PSG
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (French pronunciation: [paʁi sɛ̃ ʒɛʁmɛ̃]), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris SG, or simply Paris or PSG, is a French professional football club based in Paris.[1] Founded in 1970, the club has traditionally worn red, blue and white kits.[1][2] PSG has played their home matches in the 47,929-capacity Parc des Princes, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, since 1974.[3][4] The club plays in the highest tier of French football, Ligue 1.[1]
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 41 titles, making it the most successful French club in history by this measure.[1][5] PSG are also the club with most consecutive seasons playing in the top-flight (they have been in Ligue 1 for 46 seasons 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 nine 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.[5] 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 organisation 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 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 €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.[1] PSG made an immediate impact, winning promotion to Ligue 1 and claiming the Ligue 2 title in their first season.[4][15] Their momentum was soon checked, however, and the club split in 1972.[4] Paris FC remained in Ligue 1, while PSG were administratively relegated to Division 3.[16][17] PSG got their revenge in 1974 when they returned to Ligue 1 and Paris FC slipped into the division below.[18] The club also moved into Parc des Princes that same year.[4][1]
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.[4][1] PSG claimed their maiden league title in 1986 and immediately went into decline.[7][19] But a takeover by television giants Canal+ revitalised the club and PSG entered their golden era.[7][20] Led by David Ginola, George Weah and Raí, the club won nine trophies during the 1990s.[1][19] Most notably, the Parisians claimed a second league title in 1994 and their crowning glory, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996.[4][19]
At the start of the 21st century, PSG struggled to rescale the heights despite the magic of Ronaldinho and the goals of Pauleta.[1] 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.[5][19] Indeed, Paris Saint-Germain spent two seasons staving off relegations that were only very narrowly avoided.[20]
This changed in 2011 with the arrival of new majority shareholders Qatar Sports Investments (QSI).[12] Since the buyout, PSG have signed several stars like Zlatan Ibrahimović, Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, and have dominated French football.[5][21][22] Despite this, the UEFA Champions League has proven to be a trophy beyond their reach.[21][22] PSG have never even made it to the semifinals since 2012, reaching the quarterfinals on five occasions as well as exiting the competition at the last-16 round three times.[23][24]
Club identity
Colours and mascot
Since their foundation, Paris Saint-Germain have always represented both the city of Paris and the nearby royal town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.[20] As a result, red, blue and white are the club's traditional colours.[25] 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.[18][25]
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.[18][25] The fleur de lys is a royal symbol as well and recalls that French King Louis XIV was born in the town.[25] Throughout its history, PSG have brandished several different crests, but all of them have featured the club's three historical colours.[26]
Likewise, PSG's most iconic shirts have been predominantly red, blue or white, with the remaining two colours included as well.[2] The club's official mascot, Germain the Lynx, also sports PSG's traditional colours.[18] 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 Parc des Princes or near the pitch with the players during the warm-up.[27]
Anthems and mottos
"Allez Paris-Saint-Germain!" is the club's official anthem.[28][29] The hymn was originally recorded by Les Parisiens in 1977 at the initiative of historical PSG leader and music producer Charles Talar, who produced and released it under his homonym record label.[28][30] Chanted by supporters, the anthem is also usually played before every match at Parc des Princes.[28][31] In 2010, as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations, the club recorded a new version to the tune of "Go West" by Village People.[18][27] Its lyrics were also rewritten with suggestions made by fans.[29]
"Ô Ville Lumière" ("Oh City of Light"), to the tune of "Flower of Scotland," is another veritable club anthem.[32][33] 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.[32] Supporters' groups from the Boulogne and Auteuil stands also have several different chants, most notably "Le Parc est à nous" ("The Parc is ours"), "Paris est magique!" ("Paris is magical!") and "Ici, c'est Paris!" ("This is Paris!").[18][34] Both stands began exchanging these chants during PSG matches in the 1990s.[31][35][36] "Paris est magique!" and "Ici, c'est Paris!" also became the club's most iconic mottos or slogans.[18][37][38]
Iconic shirts
During their first three seasons of existence, Paris Saint-Germain wore a red shirt.[2] This kit also featured white shorts and blue socks to bring together the three colours of the club: the red and blue of Paris, and the white of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.[39] During the 2010–11 season, PSG wore a red home shirt to commemorate their 40th anniversary
The connection between PSG and the city's fashion houses is a longstanding one. French fashion designer Daniel Hechter became club president in 1973 and designed PSG's traditional look that same year: a red vertical stripe, bordered with white, on a blue background.[39][41] 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.[41][39][42]
First worn between 1973 and 1981, the so-called "Hechter shirt" returned as PSG's home identity in 1994 and has remained so ever since despite several experiments from Nike.[2][39][43][44] PSG stars from the 1990s and 2000s like Raí, Ronaldinho and Pauleta are associated with the "Hechter shirt." It was with that jersey that PSG reached five European semi-finals in a row (1993–1997), claimed the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1995–96 and achieved the (first) eight consecutive wins against arch-rivals Olympique de Marseille (2002–2004).[2]
But it was with one of the club's iconic away outfits that fans saw the first big Paris Saint-Germain team that won two Coupe de France titles (1982, 1983), experienced their first European campaign in 1983, and claimed their maiden league crown in 1986. This kit was made of a white shirt with blue and red vertical stripes on the left.[2][39] Promoted by club president Francis Borelli, it became PSG's home identity from 1981 until 1993.[43] PSG legends from the 1980s like Safet Sušić, Luis Fernández and Dominique Bathenay are associated with this white jersey.[2][44]
Crest evolution
The original crest of the club, also known as the Paris FC logo, was used until 1973.[39][42] It featured a ball with a vessel (a historic symbol of Paris). This crest logically changed shortly after Paris Saint-Germain split from Paris FC in 1972. Like with the club's iconic shirt, PSG president and fashion designer Daniel Hechter also created its historic crest in 1973. Known as the Eiffel Tower logo, it added Saint-Germain-en-Laye symbols for the first time: the fleur de lys and the cradle, representing royalty and the birthplace of French King Louis XIV in the town, respectively. The new crest mainly consisted of the Eiffel Tower in red against a blue background with the cradle and the fleur de lys between the tower's legs.[26][42]
Parc des Princes was added to the crest in 1980.[26] 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.[26][45] The stadium was removed from the crest in 1991. Former PSG owners Canal+ tried to replace the iconic crest in 1993. The new model had the acronym "PSG" and underneath it "Paris Saint-Germain." Under pressure from supporters, the traditional crest returned in 1995 with "Paris Saint-Germain" above the tower and "1970" underneath its legs. This crest went through a slight facelift in 2002.[26]
Under the leadership of their Qatari owners and club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the club requested a major makeover of the Eiffel Tower crest in 2013. The new logotype clearly puts forward the brand “Paris” instead of “Paris Saint-Germain.” 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.[37][46] In contrast, Louis XIV's cradle and the club's founding year "1970" were left out.[46] As PSG deputy general manager Jean-Claude Blanc said: “We are called Paris Saint-Germain but, above all, we are called Paris.
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