For more than a decade, Paris Saint-Germain's Qatari owners have spent lavishly to attract big stars.
The aim is to make the club profitable, shed the "amateur" image of a team often associated with hooligans and build a competitive squad capable of winning the Champions League.
With unprecedented turnover last year - more than 800 million Euros, they managed to build solid growth.
They succeeded in keeping their home ground free of the violence that often made the atmosphere at the Parc des Princes tense and hostile.
And they've brought big names to Paris too. The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have opened up the possibility of winning Europe's biggest tournament.
But winning the Champions League remains a distant dream…
The superstars have now left the Parc des Princes, and paradoxically as it may sound, PSG could be better equipped in their quest for European glory.
After Messi moved to Inter Miami and Neymar to Al-Hilal, Mbappe's move to Real Madrid this summer marked the end of an era at PSG. An era of relying on individual talent and spending money on star players has been the norm since Qatar took over in 2011.
The huge void left by Mbappe was not filled by another superstar.
Instead, coach Luis Enrique is focusing on shaping what he has. For Enrique, Mbappe cannot be copied but can be replaced by a number of players capable of delivering the same or more goals than the France captain.
“For me, this is a continuation of last season,” said the coach, who has used 21 players in four Ligue 1 games this season. “We are a young team, that's true. But we are full of desire, which is great. I am very lucky to have this squad.”
Enrique has called for lesser-known but excellent players to be brought in at every position to create competition. Every position has a second choice. This is even more important this season as the new Champions League format means more games.
PSG signed goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, defender Willian Pacho and midfielder Joao Neves, as well as winger Desire Doue. Pacho impressed at Eintracht Frankfurt while Neves won 11 caps for Portugal at the age of 19.
Pacho and Neves settled in quickly and the new PSG made an immediate impact, winning all four games to quickly top the Ligue 1 table.
The biggest question mark going into the season was whether PSG could sustain a strong attack without their best player. With two quick and powerful wingers - Ousmane Dembele and Badley Barcola - and Marco Asensio in the false nine role, PSG seemed to have found the right answer.
The team scored 16 goals, conceded just three, and had the best goal difference after four Ligue 1 games since Reims in 1952. Only Marseille striker Mason Greenwood had more goals than Barcola and Dembele, while Neves led the way with three assists.
Despite their domestic dominance – winning 10 of the last 12 seasons – PSG have only reached one Champions League final since being bought by Qatar Sports Investments. But for Enrique, “we will wait and see what PSG can achieve at the end of the season”.
