Sir Alex Ferguson: 'Only PSG played football in the Champions League final!'

Following their heartbreaking loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final, Arsenal continued to receive backlash for their approach, with French outlets reporting Sir Alex's taunt that "only PSG actually played football."

The defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League final not only cost Arsenal their first chance to reach the pinnacle of European football but also thrust them into the center of controversy. Just hours after the match ended in Budapest, numerous opinions from experts, former stars, and European media directed criticism at the playing style chosen by manager Mikel Arteta.

According to French media reports, legendary Sir Alex Ferguson sent a congratulatory message to PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi. Initially, it was claimed that the former Manchester United boss called Arsenal a "boring" team. However, sources close to the French club later denied this detail. Still, the content Sir Alex reportedly shared with "les Parisiens" was enough to spark plenty of debate: "You are the ones playing football."

The brief message was widely seen as a compliment to PSG while directly contrasting their approach with Arteta's side. In the final, the "Gunners" had a dream start when Kai Havertz scored the opening goal very early. However, instead of maintaining pressure, Arsenal chose to drop deep and focus on protecting their lead.

The post-match statistics only drew more criticism toward the North London club. The "Gunners" had just 24.7% possession, the lowest in UEFA Champions League final history since data collection began. Even more notably, the German's goal was the only shot on target Arsenal managed throughout the entire 120+ minutes of play.

Many experts argued that a club with such quality attacking players as the English representative adopting such a cautious approach was unacceptable, especially in a historic match. This view was also shared by PSG midfielder Joao Neves. The Portuguese star stated: "We deserved this title. I only saw one team on the pitch. We created more chances, controlled most of the ball, and played better."

Not stopping there, French newspaper L'Equipe published a scathing commentary on the "Gunners"' performance. The renowned paper wrote: "For a long time, it seemed PSG would lose this final without even having to play, helpless, blocked by Arsenal, as if they had thrown the keys into the Danube before parking their double-decker bus in front of David Raya's goal."

They even claimed Arteta had "abandoned the Barcelona legacy" of possession and attacking football to pursue an extremely pragmatic style. According to the French paper, Arsenal's single shot on target was clear evidence of a lack of ambition. They argued that a team built on attacking football had lost its identity in the most important match of the season.

"Can you become European champions with just one shot on target, deep defending, and only 25% possession?", L'Equipe added."Perhaps so, even definitely so. But that would be quite lucky. That didn't happen this Saturday evening."

Although Arsenal came very close to their first ever Champions League title, the defeat to Paris Saint-Germain is leaving deeper echoes than expected. Beyond the disappointment over the result, the controversy surrounding Mikel Arteta's playing style is casting a shadow over the "Gunners"' memorable journey. In the coming days, the question of whether Arsenal were too pragmatic or simply chose the right tactic against a superior PSG will likely remain the most discussed topic in European football.