Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly issued a clear verdict on Arsenal's performance following their Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. According to L'Equipe, the Manchester United legend sent a text to PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi after his club's penalty shoot-out triumph over the Gunners in Budapest.
Kai Havertz's early opener was cancelled out by Ousmane Dembele's second-half penalty, with Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes missing from the spot in the shoot-out as Mikel Arteta's side fell short of winning a historic double. Ferguson, who lifted the trophy twice with United, reached out to Al-Khelaifi to offer his congratulations, but also delivered a withering verdict on Arsenal's performance.
Arteta's men managed less than 25 per cent of possession across 120 minutes, with their solitary goal being their only shot on target. Ferguson appeared to be far from impressed by what he witnessed from the Premier League champions. His text reportedly read: "Nasser, this is Alex Ferguson. Well done, it was a tough night for you, but you played against a boring team that did nothing but defend. Enjoy your holidays, you deserve it."
However, talkSPORT reporter Ben Jacobs has claimed that Ferguson did not actually describe Arsenal as "boring", suggesting he instead said, "You were the team that played football." PSG's Joao Neves also took a dig at Arsenal's style of play in the wake of the Ligue 1 giants' victory. He said: "The emotion is there. It's the second time I've been a European champion. It's not even the victory itself that pleases me, but playing with such teammates, this staff, and this management. Coming here was the best decision I've ever made. I love everything here. We deserved it today, because PSG were the only team that wanted to play."
Al-Khelaifi also spoke after the victory over Arsenal to talk about how important the historic win meant to PSG. "Today is an amazing history day," Al-Khelaifi told TNT Sports. "Last year, back to back, it's not easy, the Champions League is difficult. So proud of the team, of the coach of the staff, of the fans. Everybody doubted us again, but thank god we made it and we believed." He added: "Amazing. I told my guys after the first half, we are going to win. I promise you I felt it before the match, I know it was tough. Bad luck to Arsenal, great team, fantastic team, all the best, big respect for them."
