Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique left his press-conference audience in no doubt over Real Madrid’s status ahead of the teams’ FIFA Club World Cup semifinal in New Jersey.
The Spaniard said it was “extra motivation” for PSG to be playing against “the most successful team in the world”.
UEFA Champions League success in 2024/25 gave the Parisians a very solid claim to being the best team on the planet, but there is a historical pecking order.
Madrid and PSG have clashed on a handful of memorable Champions League occasions. Go a little further back, and we encounter Luis Enrique’s often-forgotten past at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Of course, the most famous star to have crossed this particular divide is Kylian Mbappe, who became PSG’s all-time leading scorer before completing the switch to Madrid he had long craved.
The Sporting News looks at the history of this matchup.
MORE: All the latest Champions League news
Real Madrid vs. PSG head to head record, history
In total, Real Madrid and PSG have met 12 times competitively. Los Blancos have won five games, the French side have won four games, and three have ended in draws.
PSG won their first Champions League title in 2024/25, claiming a record 5-0 final win over Inter Milan in Munich. Madrid have won the tournament a record 15 times in their history.
MORE: Highlights and recap of PSG’s record-breaking UCL final win
Real Madrid vs. PSG results of matches
Although the majority of Real Madrid’s and PSG’s meetings have come in the Champions League, they played a pair of memorable ties in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in the mid-1990s.
Those matches marked the last time PSG prevailed in a knockout tie against Madrid.
| Date | Competition | Home team | Away team | Result |
| 03/09/2022 | Champions League | Real Madrid | PSG | 3-1 |
| 02/15/2022 | Champions League | PSG | Real Madrid | 1-0 |
| 11/26/2019 | Champions League | Real Madrid | PSG | 2-2 |
| 09/18/2019 | Champions League | PSG | Real Madrid | 3-0 |
| 03/06/2018 | Champions League | PSG | Real Madrid | 2-1 |
| 02/14/2018 | Champions League | Real Madrid | PSG | 3-1 |
| 11/03/2015 | Champions League | Real Madrid | PSG | 1-0 |
| 10/21/2015 | Champions League | PSG | Real Madrid | 0-0 |
| 03/15/1994 | Cup Winners’ Cup | PSG | Real Madrid | 1-1 |
| 03/03/1994 | Cup Winners’ Cup | Real Madrid | PSG | 1-0 |
| 03/18/1993 | UEFA Cup | PSG | Real Madrid | 4-1 |
| 03/02/1993 | UEFA Cup | Real Madrid | PSG | 3-1 |
Below are some of the most memorable meetings between these sides.
Real Madrid vs. PSG (2022 Champions League Round of 16)
PSG had everything under control, had Real Madrid exactly where they wanted them. Mbappe had given them a late 1-0 win in the first leg in Paris, benefitting from a Neymar assist. The Brazilian superstar, whose injury absence had so often damaged PSG in the Champions League knockout rounds, came off the bench to play his part inside the final 20 minutes.
Lionel Messi missed a second-half penalty but PSG’s all-star front three were all present and correct for the return at the Santiago Bernabeu. Mbappe doubled the aggregate lead before halftime, with Neymar again the provider, and Madrid looked to be running out of road with half an hour to play.
Then Karim Benzema happened, as he would time and again on the run to Los Blancos’ 14th European title. The France striker levelled in the 61st minute, but by the 78th he had an astonishing hat-trick and was on a run of form that would ultimately propel him to the Ballon d’Or.
Real Madrid vs. PSG (2018 Champions League Round of 16)
This was the first season of PSG’s galacticos project, with Mbappe and Neymar in tandem. They flanked Edinson Cavani in attack at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Adrien Rabiot opened the scoring in the first knockout round. Madrid’s pedigree and know-how on such stages then kicked in, with Cristiano Ronaldo netting either side of halftime before Marcelo rounded off a 3-1 win on the night.
Neymar missed the Paris return through injury and Ronaldo more or less ended the argument with his third goal of the tie. Cavani levelled on the night before Ronaldo turned provider for Casemiro to wrap up a 5-2 aggregate romp for Madrid, who were on their way to a third title in as many seasons under Zinedine Zidane.
Real Madrid vs. PSG (1993 UEFA Cup quarterfinal)
Stirring European comebacks are not the sole preserve of Real Madrid. In the 1993 UEFA Cup quarterfinal, a team featuring a young Luis Enrique as a wide midfielder beat PSG 3-1 in the Spanish capital. Emiliano Butragueno, Ivan Zamorano and Michel got the goals.
David Ginola got PSG on the scoresheet and the mercurial winger was also on target at the Parc des Princes along with George Weah as the hosts ran out 4-1 winners in a frantic finale. After Weah’s early opener, the other four goals arrived after the 81st minute.
Zamorano’s strike early in stoppage time looked set to force an additional period, but Antoine Kombouare’s header from Valdo’s free-kick sparked bedlam at the Parc des Princes
