Presnel Kimpembe, the former Paris Saint-Germain central defender, emerged as the unofficial star of the Champions League final on Saturday evening.
As PSG’s official final ambassador, Kimpembe had the honor of carrying the Champions League trophy into the stadium alongside Thierry Henry before the match against Arsenal. The legendary French striker served as Kimpembe’s counterpart for Arsenal, the club where he spent the majority of his illustrious career.
Following Paris’s dramatic penalty shootout victory, Kimpembe continued to be a prominent figure during the awards ceremony. Initially, it was the defender’s responsibility, now playing for Qatar SC in Qatar, to bring the coveted trophy to the presentation area and place it in its designated spot.
Even during this initial handover, it was evident that Kimpembe, who transferred from Paris to Qatar last summer, remained highly popular among the PSG stars. He shared warm embraces with former teammates like Nuno Mendes and Joao Neves.
A few minutes later, the Parisian players invited Kimpembe to join them for the trophy presentation. Ousmane Dembele, among others, encouraged the 30-year-old to lift the cup. With a touch of shyness, Kimpembe accepted the offer and raised the trophy into the Budapest night sky amidst the fervent cheers of his former teammates.
In 2025, Presnel Kimpembe Celebrated the Champions League Title as a PSG Player
Last year, Kimpembe had the privilege of celebrating the club’s historic first Champions League title as a PSG player. Although an injury-plagued season limited him to just five appearances across all competitions, with only 18 minutes played in the entire CL campaign, Kimpembe was still part of the squad for the final against Inter Milan (5-0).
On Saturday, PSG celebrated their successful title defense and their second Champions League trophy. Kai Havertz had given Arsenal an early lead, but Dembele deservedly equalized from the penalty spot midway through the second half. The score remained 1-1 after both 90 minutes and extra time, leading to a penalty shootout. The French team held their nerve, while Arsenal’s center-back Gabriel missed the decisive spot-kick. The Brazilian was immediately comforted by his compatriot and PSG captain, Marquinhos.
Presnel Kimpembe Was a World Cup Winner with France in 2018
Despite no longer playing for PSG, the recent Champions League title holds significant emotional value for Kimpembe. The defender spent a remarkable 20 years with the French capital’s dominant club, having joined their youth academy back in 2005.
Just under a decade later, at the age of 19, he secured a regular place in the first-team squad, where he later became a long-standing starter. Furthermore, Kimpembe was a consistent member of the French national team for years, notably being part of the squad that won the 2018 World Cup, featuring in the final group stage match against Denmark (0-0).
However, from late 2022 onwards, injuries began to significantly impact his career. A ruptured Achilles tendon kept him sidelined for almost two years, and his comeback occurred just a few months before PSG’s Champions League triumph last year.
Following this, Kimpembe moved to Qatar SC, where his contract is set to expire at the end of June. In the past season, he made a total of eleven competitive appearances for the Qatari club.
Presnel Kimpembe: His Statistics for PSG
| Games | 241 |
|---|---|
| Goals | 3 |
| Titles | 8x French Champion, 6x French Cup Winner, 1x Champions League Winner |