In a few years’ time, people may well speak of this Paris Saint-Germain side in the same glowing terms as other teams that have left an indelible mark on the global game – and perhaps even in the same breath as the all-conquering, Johan Cruyff-inspired Ajax side that perfected the art of total football.
Indeed, one thing that sets Luis Enrique’s team apart is their ability to “all attack and defend together”, as Fabian Ruiz put it after the Parisians’ comprehensive 4-0 win over Atlético de Madrid in their FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ opener.
While PSG’s forwards have no qualms about pitching in defensively by pressing and snapping into challenges, the same holds true when the boot is on the other foot and there is a need for the defenders and midfielders to make their presence felt going forward.
With Les Rouge et Bleu, you never know where the danger is going to come from. As the Parisian giants prepare to take on Botafogo on Thursday in Los Angeles in what will be their first-ever competitive meeting with a South American side, the Brazilians will have to be aware of PSG’s attacking versatility.
“Anyone can score in this team,” PSG striker Goncalo Ramos told FIFA. “It doesn’t matter who puts the ball in the back of the net: whether it’s Fabian, Nuno or Vitinha, the most important thing is winning matches.”
Victory against the Brazilians, whom Ruiz described as a “very aggressive team”, would at the very least leave Luis Enrique’s charges on the brink of the round of 16 and could even seal their progression depending on the result in the other game in the group. With Ousmane Dembele expected to be sidelined again, the 13-time Ligue 1 titlists will be looking to Ruiz and Vitinha, among others, to continue to come up with the goods.
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Against Atlético, the Spaniard bagged his sixth club goal of the 2024/25 season, while the Portugal international’s strike was his eighth. “I hope that was the first of many at the tournament,” said Ruiz. “We know we’ve got great attackers, and their work enables us midfielders to ghost into the box and get shots away.”
Renato Paiva’s troops, who edged past Seattle Sounders FC 2-1 in their curtain-raiser, will have to keep a keen eye on Ruiz and Vitinha, but they can ill afford to overlook other PSG threats, including notably from the full-back area. This season alone, Nuno Mendes has six strikes to his name for the club from 47 matches, while Achraf Hakimi is just one shy of double figures for goals in almost a half-century of appearances for the Parisians.
Over the course of a truly exceptional campaign, the Parc des Princes-based outfit have racked up 156 goals across 59 matches in all competitions. Another major factor in these prolific exploits has been the impact of players coming off the bench. Two of Luis Enrique’s substitutes struck against Atlético. Nineteen-year-old Senny Mayulu was introduced in the 66th minute and notched his sixth effort of the season (from 30 appearances), while Lee Kang-in came on six minutes later and got in on the act with his seventh goal in 46 games for the club in 2024/25.
“There are no starters or substitutes here,” noted Ramos, himself the scorer of 18 goals for PSG this term. “Everyone is raring to go for every game, whether it’s for five minutes or 90. As the coach always says, everyone is important.”
It would take a brave person to bet against PSG finding the net against Botafogo… and an even braver one to predict who exactly will get on the scoresheet.
