Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris SG, or simply Paris or PSG, is a French professional football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. PSG are France's most successful club, having won over forty competitive honours, including nine league titles and one major European trophy. Their home ground is the Parc des Princes.
Founded in 1970, PSG won their first major honour, the French Cup, in 1982 and their maiden Ligue 1 title in 1986. The 1990s was among the most successful periods in PSG's history; they claimed their second league crown, three French Cups, two League Cups, two French Super Cups and, most notably, their first European honour, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, in 1996. After a period of decline in the 2000s, the club have enjoyed a revival in the 2010s, where PSG clinched more trophies than in any other decade, including six league titles and sixteen national cups.
PSG are the club with most consecutive seasons playing in the top-flight and one of only two French clubs to have won a major European title. They are also the most popular football club in France and one of the most widely supported teams in the world. PSG's home kit colours are red, blue and white. The club's crest features the Eiffel Tower and a fleur de lys. PSG have a long-standing rivalry with Olympique de Marseille. The duo contest French football's most notorious match, known as Le Classique.
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, ruler of Qatar, has been PSG's owner since 2011 through state-owned shareholding organization Qatar Sports Investments. The takeover made them the richest club in France and one of the wealthiest in the world. As of the 2018–19 season, PSG have the fifth-highest revenue in the footballing world with an annual revenue of €636m according to Deloitte, and are the world's eleventh most valuable football club, worth $1.092b according to Forbes.
History
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club was founded on 12 August 1970 after the merger of Paris Football Club and :fr:Stade Saint-Germain|Stade Saint-Germain. PSG made an immediate impact, winning promotion to Ligue 1 and claiming the Ligue 2 title in their first season. Their momentum was soon checked, however, and the club split in 1972. Paris FC remained in Ligue 1, while PSG were administratively relegated to :fr:Championnat de France de football de Division 3 |Division 3. PSG got their revenge in 1974 when they returned to Ligue 1 and Paris FC slipped into the division below. The club also moved into the Parc des Princes that same year.The club's trophy cabinet welcomed its first major silverware in the shape of the Coupe de France in 1982, during a decade marked by players such as Safet Sušić, Luis Fernández and Dominique Rocheteau. PSG claimed their maiden league title in 1986 and immediately went into decline. But a takeover by television giants Canal+ revitalised the club and PSG entered their golden era. Led by David Ginola, George Weah and Raí, the club won nine trophies during the 1990s. Most notably, the Parisians claimed a second league title in 1994 and their crowning glory, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996.
At the start of the 21st century, PSG struggled to rescale the heights despite the magic of Ronaldinho and the goals of Pauleta. Five more trophies arrived in the form of three Coupe de France, one Coupe de la Ligue and one UEFA Intertoto Cup, but the club became better known for lurching from one high-profile crisis to another. Indeed, Paris Saint-Germain spent two seasons staving off relegations that were only very narrowly avoided.
This changed in 2011 with the arrival of new majority shareholders Qatar Sports Investments. Since the buyout, PSG have signed several stars like Zlatan Ibrahimović, Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, and have dominated French football, winning seven of the last eight Ligue 1 titles. Despite this, the UEFA Champions League has proven to be a trophy beyond their reach. PSG have not made it to the semi-finals of the competition since 1995. Since 2012, they have reached the quarter-finals on five occasions, as well as exited the competition in the round of 16 three times.
Identity
Colours and mascot
Since their foundation, Paris Saint-Germain have represented both the city of Paris and the nearby royal town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. As a result, red, blue and white are the club's traditional colours. The red and blue are Parisian colours, a nod to revolutionary figures Lafayette and Jean Sylvain Bailly, and the white is a symbol of French royalty and Saint-Germain-en-Laye.On the club's crest, the Eiffel Tower in red and the blue background represent Paris, while the fleur de lys in white is a hint to the coat of arms of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The fleur de lys is a royal symbol as well and recalls that French King Louis XIV was born in the town. Throughout its history, PSG have brandished several different crests, but all of them have featured the club's three historical colours.
Likewise, PSG's most iconic shirts have been predominantly red, blue or white, with the remaining two colours included as well. The club's official mascot, Germain the Lynx, also sports PSG's traditional colours. It was unveiled during the 2010 Tournoi de Paris in commemoration of the club's 40th anniversary, and can be seen entertaining kids in the stands of the Parc des Princes or near the pitch with the players during the warm-up.
Anthems and mottos
"Allez Paris-Saint-Germain!" was initially a chant sung by PSG supporters during games. It then became the club's official anthem in 1977. That year the hymn was recorded by Les Parisiens at the initiative of historical PSG leader and music producer Charles Talar, who produced and released it under his homonym record label. A new version to the tune of "Go West" by Village People was recorded in 2010 as part of the club's 40th anniversary celebrations. The lyrics were rewritten with suggestions made by fans."Ô Ville Lumière", to the tune of "Flower of Scotland," is another veritable club anthem. PSG gave it official status in 2015 when the club announced it would accompany the players' entry into the field, a tradition which began in 1992 with the song "Who Said I Would" by Phill Collins. Supporters' groups from the Boulogne and Auteuil stands also have several different chants, most notably "Le Parc est à nous", "Paris est magique!" and "Ici, c'est Paris!". Both stands began exchanging these chants during PSG matches in the 1990s. "Paris est magique!" and "Ici, c'est Paris!" are also the club's most iconic mottos or slogans.
Iconic shirts
During their first three seasons of existence, the home shirt of Paris Saint-Germain was red with blue and white details in its sleeves and neck to bring together the three colours of the club: the red and blue of Paris, and the white of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. During the 2010–11 season, PSG wore a red shirt during home matches to commemorate their 40th anniversary.The connection between Paris Saint-Germain and the city's fashion houses is a longstanding one. French fashion designer Daniel Hechter became PSG president in 1973 and designed the club's traditional home look that same year: a red vertical stripe, bordered with white, on a blue background. The general belief is that Hechter based his creation on the red-and-white jersey worn by Ajax, the Dutch champion dominating European competition at the time, but with the French flag in mind. Hechter himself has denied this, though, instead claiming he was inspired by the Ford Mustang. He transposed the car's hood stripes on the shirt and employed the three colors of the club.
First worn during the 1973–74 season, the so-called "Hechter shirt" has remained the classic home identity of PSG ever since. The famous jersey made its debut during a home Ligue 2 game against Red Star on November 10, 1973. This was also the club's maiden match at the Parc des Princes. PSG won 3–1 as :fr:Othniel Dossevi|Othniel Dossevi scored the club's first goal at the stadium as well as the first with the Hechter shirt. PSG stars from the 1990s and 2000s like Raí, Ronaldinho and Pauleta are associated with this shirt. While wearing it, the capital club reached five European semi-finals in a row between 1993 and 1997, claimed the 1995–96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and achieved the first eight consecutive wins against Le Classique arch-rivals Olympique de Marseille from October 2002 to November 2004.
It was with the club's most iconic away outfit, though, that fans saw the first big PSG team which won their maiden Coupe de France titles in 1982 and 1983, experienced their first European campaign in 1983 and claimed their maiden league crown in 1986. The shirt was white with blue and red vertical stripes on the left. Like the Hechter jersey, it debuted during the 1973–74 season as the away kit. Promoted by PSG president Francis Borelli, the white shirt became the club's home identity from 1981 to 1990. The so-called "Borelli shirt" is synonym with PSG legends from the 1980s like Safet Sušić, Luis Fernández and Dominique Bathenay.
Crest evolution
The first crest of Paris Saint-Germain was basically the same as the original Paris FC logo. Having to merge and give birth to the club using :fr:Stade Saint-Germain|Stade Saint-Germain's stadium, the PFC crest kept its original design but the name below it changed from "Paris FC" to "Paris Saint-Germain Football Club." This badge consisted of a blue football with a red vessel inside it. The latter is a historic symbol of Paris and is present in the city's coat of arms. The name of the club was written below in red. PSG, however, split from PFC in 1972 and thus needed a new crest.Representing both Paris and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the club's second crest became the basis of the one the fans know today. It was a round logo featuring the Eiffel Tower in red against a blue background with two Saint-Germain symbols in white between its legs. These were a fleur de lys and Louis XIV's cradle. The traditional crest was made by a certain Mr. Vallot, designer by profession. It was first used from 1972 to 1982.
The Parc des Princes, the club's home stadium, was added below the crest in 1982 and lasted until 1990. Following a brief return of the traditional crest between 1990 and 1992, former owners Canal+ radically changed it in 1992. The new model had the acronym "PSG" in white against a blue-white-red-white-blue background with "Paris Saint-Germain" underneath in white against a black background.
Under pressure from supporters, the traditional crest returned in 1995 with "Paris Saint-Germain" above the tower and "1970" below the cradle. This logo went through a slight facelift in 2002. At the request of the club's Qatari owners, the traditional crest underwent a major makeover in 2013. “Paris” is now written in big white bold letters above a large Eiffel Tower, clearly putting forward the brand “Paris” instead of “Paris Saint-Germain.” Underneath it, “Saint-Germain” is written in smaller letters below the fleur de lys. In contrast, the cradle and the club's founding year "1970" were left out. PSG deputy general manager Jean-Claude Blanc said: “We are called Paris Saint-Germain but, above all, we are called Paris.”
Grounds
Parc des Princes
Paris Saint-Germain played their first game at the Parc des Princes against Ligue 2 promotion rivals Red Star on November 10, 1973. It was the curtain-raiser for that season's opening Ligue 1 match between Paris FC and Sochaux. PSG moved into the ground upon its return to Ligue 1 in 1974, ironically the same year that PFC were relegated. Up until that point it had been the home venue of PFC. The club had been playing at several grounds including the Stade Municipal Georges Lefèvre, the Stade Jean-Bouin, the Stade Bauer, and even the Parc des Princes a few times that season despite the reluctance of PFC. Located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, the stadium has a seating capacity of 47,929 spectators.Camp des Loges
Located in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the Camp des Loges became the club's training ground in 1970 following the foundation of Paris Saint-Germain. Construction of a new Camp des Loges began in January 2008, on the same site as the old one. At a cost of €5m, it was inaugurated in November 2008. In 2013, the venue was renamed Ooredoo Training Centre as part of a sponsorship deal with Ooredoo.Stade Municipal Georges Lefèvre
The Stade Municipal Georges Lefèvre, whose main stadium has a seating capacity of 2,164 spectators, is a sports complex located in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, just across the street from Camp des Loges. It was one of PSG's main grounds until 1974. That year the club moved into the Parc des Princes. The stadium, as well as the other artificial turf and grass football pitches of the complex, hosts training sessions and home matches for the club's male and female youth academy sides.Paris Saint-Germain Training Center
The Paris Saint-Germain Training Center will be the new training ground and sports complex of Paris Saint-Germain. It will replace Camp des Loges upon its completion in 2022. Owned and financed by the club, the venue will bring together PSG's male football, handball and judo teams, as well as the football and handball youth academies. The club, however, will remain closely linked to their historic birthplace in Saint-Germain-en-Laye as Camp des Loges will become the training ground of the female football team and academy.Supporters
Paris Saint-Germain is the most popular football club in France and one of the most widely supported teams in the world. Famous PSG fans include former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and retired NBA player Tony Parker.Lacking a big passionate fanbase, the club began offering cheaper season tickets to young supporters in 1976. These fans were placed in the Kop K, located in the K section of the Borelli stand at the Parc des Princes. Following an increase in ticket prices, Kop K supporters moved to the Boulogne stand in 1978, and the Kop of Boulogne was born. There, the club's first Italian-style ultra group, Boulogne Boys, was founded in 1985. Other KoB groups, however, took British hooligans as dubious role models and violence rapidly escalated. PSG supporters' groups have been linked to football hooliganism ever since.
PSG owners Canal+ responded in 1991 by encouraging and financing non-violent fans of the KoB stand to take place in the Auteuil stand at the other end of the Parc des Princes. The Virage Auteuil was born, alongside Supras Auteuil, its most notorious ultras. At first the measure worked but, slowly, a violent rivalry arose between the two stands. Things came to a head in 2010 before a match against Olympique de Marseille in Paris. Boulogne fan Yann Lorence was killed following a fight between groups from both stands outside the Parc des Princes, forcing PSG president Robin Leproux to take action.
The club exiled the supporters' groups from the Parc des Princes and banned them from all PSG matches in what was known as Plan Leproux. It made PSG pay the price in terms of atmosphere, with one of Europe's most feared venues now subdued. For their part, former Virage Auteuil supporters formed the Collectif Ultras Paris in February 2016, with the aim of reclaiming their place at the stadium. In October 2016, after a six-year absence, the club agreed to their return. Grouped in the Auteuil end of the stadium, the CUP currently is the only ultra association officially recognized by PSG. The ultra movement has also started to come back to life in the Boulogne stand. New groups Block Parisii, Paname Rebirth and Résistance Parisienne are trying to convince the club of relaunching the Kop of Boulogne.
Rivalries
Le Classique
Paris Saint-Germain shares an intense rivalry with Olympique de Marseille; matches between the two teams are referred to as Le Classique. Equivalent to Spain's El Clásico, the fixture is the biggest rivalry in France and one of the greatest in the world. Important security measures are taken ahead of these matches to prevent confrontations between the fans, but violent episodes still often occur when they meet.The duo are the two most successful clubs in French football history and the only two French teams to have won major European trophies. Moreover, PSG and l'OM were the dominant forces in the land prior to the emergence of Olympique Lyonnais in the 2000s. They are also the two most popular clubs in France and the two most followed French teams outside the country, ahead of Lyon. Both clubs are at or near the top of the attendance lists every season as well.
In their early meetings during the 1970s there was little indication the two would become deadly adversaries. The newly-formed Parisians were trying to assemble a competitive team, while the Olympians were Ligue 1 contenders. It all changed in 1986, when PSG won its first championship and l'OM were bought by Bernard Tapie. By the end of the decade, PSG were fighting for the 1988–89 title against Tapie's star-studded Marseille, and sparks flew for the first time. The accusations made by PSG president Francis Borelli against Tapie and l'OM for fixing matches during that season were a big contributor to their growing antagonism.
However, the 1990s were the real starting point of the rivalry. French TV channel Canal+ bought PSG in 1991 with the aim of breaking Marseille's hegemony, but agreed with Tapie to fuel the animosity between them as a way to spice up the league. Now with similar financial power, PSG and l'OM established themselves as top contenders in the title race. Both sides were less successful in the late 1990s and throughout the 2000s, but the rivalry remained just as fierce. However, since the 2010s, the matchup has been completely dominated by PSG. The investment of their mega-rich Qatar owners has created a wide gap between them and Marseille.
Friendly tournaments
Tournoi de Paris
Initially held by Racing Paris between 1957 and 1966, the Tournoi de Paris briefly returned in 1973 with new organizers Paris FC, before current hosts Paris Saint-Germain successfully relaunched the competition in 1975. Abandoned in 1993 for financial reasons, PSG revived it in 2010 for the club's 40th anniversary. Not held in 2011, it was renamed Trophée de Paris in 2012, and featured a single prestigious match. This was the last edition to date. PSG is the most successful club in the competition's history, having lifted the trophy on seven occasions. Regarded as French football's most prestigious friendly tournament, the Tournoi de Paris is also considered a precursor of both the Intercontinental Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.Tournoi Indoor de Paris-Bercy
The Tournoi Indoor de Paris-Bercy was a mid-season indoor football invitational competition hosted by Paris Saint-Germain at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris. The tournament was founded in 1984 and was held annually until 1991. Played indoors, the competition featured host club PSG and five more teams. Paris SG is the most successful club in the history of the competition, having lifted the trophy on two occasions.Ownership and finances
During its first three years of existence, Paris Saint-Germain was fan-owned and had 20,000 socios. The club was run by board members :fr:Guy Crescent|Guy Crescent, :fr:Pierre-Étienne Guyot|Pierre-Étienne Guyot and :fr:Henri Patrelle|Henri Patrelle. A group of wealthy French businessmen, led by Daniel Hechter and Francis Borelli, would then buy the club in 1973. PSG changed hands in 1991, when Canal+ took over, and then again in 2006 with the arrival of Colony Capital. Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, ruler of Qatar, has been PSG's owner since 2011 through state-owned shareholding organization Qatar Sports Investments.This means that PSG are one of only two state-owned clubs in the world, along with Manchester City. As a result, PSG are also one of the richest clubs in the world. QSI, a subsidiary of the Qatar Investment Authority, became the club's majority shareholders in June 2011 and sole shareholders in March 2012. For his part, QSI chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been PSG president since the takeover. Al Thani, however, has the final word on every major decision of the club. He is both the chairman of the QIA and the founder of QSI.
Upon their arrival, QSI pledged to form a team capable of winning the UEFA Champions League and making the club France's biggest name. Consequently, since the summer of 2011, Paris Saint-Germain have spent more than €1 billion on player transfers such as Thiago Silva, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Edinson Cavani, David Luiz, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. These massive expenditures have translated in PSG's domination of French football. However, they have not yet brought home the coveted Champions League trophy and have caused the capital club problems with UEFA and its Financial Fair Play regulations.
As of the 2018–19 season, Paris Saint-Germain have the fifth-highest revenue in the footballing world with an annual turnover of €636 million according to Deloitte, and are the world's 11th-most valuable football club worth $1.092 billion, according to Forbes magazine. PSG's strong financial position has been sustained by the club's lucrative sponsorship deals with several commercial partners, including top sponsors Nike and ALL. Throughout their history, though, PSG has rarely been profitable. Prior to the Qatar buyout, the club's cumulative losses between 1998 and 2010 amounted to €300 million.
Records and statistics
Since their inception, Paris Saint-Germain have played 50 seasons, all of them within the top three levels of the French football league system: Ligue 1, Ligue 2 and :fr:Championnat de France de football de Division 3 |Division 3. PSG holds many records, most notably being the most successful French club in history in terms of official titles won, the club with most consecutive seasons playing in the top-flight, the only club to have won the Coupe de France without conceding a single goal, and one of only two French clubs to have won a major European title. They clinched the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1995–96, becoming the youngest European club to have won a European trophy.The Red and Blues have won the Ligue 1 title nine times. The club's worst Ligue 1 finish to date is 16th, their placing at the end of the 1971–72 and 2007–08 seasons. The 2015–16 season was the club's best to date. PSG won all four domestic titles and reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. In Ligue 1, the capital club finished with 96 points, while Zlatan Ibrahimović scored 50 goals in all competitions. However, the club's record for most goals in a season was set in 2017–18, when PSG scored 171 goals in all competitions.
The Parisians are also the only club to have won the Coupe de la Ligue five times in a row, the Coupe de France four times in a row, the Trophée des Champions seven times in a row, and all four national titles in a single season. These quadruples make PSG the club, on par with Saint-Étienne, with the most domestic doubles as well as the sole club to have won the national treble. They have claimed four doubles and four trebles.
On the other hand, influential officials and players in the club's history include most decorated president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, most decorated manager Laurent Blanc, record appearance maker Jean-Marc Pilorget, top scorer Edinson Cavani, assist leader Safet Sušić, most capped and longest-serving captain Thiago Silva, Ballon d'Or winner and FIFA World Player of the Year George Weah, and PSG Hall of Famers Jean Djorkaeff, Jean-Pierre Dogliani, Mustapha Dahleb, Carlos Bianchi, Dominique Bathenay, Dominique Rocheteau, Luis Fernández, Bernard Lama, David Ginola, Ricardo, Valdo, Raí, Jay-Jay Okocha, Ronaldinho, Pauleta, David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Honours
| Type | Competition | Titles | Seasons |
| Domestic | Ligue 1 | 9 | 1985–86, 1993–94, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20 |
| Domestic | Ligue 2 | 1 | 1970–71 |
| Domestic | Coupe de France | 13 | 1981–82, 1982–83, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1997–98, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20 |
| Domestic | Coupe de la Ligue | 9 | :fr:Coupe de la Ligue française de football 1994–1995|1994–95, :fr:Coupe de la Ligue française de football 1997–1998|1997–98, 2007–08, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20 |
| Domestic | Trophée des Champions | 9 | 1995, 1998, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| European | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1 | 1995–96 |
| European | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1 | 2001 |
Players
Current squad
Out on loan
Youth system
Former players
Hall of Fame
Staff and management
Organizational chart
| Owner |  Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani |
| Majority shareholder | Qatar Sports Investments |
| President | Nasser Al-Khelaifi |
| Deputy general manager |  Jean-Claude Blanc |
| Secretary general | Victoriano Melero |
| Sporting director |  Leonardo |
| Assistant sporting director |  Angelo Castellazzi |
Technical staff
| Coach |  Thomas Tuchel |
| Assistant coaches | Arno Michels Zoumana Camara Zsolt Lőw |
| Goalkeeper coach | Gianluca Spinelli |
| Assistant goalkeeper coach | Jean-Luc Aubert |
| Physical preparation manager | Rainer Schrey |
| Fitness coach | Nicolas Mayer |
| Video analyst | Benjamin Weber |
Performance staff
| Performance coordinator | Gian Nicola Bisciotti |
| Sports scientists | Denis Lefebve Ricardo Rosa Ben Michael Simpson Maxime Coulerot Cristoforo Filetti |
Medical staff
| Doctor | Christophe Baudot |
| Medical coordinator | Cristiano Eirale |
| Physiotherapists | Frédéric Mankowski Diego Mantovani Cyril Praud Gaël Pasquer Joffrey Martin Rafael Martini Angelo Castro |
| Nutritionist | Marina Fabre |
| Podologist | Gaëlle Scalia |