PSG crave another Champions League high after last year's breakthrough

PARIS, May 29 : Paris St Germain’s hunger has not faded after last year’s Champions League triumph, with captain Marquinhos and coach Luis Enrique insisting the club’s historic breakthrough only sharpened their appetite for more silverware.

PSG face Arsenal in Saturday’s final at the Puskas Arena seeking to cement their status among Europe’s elite after finally lifting the trophy last season.

But Marquinhos said the emotional high of their 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in last season's showpiece match had only fuelled the squad’s determination to experience it again.

“It’s really important to have that motivation,” Marquinhos told a news conference on Friday.

“Last year we said it and we showed it on the pitch. Once you win the Champions League, once you taste that title and those moments, you want to relive them again.”

The Brazilian defender said PSG had learned from last season’s run and were now better equipped to handle the pressure and noise surrounding a Champions League final.

“There are a lot of things around these matches, the expectations, the pressure,” he said. “The message in the dressing room was to change nothing, to continue working the same way and keep the same hunger we had last year.”

“Even today, I have the same sensations and the same emotions I had last season.”

THE BEST TEAM IN EUROPE

Luis Enrique, who guided PSG to their first Champions League title last term, said they were driven less by legacy than by the desire to remain the best team in Europe.

“Once is historic, twice is legendary,” a banner by PSG ultras recently read.

“But our motivation is not to make history because we already did that last year,” Luis Enrique said when asked about the slogan.

“Our motivation is to continue being one of the best