He may have done it in Chelsea blue, but Kai Havertz knows what it takes to win the Champions League, having scored the only goal of the 2021 final against Manchester City.
Just as Thomas Tuchel’s side were that day, Arsenal head into Saturday’s showdown with reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain as underdogs. The German, however, has no doubt the Gunners can get the job done.
It has not been an easy 18 months for Havertz. He missed much of last season’s run-in, including the two-legged semi-final defeat to the Parisians, and also sat out the first half of the current campaign. There were dark moments as he wrestled with his fitness, but the surgeries to repair hamstring and knee issues are now firmly behind him.
“I was in a bad place when I was injured,” [he revealed this week.](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/may/28/kai-havertz-champions-league-final-special-arsenal-psg-2026-budapest)
“You are just inside a building. You cannot go out, you cannot walk, you do nothing. But all the players and staff helped me believe in myself and to get back to my best.
“Everyone told me from January how there is so much to play. That is where my momentum also shifted and I am just happy that I am here again now. I try to help the team every day. I tried that also when I was injured, just to help them off the pitch. That is always important.”
Since returning in January, Havertz has contributed six goals and five assists, including dramatic late winners away at Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League quarter-finals and against former club Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-finals. He also scored the winner against Burnley in the league, a result that helped force Manchester City to blink in the title race.
It’s a healthy return and, perhaps more importantly, his presence gives Mikel Arteta another genuine option in attack, something he lacked at this stage last season.
The mood in the camp is clearly bullish.
“You need to get there, and then you still have to make that step and win it,” said Havertz of reaching Budapest.
“It is going to be hard, but we are going to be well prepared.
“We have been fighting on the highest level for a couple of years now and we have finally won the Premier League. That gives us a big boost.
“It doesn’t matter if you are an underdog or whatever. We are going to go on the pitch and are going to beat them.”
Arsenal may not be favourites, but if Havertz’s words are anything to go by, they won’t be travelling to Budapest simply to make up the numbers.