Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have booked their place in the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 final after defeating Premier League side Arsenal 2-1 in the second leg of their semi-final clash. With a 1-0 win in the first leg, PSG claimed a 3-1 aggregate victory over the Gunners and will now face Inter Milan on 31 May at the Allianz Arena in Munich, as they chase their first-ever Champions League title.
Despite their dominance in domestic football, PSG and the French Ligue 1 have often faced criticism, with many fans mockingly referring to the league as a “farmer’s league”—a label that implies a lack of competitiveness compared to other top European leagues. However, this season, under the leadership of Luis Enrique, PSG have silenced many doubters by defeating four Premier League clubs en route to the final: Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa.
Following the win over Arsenal, Luis Enrique took the opportunity to respond to the critics during a post-match interview with TNT Sports. With a sarcastic dig at those who continue to mock Ligue 1, he said: “The league of farmers, no? We are the league of farmers. But it’s nice. We are enjoying the result and the compliments of everybody speaking of our team – our mentality, how we play. It’s nice.”
“We are the league of farmers” 🤣
Luis Enrique couldn’t help but laugh after being told his PSG team have beaten all four Premier League teams they’ve faced in the Champions League this season 😅
🎙@Becky_Ives_ | 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/84jVlnIq3B
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 7, 2025
“Arsenal played a great match and we suffered a lot” – Luis Enrique
He also commented on Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s view that the Gunners were the better side: “Mikel Arteta is a great friend, but I don’t agree at all [that Arsenal deserved to win]. They play the way they want and love to play, but in the two legs, we scored more goals than them and that is the most important thing. Arsenal played a great match and we suffered a lot, but we deserve to get to the final.”
Luis Enrique further praised his players, particularly goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose standout performances have played a crucial role throughout the knockout stages. “How are you going to win a Champions League without a great goalkeeper? Today, Gigi [Gianluigi Donnarumma] was phenomenal, as he was in every qualifying round, like against Liverpool. How are you going to win the Champions League without a good defence? They were phenomenal today,” he concluded.
With the Ligue 1 title already secured and a Coupe de France final still to come, PSG are now in contention for a historic treble under Luis Enrique.
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