On the eve of the European Super Cup against Tottenham in Udine, Paris Saint-Germain tackles its first major meeting of the season with a delicate internal context. After a historic quadrupled, a club World Cup final and a positive dynamic between Luis Enrique, Luis Campos and management, several tensions are weakening this balance. The club of the capital, always ambitious, finds itself confronted with strong decisions which, if they are publicly assumed as strategic, could have consequences on the cohesion of the group. The non-conqueror of Gianluigi Donnarumma, the jostled ego of Achraf Hakimi and a sensitive cohabitation between two players to nationalities in conflict recall that, behind the triumphant image, the Parisian wardrobe remains crossed by potential fracture lines. But at this stage, there is no indication that these tremors are likely to destabilize a PSG which, despite a shortened vacation and reduced preparation, advances with ambition to challenge a Tottenham already at the top of its shape and its pace.
The situation around Gianluigi Donnarumma crystallizes tensions. Discarded for this final for the benefit of Lucas Chevalier, recently recruited, the Italian international pays both uncertainty about his future and a contractual showdown that has been going on for several months. PSG, marked by the Mbappé episode and anxious not to lose a player of great value without compensation, chose to hit hard, even if it means offending one of his executives to respect the new club wage grid. The former AC Milan goalkeeper, hero of the last Champions League campaign, saw this sidelining as an injustice. Internally, some teammates fear a precedent: if such a powerful leader can be marginalized, no one is safe. This feeling could ultimately weaken the unity of the workforce. But for the moment, the majority of the locker room keeps a cool head, aware that the club must anticipate the future and that this decision does not call into question the quality of relations within the group, more united than it has been for a long time.
A first trophy to turn off the embers?
Achraf Hakimi's words are another sensitive point. By declaring at the microphone of Canal + That he felt legitimate to win the Ballon d'Or 2025, the Moroccan affirmed his personal ambitions with an unusual component for a defender. His performances from the past season with goals scored in the quarter-final, in the semi-finals and in the Champions League final gives him to claim this recognition, especially in a position rarely put forward for this type of reward. However, this media outing would not be in perfect adequacy with the club's communication strategy, which wishes to highlight Ousmane Dembélé as a figurehead. This choice, motivated as much by the performances as by the French nationality of the attacker, aims to erase the shadow left by the departure of Kylian Mbappé. The difference in treatment perceived between two key players could fuel ego rivalries, especially since nine Parisians are among the trophy finalists, creating fertile land for jealousies or internal frustrations. Besides, the newspaper The team announced that PSG, aware that Hakimi's statements on the Ballon d'Or could react, had tried to censor this passage in vain. The fact remains that in the locker room, the atmosphere remains generally healthy: Hakimi remains appreciated and respected, and this kind of divergence has not yet exceeded the media framework.
Finally, the arrival of Illia Zabarnyi brings a delicate extra-sporting dimension. The Ukrainian central defender, transferred from Bournemouth, is expected to stabilize the Parisian rearguard, but his integration coincides with the presence in the workforce of the Russian goalkeeper Matvey Safonov. In the still burning context of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, this cohabitation raises questions, even if the two men should adopt a low profile in public. Zabarnyi has never hidden his support for his country, declaring that he had contributed financially to the war effort and directly helped friends and families affected by the conflict. This passive could make their interactions scrutinized by the media, but also by Ukrainian public opinion, where simple gestures can be interpreted as betrayal. Previous people exist, like that of Ruslan Malinovskyi at Atalanta, forced to apologize after celebrating with his Russian teammate Aleksey Miranchuk or hugged Aleksandr Golovin during an Om-Monaco. Even if PSG is intended to be concentrated in the field, the sensitivity of the subject could, silently, weigh on the atmosphere of a group already subject to strong sporting and media pressures. However, internally, the situation is currently managed with tact: PSG has already proven its ability to integrate very different culture and horizons, and nothing indicates at this stage that this cohabitation can weigh on a group that has lived its best period of cohesion for almost ten years.
