Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (French pronunciation: [paʁi sɛ̃ ʒɛʁmɛ̃]), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris SG, or simply PSG, is a French professional football club based in Paris. Founded in 1970, the club has traditionally worn red and blue kits. PSG has played its home matches in the 47,929-capacity Parc des Princes in the 16th arrondissement of Paris since 1974.[1][2] The club plays in the highest tier of French football, Ligue 1.[3]
The Parisian club established itself as a major force in France, and one of the major forces of European football in the 2010s. PSG have won a total of 40 titles, 39 of them considered major trophies, making it the most successful French club in history by this measure.[3][4] Paris SG is also the only club to have never been relegated from Ligue 1,[5] the club with most consecutive seasons in the top-flight (they have played 45 seasons in Ligue 1 since 1974),[6] one of only two French clubs to have won a major European title,[7] the most popular football club in France,[8] and one of the most widely supported teams in the world.[9]
Domestically, the Parisians have won eight Ligue 1 titles, a record twelve Coupe de France, a record eight Coupe de la Ligue, and a record nine Trophée des Champions titles. In European football, they have won one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and one UEFA Intertoto Cup. The capital club has also won one Ligue 2, regarded as a minor official title.[4] PSG have a long-standing rivalry with Olympique de Marseille. The duo contest French football's most notorious match, known as Le Classique.[10]
The State of Qatar, through its shareholding organization Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), has been the club's owner since 2011.[11] The takeover made Paris Saint-Germain the richest club in France and one of the wealthiest in the world.[12] As of the 2017–18 season, PSG have the sixth-highest revenue in the footballing world with an annual turnover of €542m according to Deloitte, and are the world's eleventh most valuable football club, worth €825m according to Forbes
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club was founded on 12 August 1970 after the merger of Paris Football Club and Stade Saint-Germain, ultimately named for Saint Germain of Paris.[3] PSG made an immediate impact, winning promotion to Ligue 1 in their first season after claiming the Ligue 2 title.[2][15] Their momentum was soon checked, however, and the club split in 1972.[2] Paris FC remained in Ligue 1, while Paris Saint-Germain kept their name but were administratively demoted to Division 3.[16][17] Two seasons later PSG returned to Ligue 1 in 1974, moving into the Parc des Princes that same year.[2][3]
The club's trophy cabinet welcomed its first major silverware in the shape of the French Cup in 1982, during a decade marked by players such as Safet Sušić, Luis Fernández and Dominique Rocheteau.[2][3] Four years later, Paris Saint-Germain claimed its maiden league title, after which they went into decline.[7][18] But a takeover by television giants Canal+ revitalised the club and PSG entered their golden era.[7][19] Led by David Ginola, George Weah and Raí, the club won nine trophies during the 1990s.[3][18] Most notably, the Parisians claimed a second league title in 1994 and their crowning glory, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996.[2][18]
At the start of the 21st century, PSG struggled to rescale the heights despite the magic of Ronaldinho and the goals of Pauleta.[3] Five more trophies arrived in the form of three French Cups, one League Cup and one UEFA Intertoto Cup, but the club became better known for lurching from one high-profile crisis to another.[4][18] Indeed, Paris Saint-Germain spent two seasons staving off relegations that were only very narrowly avoided.[19]
This changed in 2011 with the arrival of new majority shareholders Qatar Sports Investments (QSI).[12] Since the buyout, PSG have spent over €1b on player transfers like Zlatan Ibrahimović, Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, and have dominated French football, winning 20 national titles.[4][20][21] Despite this, the UEFA Champions League has proven to be a trophy beyond their reach.[20][21] PSG have never made it beyond the quarterfinals since 2012, exiting the competition at the last-16 round in each of the last three seasons.[22]
Club identity
Crest
The original logo of the club, also known as the Paris FC logo, was used from 1970 until 1973.[25][29] It featured a ball with a vessel (a historic symbol of Paris) as well as the club's name "Paris Saint Germain Football Club" or its initials "PSGFC".[29][31] In 1972, PSG split from Paris FC and, a year later, the club changed its crest.
Like with the club's iconic shirt, Daniel Hechter also designed their historic crest in 1973.[29] Also known as the Eiffel Tower logo, the new crest added Saint-Germain-en-Laye symbols for the first time.[29][31] These were the fleur de lys and the cradle that represented the royalty and birthplace of French King Louis XIV in the town.[29] The new crest, which finally represented both Paris and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, mainly consisted of a blue background with the Eiffel Tower in red. Between the tower's legs sat the fleur de lys and the cradle in white.[31]
The Parc des Princes was added to the crest in 1980, right under Louis XIV's cradle.[31] This logo lasted until 1991, with the exception of the 1986–87 and 1987–88 seasons, when the club used a special logo in support of the Paris candidature for the 1992 Summer Olympics.[31][32] In 1991, the Parc des Princes was removed from the crest.[31]
In 1993, former Paris SG shareholder Canal+ was the first to replace the iconic crest. The new model had the acronym "PSG" and underneath it "Paris Saint-Germain". Under pressure from supporters, the traditional crest returned in 1995. This time, however, the crest was surrounded by the club's name "Paris Saint-Germain" and its year of foundation "1970". In 2002, it went through a slight facelift.[31]
The Eiffel Tower crest received a major makeover in 2013. Paris Saint-Germain, under the leadership of its Qatari owners and club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, made the choice of continuity for its identity, as well as to capitalise on the master asset of the brand: Paris. The City of Light, undisputed icon in the whole world.[33]
Conceived by global creative agency Dragon Rouge, the new logotype clearly puts forward the brand “Paris” instead of “Paris Saint-Germain”.[33][34] PSG's logo was redrawn, making the word “Paris” very big, above a large Eiffel Tower. Underneath it, “Saint-Germain”, written in smaller letters, remains associated with the fleur-de-lis, its emblem.[33][34] In contrast, Louis XIV's cradle and the club's founding year "1970" were left out.[33] As PSG general director Jean-Claude Blanc said: “We are called Paris Saint-Germain but, above all, we are called Paris.”[34]
Mottos, mascot and anthems
"Paris est magique!" ("Paris is magic!") and "Ici, c'est Paris!" ("Here is Paris!") have historically been the club's most popular mottos.[34][35] More recently, PSG introduced its official anthem and mascot in 2010, when they revived its Tournoi de Paris pre-season competition in commemoration of the club's 40th anniversary.[36]
Ahead of the tournament, PSG unveiled "Allez Paris Saint-Germain", to the tune of "Go West" by Village People, and Germain the Lynx as the club's anthem and mascot, respectively.[37] "Ville Lumière", to the tune of "Flower of Scotland", is considered a club anthem as well.
Paris Saint-Germain played their first game at the Parc des Princes against Red Star on November 10, 1973, as a curtain-raiser for that season's opening Ligue 1 match between Paris FC (PFC) and Sochaux. PSG won 3–1 as Othniel Dossevi scored the club's first goal at the Parc.[39] The club moved into the Parc des Princes upon its return to Ligue 1 in 1974, ironically the same year that Paris FC were relegated. Up until that point it had been the home stadium of PFC.[16][40]
Before that, PSG had been playing at several grounds including the Stade Municipal Georges Lefèvre, the Stade Jean-Bouin, the Stade Bauer, and even the Parc a few times that season despite the reluctance of PFC.[41][42] PSG registered its record home attendance in 1983, when 49,575 spectators witnessed the club's 2–0 win over Waterschei in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals.[43]
The Parc des Princes has a seating capacity of 47,929 spectators and its pitch is surrounded by four covered all-seater stands, officially known as the Présidentielle Francis Borelli, Auteuil, Paris and Boulogne Stands.[1][44] Conceived by architect Roger Taillibert, the current version of the Parc des Princes officially opened on 4 June 1972, at a cost of 80–150 million francs.[19][45] The stadium is the third to have been built on the site, the first opening its doors in 1897 and the second following in 1932
The Parisian club established itself as a major force in France, and one of the major forces of European football in the 2010s. PSG have won a total of 40 titles, 39 of them considered major trophies, making it the most successful French club in history by this measure.[3][4] Paris SG is also the only club to have never been relegated from Ligue 1,[5] the club with most consecutive seasons in the top-flight (they have played 45 seasons in Ligue 1 since 1974),[6] one of only two French clubs to have won a major European title,[7] the most popular football club in France,[8] and one of the most widely supported teams in the world.[9]
Domestically, the Parisians have won eight Ligue 1 titles, a record twelve Coupe de France, a record eight Coupe de la Ligue, and a record nine Trophée des Champions titles. In European football, they have won one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and one UEFA Intertoto Cup. The capital club has also won one Ligue 2, regarded as a minor official title.[4] PSG have a long-standing rivalry with Olympique de Marseille. The duo contest French football's most notorious match, known as Le Classique.[10]
The State of Qatar, through its shareholding organization Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), has been the club's owner since 2011.[11] The takeover made Paris Saint-Germain the richest club in France and one of the wealthiest in the world.[12] As of the 2017–18 season, PSG have the sixth-highest revenue in the footballing world with an annual turnover of €542m according to Deloitte, and are the world's eleventh most valuable football club, worth €825m according to Forbes
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club was founded on 12 August 1970 after the merger of Paris Football Club and Stade Saint-Germain, ultimately named for Saint Germain of Paris.[3] PSG made an immediate impact, winning promotion to Ligue 1 in their first season after claiming the Ligue 2 title.[2][15] Their momentum was soon checked, however, and the club split in 1972.[2] Paris FC remained in Ligue 1, while Paris Saint-Germain kept their name but were administratively demoted to Division 3.[16][17] Two seasons later PSG returned to Ligue 1 in 1974, moving into the Parc des Princes that same year.[2][3]
The club's trophy cabinet welcomed its first major silverware in the shape of the French Cup in 1982, during a decade marked by players such as Safet Sušić, Luis Fernández and Dominique Rocheteau.[2][3] Four years later, Paris Saint-Germain claimed its maiden league title, after which they went into decline.[7][18] But a takeover by television giants Canal+ revitalised the club and PSG entered their golden era.[7][19] Led by David Ginola, George Weah and Raí, the club won nine trophies during the 1990s.[3][18] Most notably, the Parisians claimed a second league title in 1994 and their crowning glory, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996.[2][18]
At the start of the 21st century, PSG struggled to rescale the heights despite the magic of Ronaldinho and the goals of Pauleta.[3] Five more trophies arrived in the form of three French Cups, one League Cup and one UEFA Intertoto Cup, but the club became better known for lurching from one high-profile crisis to another.[4][18] Indeed, Paris Saint-Germain spent two seasons staving off relegations that were only very narrowly avoided.[19]
This changed in 2011 with the arrival of new majority shareholders Qatar Sports Investments (QSI).[12] Since the buyout, PSG have spent over €1b on player transfers like Zlatan Ibrahimović, Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, and have dominated French football, winning 20 national titles.[4][20][21] Despite this, the UEFA Champions League has proven to be a trophy beyond their reach.[20][21] PSG have never made it beyond the quarterfinals since 2012, exiting the competition at the last-16 round in each of the last three seasons.[22]
Club identity
Crest
The original logo of the club, also known as the Paris FC logo, was used from 1970 until 1973.[25][29] It featured a ball with a vessel (a historic symbol of Paris) as well as the club's name "Paris Saint Germain Football Club" or its initials "PSGFC".[29][31] In 1972, PSG split from Paris FC and, a year later, the club changed its crest.
Like with the club's iconic shirt, Daniel Hechter also designed their historic crest in 1973.[29] Also known as the Eiffel Tower logo, the new crest added Saint-Germain-en-Laye symbols for the first time.[29][31] These were the fleur de lys and the cradle that represented the royalty and birthplace of French King Louis XIV in the town.[29] The new crest, which finally represented both Paris and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, mainly consisted of a blue background with the Eiffel Tower in red. Between the tower's legs sat the fleur de lys and the cradle in white.[31]
The Parc des Princes was added to the crest in 1980, right under Louis XIV's cradle.[31] This logo lasted until 1991, with the exception of the 1986–87 and 1987–88 seasons, when the club used a special logo in support of the Paris candidature for the 1992 Summer Olympics.[31][32] In 1991, the Parc des Princes was removed from the crest.[31]
In 1993, former Paris SG shareholder Canal+ was the first to replace the iconic crest. The new model had the acronym "PSG" and underneath it "Paris Saint-Germain". Under pressure from supporters, the traditional crest returned in 1995. This time, however, the crest was surrounded by the club's name "Paris Saint-Germain" and its year of foundation "1970". In 2002, it went through a slight facelift.[31]
The Eiffel Tower crest received a major makeover in 2013. Paris Saint-Germain, under the leadership of its Qatari owners and club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, made the choice of continuity for its identity, as well as to capitalise on the master asset of the brand: Paris. The City of Light, undisputed icon in the whole world.[33]
Conceived by global creative agency Dragon Rouge, the new logotype clearly puts forward the brand “Paris” instead of “Paris Saint-Germain”.[33][34] PSG's logo was redrawn, making the word “Paris” very big, above a large Eiffel Tower. Underneath it, “Saint-Germain”, written in smaller letters, remains associated with the fleur-de-lis, its emblem.[33][34] In contrast, Louis XIV's cradle and the club's founding year "1970" were left out.[33] As PSG general director Jean-Claude Blanc said: “We are called Paris Saint-Germain but, above all, we are called Paris.”[34]
Mottos, mascot and anthems
"Paris est magique!" ("Paris is magic!") and "Ici, c'est Paris!" ("Here is Paris!") have historically been the club's most popular mottos.[34][35] More recently, PSG introduced its official anthem and mascot in 2010, when they revived its Tournoi de Paris pre-season competition in commemoration of the club's 40th anniversary.[36]
Ahead of the tournament, PSG unveiled "Allez Paris Saint-Germain", to the tune of "Go West" by Village People, and Germain the Lynx as the club's anthem and mascot, respectively.[37] "Ville Lumière", to the tune of "Flower of Scotland", is considered a club anthem as well.
Paris Saint-Germain played their first game at the Parc des Princes against Red Star on November 10, 1973, as a curtain-raiser for that season's opening Ligue 1 match between Paris FC (PFC) and Sochaux. PSG won 3–1 as Othniel Dossevi scored the club's first goal at the Parc.[39] The club moved into the Parc des Princes upon its return to Ligue 1 in 1974, ironically the same year that Paris FC were relegated. Up until that point it had been the home stadium of PFC.[16][40]
Before that, PSG had been playing at several grounds including the Stade Municipal Georges Lefèvre, the Stade Jean-Bouin, the Stade Bauer, and even the Parc a few times that season despite the reluctance of PFC.[41][42] PSG registered its record home attendance in 1983, when 49,575 spectators witnessed the club's 2–0 win over Waterschei in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals.[43]
The Parc des Princes has a seating capacity of 47,929 spectators and its pitch is surrounded by four covered all-seater stands, officially known as the Présidentielle Francis Borelli, Auteuil, Paris and Boulogne Stands.[1][44] Conceived by architect Roger Taillibert, the current version of the Parc des Princes officially opened on 4 June 1972, at a cost of 80–150 million francs.[19][45] The stadium is the third to have been built on the site, the first opening its doors in 1897 and the second following in 1932
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