Their Spanish coach is the mastermind of this new PSG, built from the ashes of the superstar era which saw Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar the centrepieces of a dysfunctional, ego-ridden outfit who never resembled a team.

Luis Enrique, who also won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015, ordered his players to park egos at the door – or jettisoned those who would not.

In their place is the perfect combination of brilliant individual skill bolted on to a savage work ethic and defensive solidity that will make them a formidable hurdle for Arsenal to overcome.

And the leader is Marquinhos.

The Brazil centre-half arrived at PSG from Roma in 2013, surviving Luis Enrique’s cull of big names because the coach is wise enough to see a consummate professional and world-class defender when he sees one.

He has formed a superb partnership with the formidable Willian Pacho, who played a key role in keeping Kane under wraps until the England captain’s strike in the dying seconds.

Kvaratskhelia and Dembele combined for the game’s defining moment, while 20-year-old Desire Doue – the young face of the new PSG – tormented Vincent Kompany’s side, coming close on several occasions in the second half.

And yet the glue that held it all together was Marquinhos, still peerless at 31, and with the uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time while exuding calm authority.

To complete the picture, PSG’s midfield of Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves is the well-oiled engine room linking it all together.

Ruiz’s pass in the build-up to Dembele’s goal was a thing of beauty – but he then reverted to doing the defensive dirty work Luis Enrique demands and which his team seems only too happy to deliver.

Manchester United midfielder Casemiro is leaving Old Trafford this summer and has responded to Jamie Carragher, who famously told him to ‘leave the football before the football leaves you’

Casemiro has suggested that Jamie Carragher’s “leave the football” remark from two years ago was probably fuelled by “bitterness” following his beloved Liverpool’s defeats to the Brazilian’s Real Madrid in two Champions League finals.

The Manchester United midfielder will depart Old Trafford this summer when his contract runs out, despite rediscovering his best form under Michael Carrick. He has been instrumental in their resurgence, which will see them qualify for the Champions League following a disappointing few months.

Casemiro has turned back the clock and resembles the player who was so influential in Spain. During his spell at the Bernabeu, he secured the Champions League on five occasions, beating Liverpool in finals in 2018 and 2022, and suspects Carragher may have been irked by those defeats when he delivered his infamous criticism.

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our United WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our United Facebook page by clicking HERE and don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

Back in 2024, when United were enduring a dismal run of results, Casemiro was targeted by Carragher, who insisted he needed to leave the Premier League.

He said: “This has to stop because we are watching one of the greats of the modern time. I always remember the saying ‘leave the football before the football leaves you’. The football has left him. At this top level, he needs to call it a day at this level and move.

“The level of that player, he should not be putting himself through this. He is too good of a player to be putting in a performance like that being laughed at by Crystal Palace. He needs to call it a day.”

Casemiro was pressed on those remarks and told TNT Sports Brazil: “Everyone says whatever they want on television. I’m not someone who gets involved in that.

“But it’s a bit normal, because I won two Champions League titles over his team. Maybe after you win two titles against his club, there’s still some bitterness there.”

Carragher has since performed a U-turn on those remarks, prompting the United midfielder to extend an olive branch. He said: “I respect his opinion. I don’t hold any resentment. The important thing is that he recognised he was wrong and changed his opinion. That’s what matters most.”

Casemiro has delivered a string of crucial goals, enjoying his most prolific season in front of goal, with Carragher acknowledging he would have to accept any comeback from the Brazilian.

He said: “Considering what he’s producing this season in the Premier League, and not just Fulham at home, you think what he did last week against Arsenal away and Manchester City at home.

“Casemiro is well within his rights to, if he wants to come back at me and say, ‘leave the punditry before the punditry’s left you!’ He could definitely get one of those back in. Credit to him, he looks a completely different player.”

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

Luis Enrique believes Mikel Arteta has done a ‘great job’ at Arsenal and says his PSG team will face a ‘difficult game’ in the Champions League final.

The French champions joined Premier League leaders Arsenal in the final after overcoming Bayern Munich in the semis.

PSG beat Bayern 5-4 in a thrilling first leg before holding Vincent Kompany’s side to a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena.

Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele broke the deadlock inside five minutes to put PSG two goals ahead in the tie and as a result Harry Kane’s late strike was merely a consolation goal.

PSG beat Arsenal on route to winning the Champions League last season and Enrique expects another ‘hard game’ against the likely Premier League winners.

While PSG prevented Bayern from reaching the Champions League final, Arsenal eliminated La Liga side Atletico Madrid in a hard-fought semi-final tie.

‘I appreciate Mikelito Arteta! We used to be teammates when we were kids, he did a great job at Arsenal,’ Enrique said after leading PSG to another final

‘It will be difficult, hard game but we believe in our football style.’

Discussing his team’s spirited performance in Munich, Enrique added: ‘Good memories. We could leave the match with a lot of intensity.

‘The defence were better than the attack. The character we showed against a team like Bayern is so positive. We’re so happy to reach a second Champions League final in a row.

‘It was very intense. Very difficult. They play football at the highest level. Both teams are similar, we love to press higher. We are very happy.

‘In two days I’m going to celebrate my birthday. I’m very happy. We’re in the next phase of the competition, the final of the Champions League. We want to give our supporters that kind of gift.’

PSG star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia also discussed Champions League final opponents Arsenal, who will be the fifth Premier League team the French giants have faced this season.

‘We respect all of the teams,’ he said. ‘For us, it’s important to play our game.

‘We don’t really think about who is going to be our opponent, we just prepare our game and give everything on the pitch.

‘It will be difficult – it’s the Champions League final – and we just have to go and enjoy it.’

While PSG are bidding to retain their Champions League crown, the May 30 final in Budapest will be Arsenal’s first in 20 years.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MORE: Arsene Wenger makes PSG claim after they join Arsenal in Champions League final

MORE: Jamie Carragher names the player who saved Arsenal’s season after reaching Champions League final

MORE: Emmanuel Adebayor says Arsenal star lacks ‘technical ability’ and makes title prediction

A British man evacuated from the Norwegian Viva cruise ship has broken his silence, sharing an update on his health after being exposed to hantavirus — the rat virus that has gripped the vessel

Advertisement

A British man who was evacuated from the hantavirus-stricken cruise broke his silence on Wednesday.

Martin Anstee, who was evacuated from the MV Hondius, has told Sky News he was “doing okay” but doesn’t know how long he’ll be in hospital.

The 56-year-old told Sky News: “I’m doing okay. I’m not feeling too bad. There are still lots of tests to be done.

“I have no idea how long I’ll be in the hospital for. I’m in isolation at the moment.”

Mr Anstee worked as an expedition guide on board the Dutch-flagged ship. He was evacuated by medical flight this morning, along with two others.

Two other people who returned independently to the UK from the cruise ship have also been told to self-isolate, the UK Health Security Agency said, adding that “the risk to general public remains very low”.

The World Health Organisation has said the number of confirmed hantavirus cases has now risen to five.

The results, which have been confirmed by lab tests, include two passengers who were evacuated today.

There were previously three confirmed cases and five more suspected, with three people having died.

The overall number of cases, eight, is not thought to have changed, with lab tests confirming the presence of the hantavirus in previously suspected cases.

However, Spanish health minister Monica Garcia has confirmed that all the passengers currently on the MV Hondius are asymptomatic.

The ship will now continue to the Canary Islands where passengers will be checked for signs of infection before being repatriated if they are deemed healthy.

In an update posted online, Spanish health authorities said that the ship is expected to arrive within 72 to 96 hours.

Officials said that passengers will be disembarked in a “controlled” way with “direct transfer from the port to the airport and subsequent return to their countries of origin, avoiding at all times transit through spaces open to the general population”.

The actress, also known for her 1980s home workout videos, wrote: “He needed me. No one had ever let me know they needed me, and this wasn’t your average human being that needed me, this was the creator of CNN, and Turner Classic Movies, who had won the America’s Cup as the world’s greatest sailor.

Posting on Instagram, he said: “Heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away. She was the most wonderful mum and grandmum our kids and grandkids could have ever wished for. She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world. Love you forever, Joan x”

Steven Gerrard has outlined the blueprint Arsenal must follow to beat PSG in the Champions League final.

PSG’s Champions League defence continued with a thrilling semi-final victory over Bayern Munich, with Luis Enrique’s side winning 6-5 on aggregate.

The French champions won the first leg 5-4 in Paris before holding German champions Bayern to a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena.

Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele put PSG further ahead in the tie with a 3rd-minute goal and Harry Kane’s late strike prove to be just a consolation.

PSG will now face Arsenal in the Champions League final, 12 months after they embarrassed Inter Milan to win the tournament for the first time.

Gerrard, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, says Arsenal will be ‘underdogs’ going into the final but insists the Premier League leaders ‘certainly have a chance’.

Asked to rate Arsenal’s chances of causing an upset in the Budapest final on May 30, Gerrard said on TNT Sports: ‘I know more than anyone that an underdog can win this final. It was a mismatch when we played AC Milan but anything can happen.

‘Arsenal are paying against a high-quality team with an elite manager so Arsenal will have to be the best versions of themselves.

‘Every single player will have to turn up but of course they’ve got a chance. Being the underdogs might even suit this Arsenal team.

‘If they can win the Premier League that will give them immense confidence and belief going into the final as well.

‘They’ve certainly got a chance. I think they need to use their physicality, their size, make every set-piece count and take PSG to places they don’t want to go and make it uncomfortable for them.’

Discussing PSG’s semi-final win over Bayern Munich, Gerrard added: ‘Over the two legs they deserved to go through.

‘The first leg was a shootout but they got their heads in front and tonight was a defensive masterclass.

‘Bayern and Kompany played their part in the tie but the best team have gone through. PSG just had the edge over them.’

Gerrard’s former England teammate Owen Hargreaves also gave Arsenal hope of overcoming PSG in a mouth-watering Champions League final.

‘Arsenal have a chance, without a doubt,’ he said. ‘With that defence, the goalkeeper, Declan Rice deeper in midfield…

‘They can definitely do it in a one-off game. But this PSG team? They’ve got so many ways to hurt you.

‘It will be fascinating but this is a different Arsenal now. They believe again after they went through that blip. They have a chance.’

Arsenal booked their place in a first Champions League final since 2006 with a narrow win over Atletico Madrid, beating the La Liga side 2-1 on aggregate.

Mikel Arteta’s side are on course to become Premier League champions before the European final, currently sitting five points clear of second-placed Manchester City.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MORE: Jamie Carragher names the player who saved Arsenal’s season after reaching Champions League final

MORE: Emmanuel Adebayor says Arsenal star lacks ‘technical ability’ and makes title prediction

MORE: PSG or Bayern Munich? Martin Keown names who he wants Arsenal to play in Champions League final

“Foodbanks are about much more than food. They’re about dignity, compassion and making sure people know they are not alone.”

Derry actress Jamie-Lee O’Donnell is set to appear on ITV’s Celebrity Catchphrase this Saturday in support of Foyle Foodbank.

The Derry Girls star will take on the famous “say what you see” challenge as she helps raise awareness of the hardships faced by local people and families across the city.

Foyle Network Foundation, which operates Foyle Foodbank, said Jamie-Lee’s support will help shine a light on the growing need experienced by many people across the city.

Karen Mullan, Director of Foyle Network Foundation, said the organisation was hugely grateful to Jamie-Lee for choosing to support the charity.

She said: “We are absolutely delighted that Jamie-Lee is supporting Foyle Foodbank on Celebrity Catchphrase. It means so much to us and to the people we support every single day.

“Jamie-Lee has always been a fantastic ambassador for Derry and for communities, and her support helps raise awareness of the reality many families are facing at the minute.”

Mrs Mullan said the appearance also highlights the generosity of people across the city who continue to back local appeals and donate to help others.

She added: “The people of Derry are incredibly generous. Time and time again we see local people stepping up to support neighbours, friends and families who may be struggling.

“Whether it’s donating food, supporting fundraising appeals or simply spreading awareness, it all makes a real difference to people’s lives.

“Foodbanks are about much more than food. They’re about dignity, compassion and making sure people know they are not alone.”

Viewers can tune into Celebrity Catchphrase on ITV1 this Saturday, May 9, at 5.45pm to cheer Jamie-Lee on as she plays in support of Foyle Foodbank.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter.