For more than a decade, Paris Saint-Germain's Qatari owners have spent lavishly to attract big stars.

Their goal was to make the club profitable, to erase the amateurish image of a side often associated with hooligans, and to build a competitive team capable of winning the Champions League.

With unprecedented revenues surpassing 800 million euros ($890 million) for the first time last year, they have managed to build solid growth.

And they also managed to bring the biggest names in the game to Paris. The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé at times offered a glimpse of the possibility of winning Europe's biggest tournament.

But the Champions League crown remained a distant dream.

The superstars have all now left the Parc des Princes, and it might sound paradoxical, but the club may be better equipped in its quest for continental glory.

PSG starts on Wednesday against Spanish side Girona.

“The coach is leading us more and more towards his philosophy, it's more and more a soccer based on a collective philosophy. We're moving in that direction,” PSG captain Marquinhos said on Tuesday. “Even if there are not any big names or stars, we are ready to go for big achievements.”

Coach Luis Enrique insisted on moulding what he had. Enrique's project makes sense: Mbappé can't be duplicated but he could be replaced by a handful of attacking players capable of scoring as much, or more, than the France captain did.

“To me, this is the continuation of last season,” said Enrique, who has used 21 players in four French league games so far. "We are a young team, that is true. But we are full of desire and hunger, which is a wonderful thing. I'm so lucky to have this sort of squad.”

The team has scored 16 goals, conceding just three, in Ligue 1 so far.