Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will reward their players with a special bonus if they beat Arsenal and retain their Champions League crown. We're just hours away from kick-off at the Budapest Arena, where both teams will fight tooth and nail for the European trophy.
Ahead of the highly-anticipated contest, L'Equipe claim that PSG's four-man leadership group negotiated the special bonus with the club. Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha discussed the idea with the club and it has apparently been approved.
PSG sporting director Luis Campos is in favor of the idea that focuses on rewarding players collectively rather than honoring individual performances. As such, the report claims that each player in their squad will receive €1 million as bonus if they win the game against Arsenal.
This new structure will ensure all players are rewarded equally. Earlier, the payment differed from a player to player, with high-profile names making more money.
PSG are looking to become the first team since Real Madrid in 2018 to retain the Champions League trophy. Luis Enrique and co. face an Arsenal team that head into the final as Premier League champions. Notably, the two sides met in the semi-final last season and Arsenal lost 3-1 on aggregate.
Luis Enrique explains why PSG are 'ahead' of Arsenal in Champions League final
Mikel Arteta's team will look to make history in Budapest by winning their first ever Champions League title. The motivation to make history will be high among the Gunners but Luis Enrique feels his team have bigger desire at the moment.
The Spanish coach stated that the drive to lift the Champions League for the second time in a row is much higher than that of Arsenal wanting it to win it.
Enrique said in the pre-match press conference:
“Yes, it is powerful. But do you know how powerful trying to win the second one in a row is? It’s bigger. So we’re ahead. I don’t think there’s any better motivation than winning the Champions League.
"We will see tomorrow who is better – we both won our respective leagues and I’m going to focus on what is positive for my team. So that we can show the best of ourselves.
“It’s a source of motivation for us. We have already gone down in the history books as one of the best teams in Europe. But that’s what we’re looking for. You never know when you’re going to be back in the Champions League final and you have to make the most of it.”
PSG have been handed a boost ahead of the final with both Dembele and Hakimi being fit to play.