Paris Saint-Germain have earned millions from winning the UEFA Super Cup. Nuno Mendes fired the Parisians to a 4-3 victory on penalties over Tottenham Hotspur at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine on Wednesday evening after a 2-2 draw.
Micky van de Ven broke the deadlock shortly before half-time, stabbing the ball past Lucas Chevalier from close range. Then, just moments before the break, Mohammed Kudus raised eyebrows when he struck the post.
Cristian Romero, who was recently given the captain’s armband, doubled Tottenham’s lead with an excellent header. Bradley Barcola thought he had pulled one back for the French giants on the hour mark, but Fabian Ruiz was adjudged to have been offside in the build-up.
PSG eventually found the net in the final minutes, with Lee Kang-in, who came on for Warren Zaïre-Emery earlier in the tie, beating Guglielmo Vicario. Gonçalo Ramos equalized for the French giants in stoppage time, latching onto a wonderful cross from Achraf Hakimi.
PSG waltzed away 4-3 victors from the penalty shootout. The European champions have pocketed millions from the victory, securing a handsome boost ahead of the summer transfer window deadline on September 1.
The winners of the UEFA Super Cup will receive five million euros (£4.3m) in prize money, while the runners-up get four million euros (£3.4m). The extra cash will give the north Londoners a much-needed boost in the race to sign Eberechi Eze this summer.
Last season, Spurs earned around £26.5m for winning the Europa League, while PSG raked in around £95m for winning the Champions League. The Lilywhites could pocket even more cash this term, having qualified for European top-flight competition.
During the 2024/25 Champions League campaign, any club that made it into the tournament was automatically entitled to at least £15.7m ($20.7m) before any performance or broadcasting bonuses were taken included.
If Tottenham want to really capitalize on the eye-watering rewards this term, it’ll have to be at its very best. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Super Cup, Frank was quizzed on his side’s preparation ahead of the new season.
On working hard to perfect their structure, the new Spurs boss said: “That’s not only for this game but over the course of pre-season. I’m a big believer in principles and structure in the team, offensively and defensively.
“So, for me, there needs to be a clear structure in phase one and phase two when we’re building up and want to control the game, also in phase three when you want to score. Also, there’s the other way round in high pressure, middle pressure and defending the box.”
On Romero, Frank foreshadowed the defender’s starring role in the PSG clash. The former Brentford boss said: “Cristian Romeo is going to be a very, very big, important player for us tomorrow.
“He’s a player who has been in big finals and won them. So he definitely knows how we do that and that’ll be a big help. I think it’s very important that these players, of course, just like the PSG players, but just, you know, my players, our players, they won a big trophy six or seven weeks ago, so they had a fantastic experience of doing that, and they want to win more.
“It was a great feeling, everything I heard about it, everything I’ve seen, fantastic experience. So the players will be ready, but of course, Romero will be crucial.”
On the new season, Frank added: “I think I have a good team and a good squad. This transfer window, we are definitely in the market and will do everything we can to make the best possible and strong squad for September 1, so there are a few things in the air, shall we say, along the way.”
