Paris Saint-Germain FC

Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (French pronunciation: [paʁi sɛ̃ ʒɛʁmɛ̃]), commonly known as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG, is a professional football club located in Paris, France. They play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. The most successful club in France, they have won more than 40 official honours, including ten league titles and a major European trophy. Their home stadium is the Parc des Princes.

The Parisian team was formed in 1970 by the merger of Paris Football Club and Saint-Germain Stadium. Paris Saint-Germain won their first major honor, the French Cup in 1982 and their first Division 1 title in 1986. The 1990s was one of the most successful periods in the club’s history; in 1996, with increased financial support, they won the league again, 3 French Cups, 2 French League Cups, 2 French Super Cups Champions and European Cup Winners’ Cup winners, unprecedented dominance in domestic competition, multiple league titles and Nations Cups. Paris Saint-Germain have also become an integral part of the Champions League and reached their first final in 2020.

Paris Saint-Germain has the most consecutive seasons in the French top flight and is one of only two French clubs to win a major European league title. They are the most popular football club in France and one of the most supported teams in the world. The colors of the Paris Saint-Germain home jersey are red, blue and white, with the Eiffel Tower and lilies on the team crest. Paris has a longstanding rivalry with the Marseille Olympic Games. The pair competed in one of the most notorious competitions in French football, Le Classique.

Qatari emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani owns Paris Saint-Germain through closed shareholder Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), which bought the club in 2011 . The takeover made PSG the richest club in France and one of the richest in the world. According to Deloitte, Paris is currently ranked fifth in football, with an annual turnover of 654 million euros, and according to Forbes, Paris is the seventh most valuable football club in the world, worth $3.2 billion.
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Main article: History of Paris Saint-Germain football club
Creation and Fission (1970-1973)
Guy Crescent (pictured), Pierre-Étienne Guyot and Henri Patrelle founded PSG in 1970.

In the summer of 1970, a group of ambitious businessmen decided to form a large team in the French capital. [1][2] Guy Crescent and Pierre-Étienne Guyot decided to merge the Paris FC virtual team they had formed in 1969 with Henri Patrelle’s Stade Saint-Germain, which had previously come from Saint-Germain-en- Laye’s team, formed in 1904, was promoted to Class 2. [1][2][3] However, the trio were deadlocked over the project’s financial viability until they met Real Madrid president Santiago Bernabeu. [4][5] He told them that launching a crowdfunding campaign was the best solution for building a new team. 20,000 people supported the project and Paris Saint-Germain was founded on June 17, 1970. [4] Guyot was elected the club’s first president a few days later.[1][6][7] For the first time in the history of French football, fans contributed financially to the creation of the club. [8] After the Association of Clubs was established on August 12, 1970, it was formally merged. PSG will use this date as its founding date. [1]

Paris FC provided financial support, while Stade Saint-Germain provided the sporting infrastructure, from the 2nd tier to the Camp des Loges training center, as well as manager Pierre Phelipon and most of the players, including Bernard Guignedoux, Michel Prost and Camille Choquier.[ 9] PSG have further strengthened their squad by signing French national team captain Jean Djorkaeff. [10] Paris Saint-Germain’s first official game was on August 23, 1970, a 1-1 draw with Poitiers in the league. Gunidou scored the first goal for the club with a free kick. The club successfully promoted to the first league and won the second league championship in its first season. [2][12]

PSG’s first top-flight season ended in a solid 16th, meaning they will remain in Division One next year, but behind the scenes the club finds themselves in a tight financial situation. [9][13] As early as September 1971, the Paris City Council offered 850,000 francs to pay off the club’s debts and secure its place among the elite, and asked Paris Saint-Germain to adopt the more Parisian name “Paris Football”. Club” in return. [9][14] Crescent, who replaced Guyo as club president before the start of the season, favored the name change, but Patrel opposed it. Disagreement led to Crescent’s resignation in December 1971, handing over the presidency to Patrelle. [14] The latter attempted to persuade the council to reconsider their position, but remained recalcitrant and the club split on 1 June 1972, just days after the campaign’s final match. With the council’s backing, Crescent restructured Paris FC and remained in Division 1, while Patrel’s PSG were administratively relegated to Division 3 and thus lost their professional status.
First Class returns and moves to Parc des Princes (1973–1978)
In 1974, Just Fontaine helped Paris Saint-Germain return to the First Division.

Paris Saint-Germain really took off when fashion designer Daniel Hechter became chairman of the management board in June 1973. [1][17] In addition to providing financial support to the club, he also designed the team’s classic home kit. Hechter then shocked the national competition ahead of the 73/74 season by appointing French legend Just Fontaine as sporting director.

Robert Vico’s side are second in Group B, four points behind Red Star, and qualify for the play-off against Valenciennes. Paris Saint-Germain lost 2-1 away to Valenciennes, but PSG came back with an incredible 4-2 at the Parc des Princes to secure promotion to the first division and regain the career they gave up two years ago. status. Fontaine collapsed on the field emotionally and was carried by the players to join the celebration. Since then, Paris Saint-Germain has been playing in the French Football League. [19]

Paris Saint-Germain played their first game of the season at the Parc des Princes. It was November 10, 1973 against Paris Red Star. PSG won 3-1 with Othniel Dossevi scoring the club’s first goal on the pitch. The Parisians also began their illustrious Coppa de France tradition, advancing to the quarter-finals (2-1; 4-1 aggregate) after Parc beat Metz in front of 25,000 spectators.

Ironically, Paris FC were relegated to the 2nd tier at the same time that they were promoted to the top flight in 1974, leaving their home stadium, the Parc des Princes, in the hands of their estranged Parisian brothers. Parc has been home to PSG since then. [9][16] With the promotion to 1st Division, the command also changed. In June 1974, following Patrel’s resignation, Daniel Hechter, then chairman of the administrative committee, took over as club president. He named Francis Borelli Vice President. [18][22]

During Hechter’s tenure, the Parisians failed to win a silver medal in the 1970s, but began their illustrious Coupe de France tradition, gaining a foothold in Level 1 and attracting several respected players, including Jean- Pierre Dogliani, Mustapha Dahleb and Carlos Bianchi. 9][10] In January 1978, after Hector was banned for life by the French Football Federation for running the ticketing system at the Parc des Princes, Francis Borelli, who was then vice-president, became the new owner of the Île-de-France club.[9] [18][22] First major honors and declines (1978-1991)

After the arrival of head coach Georges Peyroche in November 1979, the club established itself as a top-half player[24] and then, with the Parisians reaching the French Cup final for the first time in 1982, the club ushered in their first major honor. [13] [25] 26][27] Nambatingue Toko opened the scoring for PSG with a superb cross from Ivica Šurjak against Michel Platini’s great Saint-Etienne at the Parc des Princes. Saint-Etienne responded, and Platini equalized to send the game into overtime. Platini then doubled his personal account and ceded the lead to the Celtics. [20][21][28] The Parc des Princes supporters lost faith in their team when Dominique Rocheteau unexpectedly equalized in the final seconds of the game following another assist from Šurjak. [20][21] Paris Saint-Germain fans rushed onto the pitch with joy as club president Francis Borelli knelt and kissed the park’s lawn. After a 30-minute stoppage, it was a penalty kick to Paris Saint-Germain. [21][28] Dominique Baratelli stopped Saint-Étienne’s last attempt and Jean-Marc Pilorget scored the winner for the capital. [20][28] This success opened the door to Europe, with Paris Saint-Germain making an impressive continental debut in the quarter-finals of the 1982/83 European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Dominique Rocheto scored one of the most iconic goals of all time for the club.

Domestically, the results were equally satisfactory. PSG finished on the podium for the first time in third, repeating the feat in the French Cup final in 1983, this time against Nantes. The Canaries, recently crowned champions of France, were heading towards a League Cup double and took the lead at half-time after an early goal from Pascal Zareba. But PSG pulled it back in the second half when Susic equalized before setting up Toko for the winner (3-2). [25][29][30] However, the campaign ended tragically when George Perosh left the club. [31]

Three years later, under manager Gerard Houllier, PSG claimed their first title in the 1985-86 season. They dominated the championship from start to finish, thanks in large part to Joël Bats, Dominique Bathenay, Luis Fernandez, Dominique Rocheteau and Safet Sušić. Both form the backbone of the team[9][25] A win away at Toulouse in Round 3 meant PSG topped the table for the first time ever, a position they never relinquished and achieved impressive results on the way to the title. An unforgettable 26 games unbeaten. [9][25][32]

However, the title heir isn’t quite as glamorous. [25] Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain finished seventh in the league, withdrew from the French Cup early and was knocked out by Czech Minovitkovic in the first round of his disappointing European Cup debut. [25][33][34] The following year, PSG avoided relegation with a dramatic 1-0 away win over Le Havre in the final game of the 1987/88 season. The debt-laden club briefly bounced back to compete with Marseille for the title in 1988/89

PSG are in decline after years of mismanagement. [12] In the summer of 2000, Paris Saint-Germain spent huge sums on new players, signing Nicolas Anelka, Peter Luchin and Stefan Dalmat as part of its shareholder Canal+’s “PSG Banlieue” project , the goal is to win the Ligue 1 title and to complete the UEFA Champions League season is a failure. [12] In 2003, the club suffered a huge financial loss of 65 million euros deficit, which led Canal+ to fire manager Luis Fernandez and president Laurent Perpère and replace them with new manager Vahid Halilhodžić and new president Francis Graille.[12] The club’s form fell further and further down the table as they slid further down the table and an eventual split with owners Canal+ became inevitable. [12]

In the early 2000s, despite Ronaldinho’s magic and Pauletta’s goals, Paris Saint-Germain struggled to regain their heights. [1] The other five trophies came in the form of three French Cups (including one against bitter rivals Marseille in 2006), a French League Cup and a Europa League, but the club struggled from one high-profile crisis to another. Stagger another. [12][49][50] After years of mismanagement, the club’s form weakened as they slid down the table and a split with Canal+ became inevitable. [9][12]

In 2006, the French premium TV channel sold the club to Colony Capital. Things only got worse, however, with PSG struggling to avoid relegation in both 2006-07 and 2007-08. The latter is the most dramatic. PSG avoided relegation after beating Sochaux 2-1 in the final due to poor results and fan violence. The heroine was the Ivorian striker Amara Diana, who scored twice that night. Although Diana does not enjoy the same star status as other current or former Paris Saint-Germain superstars, Diana is still regarded as a legend by most Paris fans. [8] QSI ownership and domestic dominance (2011-present)

After two years of steady growth and steady development under the leadership of manager Antoine Kombouaré and president Robin Leproux, Paris Saint-Germain is now in Qatar Sports Investments (QSI). ) has changed dramatically since buying the club in 2011. [12] The acquisition made PSG not only the richest club in France, but also one of the richest clubs in the world. [51] Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi promised to build a team capable of winning the UEFA Champions League and making the club the most famous team in France. [12][52] Zlatan Ibrahimović signing with Paris Saint-Germain fans at the Eiffel Tower in July 2012.

Club legend Leonardo returned as sporting director and in the summer of 2011 sparked a spending spree unprecedented in Ligue 1 history, including the signings of Blaise Matuidi, Salvatore Sirigu, Maxwell, Kevin Gameiro and Javier Pastore. [12] ] The Parisians thus dominated French football, although they fell behind Montpellier in the 2011/12 season, under star player Zlatan Ibrahimovic, team captain Thiago Led by Silva and famous stars, the elusive league champion finally returned to Paris in the 2012/13 season. Coach Carlo Ancelotti. [12][53] During the season, before the winter transfer deadline, it was announced that Beckham had signed a five-month contract with the club. Zlatan’s 30-goal victory almost single-handedly led the capital to their first Ligue 1 title in 19 years and their third overall title. They also became regulars in the knockout stages of the Champions League,[56] after two draws in the quarter-finals, they were eliminated from the Champions League on away goals[53]. Edinson Cavani’s transfer in 2013 for a league-record €64 million,[57] became the sixth-biggest transfer in history, while David Luiz’s transfer in 2014 for a record A record transfer fee of £50m was transferred and the big-money move went on for the defender. [58][59] Despite Carlo Ancelotti’s departure, Paris Saint-Germain are still on the road to success under Laurent Blanc. The club achieved their first domestic treble (Ligue 1, Coupe de la Ligue and Trophée des Champions) in 2013/14, followed by an unprecedented domestic treble (Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue and Trophée des Champions). Two successive titles in 2014-15 and 2015-16, the latter scoring a record 96 points to become the first French men’s team to accomplish the feat.

Unai Emery, who had just won three consecutive Europa League titles with Sevilla, was signed by PSG due to his European heritage. [52] But the club endured a disappointing 2016/17 season following the departure of star player Zlatan Ibrahimovic. PSG were beaten by Monaco in Ligue 1 and missed the top spot for the first time in five years. Meanwhile, the club endured several disappointing nights in the Champions League, including the club’s most painful European defeat against Barcelona in the infamous and much-discussed ‘comeback’, where they ended the second leg with Lost 6-1 in the round of 16 despite winning the first leg 4-0 in France.
Neymar Jr. Paris Saint-Germain official presentation, 4 August 2017.
Neymar during his speech in 2017 after becoming the most expensive player of all time.

Paris Saint-Germain responded by signing Neymar for a record €222m and first loaning French prodigy Kylian Mbappe in 2018 for €180m plus add-ons, making him the second most expensive player and Most Expensive Teens. [65] The capital club regained the Ligue 1 title and also won the Champions League, Ligue 1 Cup and French Cup, winning the domestic quadruple for the third time in four seasons. [66] Despite huge outlays, Paris Saint-Germain lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16, which led to coach Unai Emery leaving the club at the end of the season. [67] Record Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi signs for the club in August 2021.

In May 2018, Thomas Tuchel signed a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain, replacing Unai Emery[68]. Paris Saint-Germain lost again in the 2018/19 Champions League round of 16, losing 3-1 at home to Manchester United after a 2-0 first-leg win at Old Trafford. They also won the Ligue 1 title for the eighth time in history that season, but lost to Rennes in the French Cup final. Paris Saint-Germain were embarrassingly knocked out of the tournament after a 2-1 home defeat at Guingamp in the quarter-finals. In the 2019-20 season, despite the season ending early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PSG won the Ligue 1 for the ninth time in their history and also took back the French Cup by beating Saint-Etienne in the final and finally Winning the Coupe de la Ligue beat Lyon on penalties. In the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain reached the semi-finals for the second time since 1995 after a last-minute 2-1 win over Atalanta, but lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the final in Lisbon. Former Paris Saint-Germain player Kingsley Coman scored the winning goal.

Tuchel’s tenure at PSG has been marred by a breakdown in relations with the club’s top ranks, which led to his dismissal on December 24 despite finishing top of their Champions League group. [77] On January 2, 2021, former Paris Saint-Germain player Mauricio Pochettino was appointed as the new head coach. [78][79] Paris Saint-Germain’s good performance in the UEFA Champions League has continued in 2021, reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League for the second time in a row, which is the first time for the club. [80] Domestically, PSG won the French Cup but failed to retain the Ligue 1 title, finishing a point behind Lille and losing the league for the second time in four years.

In the 2021 summer transfer season, Paris Saint-Germain completed one of the most historic transfer windows in football history, exercising the option to purchase Danilo Pereira, and for a reported 60 million euros from Inter Milan have signed Ashraf Hakimi. In addition, the club have registered the free transfers of Giorgio Wijnaldum, Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma. [82][83][84] Paris Saint-Germain ended their transfer window with the signing of one of the greatest players of all time and record Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, who is under contract Accidentally left Barcelona upon expiry and committed to defender Nuno Mendes on an initial loan with a permanent spell in 2022.[85][86] Later in the season, Paris Saint-Germain recaptured France for the tenth time. Champions League champions[87] but lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16, a draw made worse by uncertainty over Mbappe’s future. [88] However, on 21 May 2022, Mbappe extended his contract with Paris Saint-Germain until 2025,[89] despite speculation of a possible move to Real Madrid,[90] prompting La Liga officials to discuss the Paris Saint-Germain’s accumulated losses in previous years lodged a complaint with UEFA. 91]

Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, displeased with the club’s direction and lack of success at European level, has promised major changes next season, saying: “The team will not win the Champions League in its current form. This is in an interview with Le Parisien. [92] The club needed to change at a very deep level, so the club embarked on an ambitious rebuild in the pre-season of the 2022/23 season. It started with the signing of transfer market specialist Luis Campos, who made his name first at Monaco and then at Lille. A change in club ethos was noticed and first-team coach Mauricio Pochettino[93] was sacked, while the hiring of Christophe Galtier was soon announced. [94] A busy pre-season followed with a new “no flash” transfer policy, with the club swiftly signing Nuno Mendes, Vitinia, Hugo Ekitik and Noddy Mukile. At the same time, many unsigned veteran players have been put on the transfer list