PROFILE | Steady progress lies behind Senny Mayulu’s burst onto the PSG scene | OneFootball

In an era of practiced and trademarked celebrations, there was something delightfully raw about Senny Mayulu’s reaction to scoring Paris Saint-Germain’s fifth and final goal in the UEFA Champions League final. The teenager, who had only turned 19 that month, looked like he didn’t know what to do with himself as he wheeled off in celebration. His legs carried him forward, but his expression belied his unexpected joy at the situation. 

For PSG supporters, it was the cherry on top of a delirious evening, as they watched an academy product, a Titi born and raised in the capital, score for them. It was his first goal in the Champions League, and it would make him the second youngest player to score in a final (the third youngest when you count the European Cup). However, this crowning moment, in a perverse way, can obscure and even cloud the progress that Mayulu has made in 2025. 

It could be easy to dismiss Mayulu’s involvement in the final. Fresh legs thrown on with the game already well and truly won, but that isn’t quite correct. This was the culmination of steady progress that has now made him a viable option under Luis Enrique. Mayulu has slowly but surely become a player who can be relied upon, which has been invaluable this season with the squad ravaged by injury issues. 

Mayulu – Luis Enrique’s Swiss army knife

Luis Enrique has slotted Mayulu into the starting lineup when and where needed this year. The midfielder has been played in his more natural position in the centre of midfield, but also as a centre-forward in lieu of Ousmane Dembélé, as a winger, and even as a fullback. It speaks to the trust that Luis Enrique has in the teenager that he feels as if he has the flexibility to cover each role. 

When it comes to covering Dembélé’s absence, it’s been a trust that has been repaid in moments rather than fully. In PSG’s 2-1 win over FC Barcelona in October, Mayulu was at the heart of the comeback, levelling the scores in the 38th minute with a wonderfully taken goal. However, goals have been erratic since then, with only a strike against RC Strasbourg Alsace and Stade Rennais following. There is a sense that there is far more to come from the teenager, particularly if he can continue gaining game time at the highest level.

GFFN | Nick Hartland