Désiré Doué was named in Paris Saint-Germain’s starting lineup for the Champions League final against Arsenal in Budapest, putting the young forward on the sport’s biggest club stage when the match kicked off at the Puskas Arena. PSG and Arsenal walked out to the Champions League anthem with Daniel Siebert, the 42-year-old German referee, in charge.
The selection made Doué one of the central figures in a PSG attack led by Luis Enrique, with Achraf Hakimi also starting and Fabian Ruiz preferred to Warren-Zaïre Emery in midfield. Warren-Zaïre Emery began on the bench, a reminder of how sharply the stakes had narrowed for a side trying to win its first Champions League title while chasing PSG’s first European crown in a final that carried French football’s hopes.
PSG’s lineup was built around Gianluigi Donnarumma behind a defense of Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho and Nuno Mendes, with Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and João Neves in midfield and Doué among the attackers. Arsenal, led by Mikel Arteta, answered with Kaï Havertz at the point of the attack and kept Jurrien Timber, Martin Zubimedi, Riccardo Calafiori and Victor Gyokeres on the bench.
The matchup was tight before a ball was kicked. Arsenal arrived having conceded only six goals in 14 Champions League matches, the best defensive record in the competition this season at 0.43 a game, which made PSG’s task that much harder in a final where one mistake could decide everything.
That context gave the lineup announcement extra weight: Doué was not just making a start, he was starting against the competition’s stingiest defense in a final PSG needed to win to turn another European run into something lasting. PSG were playing their ninth Champions League final in French football history, while Arsenal were chasing their first title after losing their only previous final to Barcelona 20 years ago. PSG had already reached the final in 2020 and again in 2025, and their coach came in as a proven winner, having lifted the trophy with Barcelona in 2015 and with PSG in 2025. The next test belonged to Doué and the players around him once the anthem faded and the final began in earnest.
