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In an instant Champions League classic, Real Madrid turned around the Round of 16 with three goals by Karim Benzema, eliminating PSG from the competition. Many pitted PSG as main favorites for the Champions League next to Manchester City, but even with an effective 2-0 lead the French representatives disappointed their fans.
As the remnants of this collapse will be felt for years to come, let's look at three future implications of the epic PSG collapse in the Champions League.
Future implications of PSG Champions League collapse
Kylian Mbappe is going to Real Madrid
While likely not a direct implication of PSG's loss, Kylian Mbappe is now for sure leaving for the Spanish giants. The French striker has been free to negotiate terms with other teams since January, but none came close to getting his signature other than PSG and Real Madrid. Real Madrid were always considered favorites despite Mbappe's Parisian roots and the notion, at least on paper, that PSG had a better chance to win the Champions League.
Doubts about Mbappe's future don't exist anymore, though. A few days after the game, multiple reports emerged that Mbappe hsa already decided to sign with Real Madrid, an announcement that will come after the season out of respect for PSG.
This game, to be clear, was likely not the deciding factor in Mbappe leaving PSG. He has been open about his childhood dream of playing for Real Madrid, and his idol was and still is Cristiano Ronaldo. If he wanted to stay in Paris, he would have likely signed the contract by now. However, PSG would certainly have upped their odds of retaining him had they beaten the 13-time Champions League winners, or even put up a more respectable fight.
Instead, they conceded a 17-minute hat-trick to Benzema, collapsing in a matter of minutes. That type of disastrous performance is definitely one of the reasons why Mbappe would be even more inclined to leave PSG for Real Madrid.
Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. could be good as gone in the summer
This is a tricky one. Both of these players have contracts that do not end soon, so PSG would need to sell them. With the exorbitant wage demands of Messi and Neymar, it could be difficult to sell them, especially after the poor play they showcased in two matches against Real Madrid.
Neymar had some great moments in the first game, but it was his misplaced pass that Luka Modric intercepted that directly led to the second goal by Benzema in the second leg. Messi, however, produced an absolute no-show, including a missed penalty in the first game that could have turned it around. PSG invested heavily in both, with €40 and €35 million salaries annually for Messi and Neymar, respectively. Now, they might look to sell them and rebuild with a completely new attacking line.
Even though Messi and Neymar are both fantastic players, they have been terrible at times and mostly average for PSG. Messi scored just two goals in Ligue 1 and while he has done better in the Champions League, that is just seven goals for the Argentinian in 24 games played. If he does not produce at least 10 goals by the end of the year, it will be Messi's worst scoring year since 2005-06, when he bagged eight in 25 games. Neymar, meanwhile, played in all 18 competitions and scored just four goals, hardly the type of production befitting his talent and reputation.
Mauricio Pochettino is out, and he won't be the only one when it comes to non-player positions
It is very difficult to be a coach of PSG. Since the takeover by QSI in 2011, the team has sacked four coaches and Pochettino seems like he will be next in line. He has been tasked with keeping this team of huge stars in check and, truth be told, he was unable to do that. He did not take responsibility for the loss to Real Madrid after the game, simply stating that he does not want to talk about anything other than what he believed was a foul on Gianluigi Donnarumma. Most reports out of France state the PSG front office will wait until the end of the season and then fire the Argentinian manager.
However, that same PSG front office might be in trouble as well.
Reports also suggest that Leonardo, the sporting director of the Parisian club, could be on his way out, too. It is really difficult to say whether management's decisions had anything to do with PSG's collapse, but it was Leonardo and team president Al-Khelaifi's choice to continually prioritize talent over chemistry and fit.
