look

they've spent a ton of money and you can't go away from that you do have to keep underlining that it is important and but the reason it maybe doesn't get mentioned all the time is probably because even though it's in a expensively assembled squad you know some of the players are so good at such a young age, which I think naturally, John, takes us on to Desiree Douais. An absolute joy at 19, and really, in a crowded field, his final. Yeah, I think so. Hello.

How would I have liked to have seen him play the last half hour of it, and see what he also might have been able to do, and as we were saying in the commentary last night, you know, it's almost like he watched and saw what Lameen Yamal did against Inter and thought I'll fancy a bit of that and I fancy myself to do it and he did it but I think also with PSG when we when we talk about this team where you know do they do they all is he able to are they

able to keep it all together and say right let's go and win it all again next season? And I think that intrinsically is a bit of an issue for Paris Saint-Germain because of the overall strength of the league in France. And so therefore, and I think when we talk about the attacking players, you have to throw in Hakimi and Nuno Mendes as well, you know, almost part of that attacking force. So do they all stick together and we see this become an era of PSG success and this team grows together? Or do they simply think we've got other ambitions and we want to go elsewhere and will we see this team break up? And I suppose it's probably a case of naked money against ambition. Being it's such an historical moment, in my opinion, for Paris Saint-Germain and for French football, because, I mean, French clubs only won once before this game. So it's the second time that a French club win the Champions League title.

And being it the first time for Paris Saint-Germain after the Qatari did and the club did all they did throughout the years, this will have to me a very attracting force for the players. I can imagine the players become a unity as they've been on the pitch at least since January. Throughout the season they grew and grew more in the sense of unity, in the sense of team. And I can see them remaining. Obviously it's not down to me, I'm not going to decide. There are ambitions who have to be taken into consideration. But this seems the right moment to be part of Paris Saint-Germain. Even though, as you rightly say, about the competitiveness of Ligue 1,

maybe somebody fancies play in Manchester United or Manchester City or Arsenal every weekend, rather than Brest, Gen Con, Montpellier. We don't respect you to these clubs. I'm just saying but To me this seemed like the moment where these young players Because most of them are very young as we said do have the opportunity to try to do something special Let's also keep in mind that repeating oneself. It's even more difficult than getting there We've seen that almost every year. If I think of Real Madrid last year, I would say, hey, they are

unbeatable also next year if they play like this. And they weren't. Manchester City two seasons ago, I would have said, well, this team is going to dominate European competition for five years at least. And they weren't. I mean, apart from Real Madrid with Zidane or back then AC Milan with Arrigo Sacchi, I don't remember many teams who could replicate in a second season what they did the season before. This is just due to the difficulty that each European season and each season at such a base because it's really a matter of details. Let's say Dembele go injured two weeks ago. Will they have won five nil like that? Maybe yes, maybe not. If Vitini go injured two weeks ago, he had a massive game last night, a massive game.

If he go injured two weeks ago, will they still have the same dominance that they had in midfield? Will they still command the pressing as they did? I don't know and it happens so many times that a player gets injured or you go a penalty or a red card that inficiates your game so it's so difficult and so like down to small details that it's really I'm just saying it's simply very difficult to predict that a club can dominate Europe over the years. They can play up to a certain standard where they get into the position of being one of those who might get to the very big result. But again, there is always a many factor equation which is very, very, very, very difficult to happen, in my opinion.

That's a great way to put it, a manufactured equation I think, because it is now a great unknown what happens there. We can't get in the mind of Desiree Dewey, but he's sort of the one who sums it most up at 19. It's impossible to say what he might want to do and that's true of so many of these PSG players. What I would say is, you go back to earlier in this project, when they signed Neymar, Neymar came to Paris Saint-Germain to win the Ballon d'Or. That's what he wanted to. He wanted to move out of the shadow of Lionel Messi. Well, Ousmane Dembele might well show this year that you can win the Ballon d'Or at Paris Saint-Germain. It'd certainly be a big surprise if a PSG player doesn't win the Ballon d'Or given what we've seen. However, PSG's next game with

real jeopardy is probably not in 2025 and that's the difficult world cup. Do you think so? With real jeopardy? Yeah, because you know we say what we say about the FIFA Club World Cup but Luis Enrique and I think he's grudgingly, I think he's probably right, that in time that will become a desirable title and it's certainly desirable in terms of the amount of money that clubs will win. I think in their state now, going to America, you would probably say that they'd have to be considered the favour favorites to win it And if they get to the final and they're playing, I don't know, Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, whoever it happens to be And and that is the final to win that trophy and all of that money. That's a big game Big game for Nasser Al Khalifi. Is it a big game for the players?

I it's a worthwhile discussion because and Even if you accept that the Club World Cup does have that Jeopardy, which is certainly arguable, clearly, after that then the next game with Jeopardy is still next year because they will run away with the French top flight. So it's a question of if you're an elite player, are you happy with only having a finite number of games a season that really matter? It's very difficult to say that clearly. Yeah, and it's very difficult to say if players will be happy to travel all the way to the US and spend a month playing there after a very long season.

So there are still question marks for me also in terms of what player like. Obviously, they cannot decide if the club are interested in the money or the prestige or being part of it, blah blah blah, they will have to go and they will go, definitely. I mean, there are worst ways to imagine a job than playing football, even at highest level, which we know it's very hard and it's very demanding from all points of view mentally and everything. But it's been a long season for players, it's been a long season, especially for Paris Saint-Germain. Inter now will also take part in the club World Cup, so they could do with a couple of weeks off I guess. But I mean, this is modern football, we've seen it more and more growing in this direction and the club World Cup is the last example of this demand for more and more games throughout

the season. It's the last example because there is absolutely now no more space. You can't invent anything else because there's no space for it. The Monday nightclub on the Football Daily. Join myself, Mark Chapman, Rory Smith and Chris Sutton to look back at the biggest stories from the weekend's football. I think that's a really measured, mature assessment of the situation. This is football, so we should probably find someone to shout at.

I think that's the way... Well, Chris looks like he's about to shout at you for describing that point as mature and measured. LAUGHS The Monday Night Club only on the Football Daily. Listen on BBC Sounds. to you for describing that point as mature a measure. The Monday Night Club only on the Football Daily. Listen on BBC Sounds. This is the Football Daily podcast with Steve Crossman.

Danny, just take a deep breath with me. OK, centre yourself, ground yourself. What happened to Inter Milan? They didn't take to the pitch, basically. So there was a massive physical and mental difference between the two clubs last night. I didn't expect the youth of Paris Saint-Germain to make such a difference. I don't even know if it was the youth. From some runs in terms of pressing probably yes, but it was more a mental thing, an attitude thing. So some interplayers, I

don't know, I'll say some names but I don't mean any bad, just analysing what I saw. Di Marco was terrible, didn't get to cross a ball throughout the whole game. Barela was pretty terrible. Celanooglu didn't see anything of him. Mkhitaryan. Mkhitaryan. Mkhitaryan. I didn't expect them to play like that because I knew that Paris Saint-Germain

had a massive midfield, but I thought inter midfield would be at least as good as last night. They weren't. I mean, the only thing that they managed to... I mean, they were pressing so high, Paris Saint-Germain, that they honestly took the game to Inter and it was very difficult for them. But then if you can't come out of defensive situation by playing the ball, as Inter normally do, and they can do it, but last night they were too pressed so okay then

kick the ball try to have two running on one of the two sides not in the middle where all people stick together try the right hand side try to play him long he can run against Mendes Nuno Mendes he's got the stamina and the speed to go away, try that, try that. That didn't happen, so the balls that they got they were always facing with their back to the goal within their half of the pitch and that was lethal. I mean Lautaro wasn't on the pitch, Lautaro got injured if you remember in the first leg against Barcelona in the semi-final. He still played in the second leg, then in the last two weeks he didn't play, just to have him fit for tonight or for last night. But he wasn't fit last night, he wasn't fit at all. He was like walking around onto the pitch.

Pavard, same thing, okay, didn't have the 90 minutes. Then again, then we move on from players to manager. Is Pavar the first man that you have to take out if you're two goals under to put another defender? So I don't know. Obviously, he was unlucky with Bisek. Again, Bisek. Then Bisek got injured. But then again, it's all your two goals down.

You are players that are not doing anything on the pitch because they were struggling. I think all of the people in the stadium did realise that they were struggling. And the message that you give, okay, take a defender out for another defender. So it's not really a shock to the team. It's difficult to say because a manager in that situation would have only done mistakes probably because you're too nailed down against a team that play. So what does that mean? That you have to go farther up the pitch, which Inter did in the second half and then conceded all of those counter-attacks in which Paris Saint-Germain were lethal.

So it was a matter for me maybe of taking one of the big names out. After 25 minutes, it might have been a shock for the team to say, hey, the manager is reacting, the manager is not happy at all, we have to change something. He didn't do that. I mean, it's a hard decision. Would have been a hard decision, I do agree. But in the end, it proved wrong. He started the second half with the same starting 11 that he had done in the first 45 minutes, which were dominated by the opponent and nothing changed until the end. Apart from the fact that they went 10 meters higher up into the pitch and then left room

behind them for counter attacks. But it was a problem from A to Z last night basically and a problem which got magnified by the quality of Boris Zanjaman because we always have to take into account that they were massive. But apart from that they were all from that, they were all right. Yeah, they were all right. I'm sorry that I've been so critical. I don't mean it bad towards Inter Milan, who still had, let's call it a great season,

because they got second in the league, second in the Champions League, and you know how difficult it is to get to a Champions League final and everything, got eliminated in the semi-final of the Coppa Italia by AC Milan. Until a month ago Inter were running on three fronts and had the opportunity to do a treble. A month later they finished the season without any title and finishing a season without any title and getting second on two fronts is like you go lost,

you arrive last. Second is the first of the loser and in Italy even more so, even more so where only title counts. No one will remember that Inter played fantastic games in the league or eliminated Barcelona. Yeah they will have a chair in mind and eliminate in Barcelona but what did that bring? Not much in terms, obviously quite a lot in terms of money because Inter can be happy they have hit the 200 million mark with TV revenues and prices from the UEFA and money from the stadium, from ticketing, blah, blah, blah. time in years, this year Inter will have green balance books which is fantastic, which is incredible because they've been on red, they've been writing red numbers all the time. So this is already a step forward in that sense.

From a sporting perspective they were very good but last night we saw a team that were 10 times better, we have to say that. But Inter did their part in order for that difference to be so large because Inter is a better side than what we've seen yesterday. And I suppose the question will be now with all of those aging players and with question marks over Simone and Zaghi's future, is this the point, and I know they're going to talk about it this week, aren't they? You know, is this the point and I know they're going to talk about it this week aren't they? You know is this the point that they decide right it's clearly quite a rebuild that's needed there but they do have the money to do that do they need someone new or do you stick with the guy who won the league last season and got them to two Champions League finals in three years and let's

let's be honest you know if you look at all of those top leagues, Italy isn't the strongest league, so how much of achievement is that to get to two Champions League finals in three years? From Simon Inzaghi and from the club, because if we think of all of the players that have arrived, free agents, no Oglou, Thuram, Thuram is a player who can now, you can sell him for 80 million probably. He came as a free agent from Borussia Mönchengladbach. Zommer obviously is 36 but they go on Ana who was a free agent, came from Ajax as a free agent, was sold to Manchester United for 50 plus

million euro. Then they bought Zommer for 8 million euro. So so Mkhitaryan free agent Darbian 1 million, Acerbi 1 million so it's Barela played something for Barela obviously but other players like Di Marco, Bastoni who came out of from the youth ranks so to be honest what Giuseppe Marotta, Piero Arcilio, the sporting part, the technical department of Inter have done through the years on the market has been really really remarkable. It has to be said because Inter cannot compete in terms of money with different clubs that we know around Europe like Inter will have maybe 40 millions for a striker in summer. 40 millions nowadays you can buy a good striker but you don't buy Carascaglia for 40 millions. For example I'm just saying Carascaglia because we've seen it yesterday but I could say 10 other names that you won't buy for 40 millions. Got to ask about Simone Nzaghi, do you think he'll be inter-manager next season?

This is very difficult because this defeat will impact also his mood and will impact also the way he's going to approach what he wants to do. He's got an offer, a big offer from Saudi Arabia, from Ali Lal, 50 million for the next two seasons, net 50 million. Those are great numbers. Those are great numbers. Inflated obviously, as we know how Arabic football works. But I mean, anyone who does this as a job will be willing to think or bound to think about such an opportunity.

Simone Di Draghi was born in 1976, so he's 49 this year, so he's got all of his career in front of him. He can freely decide either to stay at Inter and try to move on to the next level. Maybe the Inter cycle is not fully completed yet but obviously there will be a need of new injections of players given the aging of some of them which are also important. So he has an opportunity to stay at Inter because Inter, as Marotta, Inter CEO and President last night said, a game cannot change my opinion on a manager that has done so well during the last four years. But if he leaves, then he will land on a cushion of money. That's a great phrase, Danny. Yeah, thank you very much.

I'm very good at that. No, I'm only joking. I'm only joking. It's 50 million euro in two years, net for a manager. I mean, it's difficult to turn it down. It's difficult to turn it down knowing that it's too easy. I mean, you can come back any time. We've seen that already from other players or managers going and then coming back. So 50 million. I mean, it's not that it doesn't get to the end of the month. Simone Inzaghi is on a 6.5 million contract

now and if he stays for longer, the contract will be extended and let's say adapted so he will get more money so let's say you get a million plus bonus or something is a lot of money it's not quite as much as you earn but it's still a lot of money and but 25 is it will also make make my head spin around a bit. A couple of final thoughts before we wrap up. Firstly, before we sort of just finish on the end of this first season of the new Champions League, I did just want to mention that moment at the end of the game, John, when the PSG fans obviously had bought their massive banners and we saw them all before the game.

And then after the game, which was really unexpected, they'd obviously brought another one with them, which they were waiting until Luis Enrique came round right in front of the supporters. And it was this huge flag which depicted Luis Enrique's daughter Zana. She died in 2019 at the age of nine from a rare bone cancer. Obviously he was asked about it afterwards, it was very emotional for him. I think he just made the point, you know, a lovely moment. Obviously I don't need to be in a Champions League final and winning it to think about my daughter. I think about my daughter all the time. But that was a powerful moment, wasn't it?

It was. And you know, the TV cameras, as they are wanted to do immediately clocked what was happening and and focused in on him and I mean his reaction was he was he was genuinely moved by it wasn't it the gesture to do that and he said afterwards he said I think it's beautiful to think that the supporters thought about me and the PSG supporters with their T4s all season have been outstanding I mean some of the stuff they've come out with has been incredible in the park to France and indeed last night as well. But I thought for a final touch there, to actually think about that, prepare that in advance and it

all to come together, it was a really touching finish to it all. Right, so let's finish with this Champions League season then. What do you make of it, Danny? We've seen the end of the first season of the new format? To be honest I didn't dislike it, if I'm honest. I mean we've seen plenty of goals this year, we've seen less draws I think statistically than what used to happen with the let's say old group stages. So all in all I like it. So I don't see a reason why it shouldn't be replicated. I mean, obviously it will be replicated because the format won't change this season. But I didn't see any reason who speaks against it in that sense. So I was quite happy. I mean it was strange to have once you play away with a team and then you play home with another one and

then you play away with another one again and blah blah blah. It was a bit more, it was simply unusual but as everything that's new in life it was a bit unusual. Maybe you just need to get used to it but I didn't dislike it I have to admit. I didn't dislike it. I liked it yeah. I enjoyed it for the novelty value and to see how it would work and it certainly threw up some interesting fixtures you know they're not going to go backwards because it's created two extra matches in the league phase and that's what they wanted because of the extra revenues etc so it's no good saying well let's go back to whatever because it's going to stay at least the size that it is but you know it's the fairness saying well, let's go back to whatever because it's gonna stay this at least the size that it is

But you know, it's the fairness of it, but I still have an issue with well two things fairness I have an issue with because of who you are drawn against which is historical The it's not as fair as it would be if you work the fixtures out as you went along But clearly that's impossible because that's a that's a logistical but clearly that's impossible because that's a logistical impossibility to work that out, the travel details, everything that's involved with that. So there is an issue there with the fairness and I'm also uncomfortable with, even though it's exciting and dramatic on the later nights and the final night particularly when all the matches were played at the same time, but I felt working on it that night as a commentator and as an observer and actually following the same thing in the Europa League the next night as a spectator. I felt it was

overwhelming, there was too much going on and that's not what football is about. Football is about watching the match that's taking place on the field, not watching a table that's going up and down. I love that and I do agree because I had the same feeling. I honestly had the same feeling during the last night of the Champions League, of the group stage, it's called the first stage of the Champions League. I was also like, come on, up and down, up and down, up and down. OK, it's dramatic, OK, but I'm not getting it.

I'm not getting it. So let me watch my game. So, yeah, so I do, I'm fully with you. However, you still get to the knockout stage, which is actually unchanged and in bigger because you've got the playoff round. So therefore that's as good as it ever was. And it's much better than the old formula with the two group stages, if you remember long ago. There was honestly two group stages.

That was a bit too much. That was the survival of the fittest, wasn't it? Right, so John, presumably now you go on a massive holiday for 24 hours right? Well we are off Gary's Gary's sitting here our producer we're off to Barcelona to there's an England media day in Barcelona on Wednesday so we go there on Tuesday night and this is all ahead of Andorra next Saturday so yeah one of our international commentaries, so both the England matches, Andorra away

and that friendly against Senegal coming in the next week in Nottingham. Lovely. Correspondent John Murray, Daniel Avery, just before we let you go, I've got a big question for you here. I've been dying to ask you. So I've known Daniele since 2007,

and this time that I've seen you, something is a little bit different. So my question is, is the moustache real or is this just an Italian in Munich the day after Inter have lost 5-0 to PSG and you're incognito? I'm incognito and I'll take it off afterwards so... but as soon as I cross the border. As soon as I cross the border. Grazie mille. A te. Ciao Steve. Ciao John. Thank you very much John.

Ciao. Thank you very much John. Ciao Steve. Ciao John. Thank you very much John. Ciao. For this nice chat. Daniela Verian, correspondent John Murray here in Munich. The rain has stopped and we're all about to depart.

So congratulations again to Paris Saint-Germain, European Cup winners for the first time in their history. Goodbye from Munich. On BBC Sounds, this is Sports Strangest Crimes. From the man who tried to buy crickets. One night, one game, one or take off, 20 US million dollars. The kidnap of a super horse.

It must have been terrifying. Of course it was. How we got through with it all? An ill-advised errand changing F1 forever. It will haunt the people involved for as long as they live. A trillion dollar takeover which never took off. Broadsters of this level, they will never stop. The mysterious death of a superstar cyclist.

Entering the world of professional cycling was like joining the mafia. And teammates becoming bitter enemies at one of the biggest football clubs in the world. Betrayal, plots. We've gone beyond women's football in France. Sports, strangest crimes. Listen on BBC Sounds. plots. We've gone beyond women's football in France.