A different kind of Champions League final is something to be cherished

Ousmane Dembélé has undergone the biggest transformation of all at PSG.

The Champions League should be varied, otherwise it’s no fun. Recently, however, two clubs have dominated the competition. There hasn’t been a final without Real Madrid or Manchester City for four years, and there hasn’t been another winner for three. And since 2014, Spain or England have always won. The only exception was Bayern Munich, but they benefited from the circumstances of the pandemic in 2020.

On Saturday there will be a different winner in Munich, one from a different country. Paris St-Germain take on Inter. France against Italy in the final, that rarely happens. Serie A, once the best league in the world, has not won the title for 15 years and Ligue 1 last had a winner in 1993. In the inaugural season of the Champions League Marseille defeated Milan. Since then there have only been two finals with a French club, Monaco losing in 2004 and PSG in 2020.