PSG Have Already Made History — Now Luis Enrique Wants the Champions League Feat Only Three Clubs Have Managed

Luis Enrique's side retained the trophy last season after beating Arsenal on penalties in Budapest, adding a second Champions League crown to the first in the club's history.

Back-to-back success has already placed PSG in elite company.

Since the modern Champions League began in 1992, only Real Madrid had previously managed to win the competition in consecutive seasons.

But PSG now have an even bigger target.

PSG can join an exclusive three-peat club

Winning the Champions League three times in a row would put PSG alongside some of the greatest teams in European football history.

Real Madrid achieved the feat between 2016 and 2018 under Zinedine Zidane, while Ajax won three successive European Cups between 1971 and 1973 and Bayern Munich followed with their own three-year run from 1974 to 1976.

Madrid had also won the first five editions of the European Cup between 1956 and 1960.

Luis Enrique, who also guided Barcelona to Champions League glory in 2015, has made no secret of PSG's ambition.

"Our objectives are clear. I want to win important trophies and there are none more important than the Champions League."

That pursuit will begin with PSG attempting to navigate another demanding league phase.

PSG face another difficult league phase

The Champions League format has changed since PSG's historic run began, with 36 clubs now competing in a single league phase and each team playing eight matches against eight different opponents.

Interestingly, PSG have not dominated that stage despite going on to win the competition in each of the last two seasons.

They finished outside the top eight on both occasions and were therefore forced to come through the additional play-off round to reach the last 16.

Tough draws played a part, and the challenge is unlikely to disappear this season.

PSG will face Manchester City, Barcelona and Aston Villa, among their league-phase opponents, providing a formidable test of their credentials before the knockout stages even begin.

Can Arsenal finally take the next step?

If PSG are the team everyone is chasing, Arsenal remain one of the clubs with the strongest case to stop them.

The Gunners have moved progressively further through the competition over the past three seasons, losing in the quarter-finals, then the semi-finals, before reaching last season's final against PSG.

The next logical step for Mikel Arteta's side is therefore obvious: winning it.

Arsenal topped the league phase last season with a perfect record but face a difficult opening assignment this time, travelling to Napoli.

There will be five English representatives in the competition, with Arsenal joined by Manchester City, Liverpool, returning Manchester United and Aston Villa.

Bayern Munich remain formidable contenders, while José Mourinho is back at Real Madrid with the task of restoring the Spanish giants to continental dominance.

Barcelona will also be desperate to add another Champions League trophy.

Inter Milan could challenge the established favourites, while Atletico Madrid have an additional incentive with the final scheduled to be played at their home stadium.

Champions League underdogs bring something different

While the usual European superpowers dominate the conversation, this season's competition also welcomes several clubs breaking new ground.

Como qualified for the Champions League after finishing fourth in Serie A last season under Cesc Fabregas, doing so at the expense of AC Milan and Juventus.

Viking Stavanger are appearing in the Champions League proper for the first time after winning their first Norwegian title in 34 years.

Then there is Sabah, who won their first Azerbaijani title and came through four qualifying rounds to reach the league phase.

Their manager Valdas Dambrauskas has an unusual route into football management. He has previously revealed that money earned from appearing on the Lithuanian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? helped him get into coaching.

Sabah face a daunting opening trip to Old Trafford, but simply reaching this stage represents a huge financial opportunity.

The money on offer is enormous

The Champions League's financial rewards help explain why qualification can transform the fortunes of clubs from Europe's smaller leagues.

Sabah are guaranteed almost €20 million ($23.2m) at a minimum simply for reaching the league phase, according to the figures cited.

At the other end of the scale, the eventual winners can collect around €90 million in prize money, before additional revenues such as television distributions are taken into account.

PSG are understood to have earned around €150 million for each of their last two Champions League victories.

That financial gulf is one reason the competition increasingly appears to favour Europe's established powers.

Can anyone stop PSG?

The challenge for PSG is no longer simply winning the Champions League.

They have already done that twice in succession.

Now they are chasing the much rarer achievement of three straight European titles — a feat managed by only Real Madrid, Ajax and Bayern Munich in the competition's history.

With Manchester City, Barcelona and Aston Villa among their league-phase opponents and Europe's biggest clubs again lining up as challengers, PSG's bid for an unprecedented third consecutive Champions League crown will face plenty of obstacles.

But if Luis Enrique's side complete the job, they will move from being back-to-back champions to one of the truly historic teams in European football.