A Bavarian beauty contest brings a quandary as old as time. Will fortune favour the youthful swagger and daring of Paris Saint-Germain or the refined cunning of an experienced Inter, whose legs simply refuse to tighten up? The Champions League final is guaranteed to throw up a relatively fresh winner through a clash of styles and approaches that tantalises more than any that this occasion has staged in the past decade.
It is hard not to be compelled by Luis Enrique’s remoulded PSG side, even if reservations about their Qatari ownership and utter dominance of Ligue 1 will colour perceptions. Their calibration away from the narcissism of modern-day galacticos, in favour of a fearless younger cast who understand the value of hard work, has in fact had the effect of creating new stars.
