Tuesday will be the end of an era for Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain
Either Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain are going to the Champions League semifinals for their first time ever. It will be an affirmation of sorts for two clubs that have spent billions of dollars to go from European, and even domestic, also-rans to the upper echelon of the sport globally.
That is what is on the line when the two sides meet in the second leg of their quarterfinal tie on Tuesday (FS1, 2:45p.m. ET), which is level at 2-2. But while glory and affirmation await the winner, the loser is facing the end of an era and a changing club.
Both teams, at least in the shape they currently exist, began in the last decade with massive foreign investment. And by massive, we're talking about billions of dollars. They bought the world's best and immediately flew up their respective league tables. They worked their way into the European consciousness and became a part of the soccer conversation. But the teams they built in that time and the teams that accomplished so much will never be the same after this season.
PSG look set to lose Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the summer. The departure of one player may not seem like much, but Ibrahimovic isn't one player. And it goes well beyond simply his personality and stature, or even quality.
When PSG bought Ibrahimovic in 2012, he was proof that the club's experiment -- which is now a multi-billion dollar investment -- was no joke. It wasn't just a pile of money, but the makings of a real team, with real stars, and one capable of playing with the best. And for the last four years, Ibrahimovic hasn't just been the key player for PSG, but the man who legitimized them. He's who the team was built around, and he's going to be leaving.
Manchester City didn't need the same type of player or move for legitimacy. Playing in the Premier League and, eventually, winning there would be enough. They had the advantage of being in the most popular league in the world. But they had to win.
Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany, David Silva, Aleksandar Kolarov and a slew of other high priced stars ensured the Citizens would do just that. Trophies followed and City had made it. But simply making the Champions League quarterfinals, or even winning the Premier League was never going to be enough. That had bigger dreams, and a vision of how to sustain success for decades.
Phase 2 always included Pep Guardiola. Several men have managed this new ambitious Man City, but the team lacked an identity. Well, one other than "rich." Guardiola was pegged as the man to give the team the identity that would make them a powerhouse for years to come, well beyond the Spaniard's time in charge of the club.
And Guaridola is coming in next season, prepared to change the club forever. That makes this season the end of Phase 1.
Both clubs have nearly wrapped up their league seasons. PSG already clinched the Ligue 1 title, while Man City just need to hold onto fourth place, which they should do. What is really left for both teams is the Champions League.
One will be a semifinalist and stand just 180 minutes away from the biggest club match in the world. They'll be close enough to the Champions League trophy that they could see it gleaming. Immortality would await them, and the ultimate affirmation that their multi-year, multi-billion project was worth it.
But the loser won't get that. They'll get what will essentially be the end of their season. The end of an era.
Maybe it will be a goodbye to Ibrahimovic and the search for another way to make the world take notice of a league that is often overlooked, another figure who makes people believe that they compete with the best. Or maybe it will be the start of Guardiola's reign, for all intents and purposes.
However it plays out, we have seen years of changes to two clubs we couldn't take our eyes off of. We have seen spending that dwarfs the GDP of small nations and the power of money to change the landscape of world soccer. It's come from two teams in blue, who have already upended some of Europe's best. And, for one, it will end on Tuesday. An era will end. And the team we have watched be built over years will die, waiting for its next incarnation.
