Biggest winners & losers of the European season

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The European club season drew to a dramatic conclusion on Saturday, with Paris Saint-Germain defeating Arsenal on penalties to retain their Champions League crown. Not since Real Madrid nearly a decade ago had anyone successfully defended the title, making his a truly momentous night for Luis Enrique's men. However, defeat shouldn't take any of the shine off Arsenal's historic campaign, with the Gunners having won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years.

Elsewhere, Bayern Munich broke umpteen records on their way to winning another Bundesliga, while Barcelona were also crowned domestic champions for the second consecutive season after leaving crisis-hit Real Madrid trailing in their wake in La Liga.

Over in Italy, meanwhile, Antonio Conte parted company with Napoli just a year after claiming the Scudetto, which was this season won at a canter by Inter while both of their traditional rivals, Juventus and AC Milan, missed out on Champions League football for the first time in the tournament's history.

But who were the big winners and losers of the 2025-26 European football season? GOAL breaks it all down below...

Crystal Palace v Arsenal - Premier League

WINNER: Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta admitted that his overriding emotion at the end of the Champions League final was "pain" - and that was perfectly understandable. Arsenal had got to within a penalty shootout of dethroning PSG as the kings of European football, and the Spaniard admitted that it was going to take some time to get over the defeat in Budapest.

Pain will soon give way to pride, though, and not just in his players. He probably won't say it in public, but Arteta has every right to be immensely proud of his own efforts over the past nine months - because his was unquestionably a make-or-break campaign for the Arsenal manager.

After five full seasons without a trophy, the Spaniard simply had to win some silverware and, in spite of another anxious April that sparked fears of another perceived 'bottle job', he led the Gunners to a first Premier League title since 2004.

It was hardly a victory for 'The Beautiful Game', of course; Arsenal took 'winning ugly' to a whole other level with their time-wasting, play-acting and depressing dependence on set-pieces to score goals. Indeed, the 1-0 win over Burnley that effectively clinched the title rather summed up Arsenal's approach, with both David Raya and Leandro Trossard simulating injuries in the closing seconds of a victory over the second-worst team in the league achieved with a header from a corner.

Still, while even Thierry Henry admitted that he was less than impressed by Arteta's cynical style of play, the former France forward felt, just like everyone else connected with the club, that the end justified the means - and the fact of the matter is that Arsenal's agonising title drought is over.

Say what you will, then, about Arteta and his methods. Or the amount of time and money it's taken for him to get the Gunners to this point. But he deserves some respect for turning 'specialists in failure' into the best team in England. The process may not have been pretty, but it was undeniably effective.

Como 1907 v Pisa SC - Serie A

WINNER: Cesc Fabregas

As Cesc Fabregas addressed his Como players in a huddle after their final game of the season away to Cremonese, he told them, "You will be remembered forever." And they will be.

With their 4-1 victory at the Stadio Giovanni Zini, Como qualified for the Champions League - a truly historic achievement for a club that had never even previously played in Europe.

Fabregas insisted it was all down to his players, but the former Spain midfielder was the undisputed driving force behind one of the most remarkable and rapid rises to prominence in modern football history. As if anyone needs reminding, Como were competing in Serie B when Fabregas first arrived at Sinigaglia as a player, and he played a pivotal role in building the club from the ground up.

"I always say that I had to make many decisions here, because I was practically given the keys to the football side of things, and there was practically nothing when we started," the 39-year-old told DAZN Italia. "I was talking to two physios today who were with us four years ago when I came to play and we were talking about the fact that we didn’t have a training ground, so we’d do massage on tables in the back room of a bar! Now, we are in the Champions League!"

And Fabregas deserves all the credit in the world for realising that seemingly impossible dream with not only the best footballing side in Serie A - but also the youngest.

Of course, the challenge now for Como will be holding onto the World Cup winner, because sporting director Carlalberto Ludi might actually be right when he says that Fabregas is an even better coach than he was a player.

AC Milan v AC Monza - Trofeo Berlusconi

LOSER: AC Milan

While discussing Italian football's infrastructural issues during an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport and the Corriere della Sera just before the conclusion of the Serie A season, AC Milan's under-fire owner Gerry Cardinale accused Inter of "not showing up" in last year's Champions League final. The Nerazzurri may have been played off the pitch by PSG, but it was hard to work out exactly why RedBird founder Cardinale felt compelled to reference Milan's city rivals. 

The Italian game may have many problems, but Inter certainly aren't one of them. The game in Munich was their second appearance in the Champions League final in three seasons, whereas Milan have now failed to even qualify for two years in a row - and the Rossoneri rather sum up the disastrous way in which most Serie A sides are run. 

Despite spending more during last summer's transfer window than any of their top-flight rivals, and being unburdened by any European football, Milan went from challenging Inter for the title to throwing away a top-four finish by losing six of their final 10 games.

Their decisive defeat at home to Cagliari was particularly damning, with Milan opening the scoring, only to end up being comfortably beaten by a team that had nothing on the line. 

Cardinale responded to the "unequivocal failure" by firing not only coach Massimiliano Allegri, but also CEO Giorgio Furlani, sporting director Igli Tare, and technical director Geoffrey Moncada. The cull will do nothing to appease the fans, though. They were deeply concerned by the decision to sack former technical director Paolo Maldini back in 2023 - just a year after the club legend had masterminded a surprise Scudetto success - but were willing to give Cardinale & Co. time to prove their worth. 

Now, though, patience has run out. There were protests against Cardinale and his special advisor, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, even before the Cagliari capitulation. After it, Curva Sud ultras hung a banner outside the hotel in which he was staying that read, "Cardinale, go home! SHAME!"

There's no indication that the American intends to grant their wish, but if he does stay at San Siro - and the early reports indicate that he intends to take a more hands-on role from this point on - he could do worse at looking at what newly crowned Serie A champions Inter are doing right to help him figure out where Milan are going wrong.

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WINNER: Barcelona

In the run-up to the final Clasico of the season, Barcelona's social media team posted a picture of their smiling squad accompanied by the words, "One big family." It was not-so-subtle dig at the Blaugrana's bitter rivals, Real Madrid, who had gone into complete meltdown ahead of the game at Camp Nou, with Aurelien Tchouameni's dressing-room dust-up with Federico Valverde just one of several behind-the-scenes clashes in the Spanish capital.

In stark contrast to Madrid's mercenaries, Barca really do resemble a band of brothers right now - and not just because so many members of their squad have come out of La Masia. One of the main reasons why coach Hansi Flick has just been rewarded with a new contract is that the German really has cultivated a wonderful team spirit since taking over two years ago - amid a tense atmosphere following the horribly-handled dismissal of club legend Xavi - and that sense of togetherness propelled the Catalans towards a second consecutive Liga title.

Granted, getting knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid seriously hurt Barca, while their ill-discipline, coupled with Flick's notoriously high line, continue to cast doubt over this side's ability to win a first European Cup since 2015.

However, this is a young and talented team led by the magnificent Lamine Yamal that is only likely to improve, especially as Barca's book-balancing act has secured an imminent but long-awaited return to La Liga's infamous 1-1 financial regulation - which is why they've already snapped up Anthony Gordon and are optimistic about signing Julian Alvarez too (despite Atletico Madrid's amusing mockery).

All things considered, then, this is a pretty good time to be a Barca fan, with their club approaching something resembling stability while Madrid have descended into complete chaos. As sporting director Deco says, this feels like "the beginning of a new era" of success at Camp Nou.

Florentino Perez

LOSER: Florentino Perez

On May 15, Barcelona made history by clinching the Liga title with a win in El Clasico. The victory also ensured that Real Madrid would finish a second consecutive season without a major honour, thus piling even more pressure on club president Florentino President, who had made the disastrous decision to sack Xabi Alonso in January and replace him with rookie coach Alvaro Arbeloa.

Just two years on from winning the double, Madrid had essentially imploded, on and off the field, with Fede Valverde ending up in hospital after one of several dressing-room dust-ups in the week leading up to the dismal 2-0 defeat at Camp Nou.

It was amid this atmosphere of high tension and extreme embarrassment that Perez took to the stage at an impromptu press conference on May 17 and stated, "Good afternoon, I regret to inform you that I’m not going to resign." It was the perfectly antagonistic precursor for what was to follow, because Perez hadn't really come to defend his tenure, so much as attack his "enemies" for allegedly trying to bring it to a premature conclusion.

During an extraordinary hour-long rant, the 79-year-old lashed out at the press for publishing "fake news" and allegedly conspiring against him, dismissed concerns over his physical condition by describing himself as "a supernatural animal" and accused both Barcelona and La Liga of corruption.

Basically, Perez went 'full Trump' - and one should never go 'full Trump'. He came off looking completely unhinged and there is a chance that his shock decision to call for an election - just a year after securing a seventh term - could blow up in his face.

For the first time since he returned to office in 2009, Perez's presidency is set to be contested, with the candidacy of renewable energy tycoon Enrique Riquelme having been formally approved. So, while Perez isn't going to resign, there is now a genuine chance that he could be forced out.

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WINNER: Bodo/Glimt

After Bodo/Glimt had not just beaten Inter to reach the last 16 of the Champions League, but humiliated last season's finalists at San Siro, coach Kjetil Knutsen was almost lost for words, "A team from a small town up north... Can you believe it?!" And the answer was no, we really couldn't.

In an era of football dominated - and thus destroyed - by money, we've all grown accustomed to the same elite clubs participating in the knockout stages of the Champions League on an annual basis. However, tournament debutants Bodo/Glimt proved that dreams can still come through, that it is possible for wonderfully well-run clubs to upset the big boys.

Remember, Bodo didn't fluke their way into the play-offs; they beat Pep Guardiola's Manchester City on their infamous plastic pitch before coming from behind to defeat Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano.

After their stunning success at San Siro, meanwhile, Player of the Match Jens Petter Hauge expressed his pride at being part of some a "great project" - and it really is something special.

Bodo were only promoted to Norway's top-flight in 2018 and now they're revered around Europe as a model to follow.

"It's been quite a journey to get where we are now," Knutsen said, and the great thing is that the Norwegians have no intention of resting on their laurels, as they've just started construction on a brand new stadium that should allow Bodo to continue their truly inspirational giant-killing.

"There are always opportunities in football," Knutsen said, "even if you come from a small town."

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LOSER: Wolfsburg

Despite securing qualification for the Champions League, Oliver Glasner left Wolfsburg at the end of the 2020-21 season because of his 'non-existent relationship' with sporting director Jorg Schmadtke and several key figures in the dressing room, including captain Josuha Guilavogui, who freely admitted, "I'm glad he's gone."

Unfortunately for Wolfsburg, they have never been the same since Glasner left and, on Monday, were relegated from the Bundesliga after 29 consecutive seasons in Germany's top-flight.

According to board member Diego Benaglio, there were tears in the dressing room after the decisive play-off loss to Paderborn - and, according to other sources, even some vandalism, with defender Jeanuel Belocian taking his frustration out on a door. As coach Dieter Hecking told Sat.1, "When you get relegated, it hurts."

Hecking and several well-paid players, including Christian Eriksen, are now expected to leave - but the big concern for the supporters is that relegation could result in German car manufacturer Volkswagen ending its longstanding relationship with the club.

Were that to happen, it might be some time before we see Wolfsburg back in the Bundesliga - let alone the Champions League.

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WINNER: Christian Chivu

Christian Chivu disappeared straight down the tunnel after Inter sealed the Serie A title - and not simply because he felt his players deserved the spotlight all to themselves. "I went to smoke a cigarette," the former Nerazzurri defender revealed to DAZN Italia. "I have some vices, sorry!"

There was really no need for Chivu to apologise. On the contrary, it was others that should have been saying sorry to him for having written off the former Parma boss after picking up just three points from his first three games in charge of Inter.

Chivu was more upset by the "mockery and denigration of the group", but there were plenty of pundits who felt the inexperienced 45-year-old wasn't up to the task of replacing Simone Inzaghi, who had quit in the aftermath of last season's heavy Champions League final loss. However, Chivu did a fine job reviving a squad that appeared dead and buried after that devastating 5-0 loss to PSG in Munich.

Consequently, while there are still some doubts over Chivu's coaching credentials after the embarrassing Champions League loss to Bodo/Glimt, club president Beppe Marotta is now hoping that the Romanian remains in charge for "many years to come" - and one can understand why.

Chivu didn't just claim the Scudetto, he also lifted the Coppa Italia, making him the first Inter coach to take home both trophies in the same season since treble-winner Jose Mourinho.

SV Werder Bremen v Bayer 04 Leverkusen - Bundesliga

LOSER: Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag said it was both "wonderful" and "special" to return to FC Twente as technical director. "I've been a supporter at Het Diekman since I was a young boy," the Dutchman said in January. "My football and coaching careers began here."

However, there's absolutely no way Ten Hag envisaged going back to De Grolsch Veste at this stage of his career - and certainly not after succeeding Xabi Alonso as Bayer Leverkusen boss last May.

Ten Hag knew he had a difficult job on his hands replacing a man who had won an undefeated double - not least because so many key players followed Alonso out of the BayArena, including Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong.

Nonetheless, the former Manchester United coach was supremely confident of restoring his reputation as a top manager after his damaging Old Trafford dismissal. "It's an attractive challenge to set up something together in this period of change and develop an ambitious team," Ten Hag said.

However, he was sacked after just two Bundesliga games (a defeat and a draw) - making it the shortest reign in the history of the German top-flight. Ten Hag was unsurprisingly enraged by the decision, calling it "unprecedented", which it was, and claiming that he deserved the "time and trust" he needed to deliver "success and silverware".

However, managing director Simon Rolfes said that the club had been left with no option but to act amid reports that Ten Hag had, in just three months, fallen out with nearly everyone at the club!

SC Freiburg v Aston Villa FC - UEFA Europa League Final 2026

WINNER: Unai Emery

This time last year, there was an awful lot of anxiety at Aston Villa. Missing out on Champions League qualification was, as Ezri Konsa put it, "a big kick in the teeth for the players". However, it was also a bitter blow from a financial perspective, as it meant an even more restricted transfer budget for a club facing already well-documented issues with the Premier League's Profit & Sustainability Regulations (PSR).

An unsurprisingly underwhelming summer transfer window hardly raised spirits around Villa Park, and fans were genuinely fearing relegation after watching their team fail to win any of their first five matches. At that stage, the idea of Villa finishing fourth and winning a first European trophy for three decades would have felt farcical.

However, former chief executive Paul Faulkner was right when he called Unai Emery "a genius", and the Spaniard oversaw a remarkable revival that culminated in Villa securing a return to the Champions League with a thrilling win over Liverpool before then producing a performance fit for a future king in the final of the Europa League.

"He's been incredible as a manager," Faulkner told the BBC. "The team was struggling under his predecessor, Steven Gerrard, and he's just transformed it. He's got a lot of the same players, they've added a little bit to the squad, but a lot of this team have been there for an awfully long time, predating the manager. You see how he's managed to knit that unit together and get consistent results. It's absolutely remarkable."

As a result, a man once mercilessly mocked at Arsenal is now considered a living legend at Villa.

FBL-FRA-CUP-LENS-VICTORY-PARADE

WINNER: Pierre Sage

Pierre Sage revealed last week that he's been contacted by several clubs looking for a new coach, and that's not in the least bit surprising. What the 47-year-old has achieved with Lens is truly extraordinary.

When the season began, nobody was quite sure what to expect from a team that had finished eighth last year, particularly as they'd lost three key players, in Neil El-Aynaoui, Andy Diouf and Facundo Medina. Sage's primary objective, then, was avoiding relegation.

However, it quickly became clear that something special was happening at Lens, with Sage successfully integrating a plethora of new signings into the team, including Florian Thauvin and Odsonne Eduoard, while at the same time bringing the best out of the likes of Malang Sarr.

Against all odds, Lens found themselves in a proper title fight with the mighty PSG, and may even have gone on to finish first had Ligue 1 not made the disgraceful decision to move their top-of-the-table clash at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis because it fell in the middle of the capital club's Champions League quarter-final tie against Liverpool.

Still, a runners-up finish secured Champions League football, and a 3-1 win over Nice saw Lens lift the Coupe de France for the first time in the club's history. It was, as Sage said, "the culmination of a magnificent season" - and might well lead to the Frenchman joining an even bigger club.

FBL-ENG-PR-CHELSEA-MAN UTD-PROTEST

LOSER: Multi-club ownership

It was reported in March that Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, had abandoned its plan to acquire other football teams. The thinking behind that decision has not yet been revealed, but one cannot help but wonder if it at least had something to do with how badly multi-club ownership (MCO) is working out for other investors.

The City Football Group have just seen Girona relegated from La Liga - a mere 16 months after Michel's men were playing Champions League football.

Girona's demotion is obviously a serious inconvenience for Manchester City's recruitment team, who sent two more young players, Vitor Reis and Claudio Echeverri, to the Estadi Montilivi to gain valuable first-team experience at their feeder club. But it's obviously a far greater blow to the Catalan club's fans, who are now questioning the merits of being a subservient part of an MCO model.

Meanwhile, according to the latest reports in France, Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is desperately trying to sell Nice - but that won't be easy, given the toxic atmosphere at the Allianz Riviera right now. Indeed, nobody from the British billionaire’s company INEOS even dared attend Nice's final game of the Ligue 2 season for fear of reprisals from frustrated fans who had already attacked the club's players back in December. They were right to stay away, too, as ultras stormed the field at the end of the 0-0 draw with Metz that sent Nice to a promotion/relegation play-off.

BlueCo, meanwhile, had not one but two sets of fans protesting against their ownership in April, as Strasbourg supoorters travelled across the English Channel to join forces with their Chelsea counterparts at Stamford Bridge in a joint-bid to drive Todd Boehly & Co. out of their respective clubs.

David Cook, the organiser of the cross-border march, said it could be "a seismic moment in the history of football, with fans from two different countries marching together in an attempt to bring about change" - and we can but pray he’s right.

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WINNER: Bayern Munich's front three

Despite firing Bayern Munich to a double this season, Vincent Kompany's phenomenal forwards of Harry Kane, Luis Diaz and Michael Olise are probably going to have to win a Champions League together before they're regarded as one of the greatest attacking triumvirates in football history.

However, a European Cup really is all they're missing, because they've got it all in terms of offensive attributes. Diaz is an absolute livewire who nearly always delivers in big games, Olise has the ability to go past people almost effortlessly, while there is simply no more complete No.9 in the game today than Kane.

Consequently, all three of them will head off to the World Cup in with a real chance of staking a claim for this year's Ballon d'Or, having already rewritten the record books in the Bundesliga this season by racking up 104 goal involvements between them.

Kane, Diaz and Olise also scored 109 times in all competitions - according to Opta, the only trio to manage more goals over the course of a single campaign since 2013 was Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, in 2015-16 - and despite being very different characters, the Englishman, the Colombian and the Frenchman just perfectly complement one another.

Indeed, Bayern legend Lothar Matthaus probably put it best when he compared them to a Swiss watch, "One gear fits perfectly into the next, there is a precise coordination of the individual parts and so the end result is a high-quality total work of art."

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LOSER: Marseille

Marseille has long been regarded as one of the most chaotic clubs in world football. However, even by OM's standards, this season has been wild.

Going into their Ligue 1 opener at Rennes, there was a lot of talk that Roberto De Zerbi's side might actually be able to challenge Paris Saint-Germain for the title. However, all hell broke loose in the dressing room after a dismal 1-0 defeat at Roazhon Park, with Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe involved in a physical altercation that De Zerbi compared to a "bar-room brawl" and ultimately led to the club getting rid of both players.

Marseille actually recovered quite well from that embarrassing episode, but their form continued to fluctuate and, just over a week after they were dumped out of the Champions League by Club Brugge, OM suffered a 5-0 drubbing by PSG at Parc des Princes that left De Zerbi in a state of "total despair".

The Italian resigned just three days later and although his successor, Habib Beye managed to secure Europa League qualification on the final day of the season, he's also set to depart amid more rooms of dressing-room unrest.

Judging by the latest reports, there's no shortage of interest in becoming Marseille's next coach, but it's going to take a very special character to restore order at the Velodrome and put together the kind of team that a football-mad city has long deserved.

Hellas Verona FC v AS Roma - Serie A

WINNER: Donyell Malen

When Roma signed Donyell Malen on loan from Aston Villa during the winter transfer window, coach Gian Piero Gasperini hailed the Dutchman as "exactly the kind of player" his side needed. Not everyone was quite so sure. Malen had scored just seven goals in 35 Premier League appearances since joining Villa from Borussia Dortmund in 2024. Gasperini knew what he was talking about, though.

To say that Malen took Serie A by storm would be putting it mildly. The 27-year-old was historically good, breaking Mario Balotelli's league record for most goals as a January signing (12) by netting 14 times in just 18 appearances to finish second to Lautaro Martinez in the Capocannoniere race.

Roma midfielder Bryan Cristante described Malen as "an added weapon", and that was a pretty apt description of a forward who fired the Giallorossi to a top-four finish, thus securing the club a place in the Champions League for the first time in seven years.

European qualification also activated the €25m obligation to buy in Malen's loan deal, and that fee looks like an absolute steal.

Liverpool v Fulham - Premier League

LOSER: Arne Slot

Life really does come at you fast in football. Arne Slot lifted the Premier League trophy at the end of his first year at Liverpool; he was sacked at the end of his second. The Dutchman will no doubt feel hard done by his dismissal - not least because of that surprise title triumph. He'll also argue that he was very unlucky with injuries during the 2025-26 campaign and that Mohamed Salah's insubordination did him no favours at all.

However, the fact that Slot was sent packing on Saturday wasn't at all surprising. Indeed, one could easily argue that he should have been fired sooner. Slot simply never recovered from Liverpool's worst run of results for 71 years. Even when they started picking up points again, they were still performing horribly - and it was clear well before the end of the season that he'd completely run out of ideas.

The fans could have tolerated defeats were it not for the fact that they were always accompanied by dour displays, and while there were loads of excuses, there was never any evidence that Slot could turn things around. Consequently, it would appear that he lost not only the support of the fans, but also his own players, leaving Liverpool with no other option than to reluctantly get rid of the man who led them to just their second Premier League title.

Football really is a cruel game sometimes.

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WINNER: Oliver Glasner

There was a very real fear that Crystal Palace's season was going to unravel when Oliver Glasner confirmed his intention to step down the day after it emerged that the club had agreed to sell captain Marc Guehi to Manchester City in January.

According to the Austrian, the decision had been taken months before, but the timing of his announcement was significant and sparked fears that he might even walk before the close of the winter window - particularly with Manchester United still looking for a new manager at the time.

In the end, Glasner saw out the remainder of his contract and bowed out in the best possible fashion by leading Palace to Conference League glory - just a year after masterminding a shock FA Cup final win over Manchester City.

What happens next is unclear. Palace have yet to line up a replacement while Glasner's options appear a lot more limited than expected.

It would be a monumental surprise, though, if a top team doesn't snap him up sooner or later, because what he achieved with a team that had never previously won a major honour was truly extraordinary and will doubtless serve as a source of inspiration for other small clubs all across Europe.

"If Palace can do it, every team has got to believe they can go and do it," former Eagles striker Clinton Morrison enthused on BBC Radio 5 Live. "I didn't think I'd see this in my lifetime and I didn't think he would have this impact on Crystal Palace, but you always have to keep believing because moments like these are what you live for."

Manchester City Parade And After Party Celebration

LOSER: Manchester City

May 19, 2026 - Manchester City supporters have arguably never endured a more depressing day during the past decade. As they struggled to come to terms with reliable reports that their beloved coach Pep Guardiola had decided to step down at the end of the season, they then had to watch on helplessly as his hopes of signing off with a seventh Premier League title went up in smoke at Bournemouth.

Of course, Guardiola's decision to depart this summer - rather than when his contract expires next year - didn't come as that much of a surprise. There had been rumours of him deciding to call it quits no matter what happened during the closing stages of the campaign. And two domestic cups still represented a fine way for Guardiola to bring the curtain down on a trophy-laden tenure, while at the same time suggesting that the latest team the Catalan has constructed has a shot at continuing the era of unprecedented success he's overseen at the Etihad.

However, Guardiola isn't the only one going. City's inspirational skipper, Bernardo Silva, is also leaving, and his absence will be keenly felt both on and off the field, particularly if Rodri follows him out the exit door. And who knows if Erling Haaland will resist the temptation to join a truly elite club?!

Make no mistake about, these are worryingly uncertain times for City, who were dumped out of the Champions League by a dreadful Real Madrid side with disturbing ease. For all their money, Guardiola was always their most valuable asset, the coaching genius with whom everyone wanted to work. Enzo Maresca simply doesn't have the same aura or proven track record of success, meaning the supposed panic on the streets of north London a month ago has given way to anxiety around the blue half of Manchester.

WINNER: FC Thun

Ten years on from Leicester City's miraculous Premier League triumph, we've been treated to another footballing fairy-tale - this time in Switzerland.

FC Thun were in serious danger of going under seven years ago and were relegated to the Swiss second division at the end of the 2019-20 season. The team from a small town with roughly 45,000 inhabitants secured a return to the top-flight last summer, but their only objective when the current campaign began was survival.

However, thanks to the magnificent management of former Switzerland striker Mauro Lustrinelli, Thun won the league for the first time in their 128-year existence. It was a truly remarkable achievement and such a heart-warming tale of unexpected triumph that it was even celebrated by their vanquished rivals.

"That's why we love football," Young Boys winger Christian Fassnacht told BBC Sport after his former club clinched the title earlier this month, "because football has its own rules, and stories like this go around the world. All of Swiss football is happy for Thun."

Paris Saint-Germain v Arsenal FC - UEFA Champions League Final 2026

WINNER: Paris Saint-Germain

The obvious question after Luis Enrique led PSG to a second consecutive Champions League was, would he fancy staying for another season? And the answer appears to be yes. No sooner had he lifted the title than the Spaniard was talking about strengthening his squad during the summer transfer window.

Of course, while the importance of maintaining intense competition for places is vitally important to any successful side, Luis Enrique is unquestionably the key to PSG's hopes of becoming the first side since Real Madrid to win three Champions Leagues in a row.

As a result, the supporters would have been even more enthused by club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi revealing to TNT Sports that he's "really confident" that the former Barcelona boss will stay in Paris.

"It's all about the project," the Qatari said, "and Luis Enrique is the best leader for the project. He's the best coach in the world."

Very few people would challenge that claim, meaning PSG really do have every chance of retaining their continental crown. They've got the third-youngest Champions League-winning team of all time, and an exciting crop of academy products coming through, so if Luis Enrique gets the summer signings he wants, too, PSG could be unstoppable again next season.