Paris Saint-Germain Football Club
Founded: 1970
Head Coach: Mauricio Pochettino
Owner: Qatar Sports Investments
President: Nasser Al-Khelaifi
Captain: Marquinhos
Home Ground: Parc des Princes
Nicknames: Les Parisiens (The Parisians), Les Rouge et Bleu (The Red and Blues), PSG, Paris
Country: France
League: Ligue 1
Rivals: Olympique de Marseille, Olympique Lyonnais
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris SG, or simply Paris or PSG, is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football.
PSG are France’s most successful club, having won more than 40 official honours, including nine league titles and one major European trophy. Their home ground is the Parc des Princes.
Founded in 1970, the Parisians won their first major honour, the French Cup, in 1982 and their first Ligue 1 title in 1986.
The 1990s were among the most successful periods in PSG’s history. They claimed a second league, three French Cups, two League Cups, two French Super Cups and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1996.
After suffering a decline in fortunes during the 2000s, the Red and Blues have enjoyed a revival since 2011 with increased financial backing. They have clinched seven league titles and twenty national cups, achieving unparalleled dominance in domestic competitions.
In 2020, the club reached the UEFA Champions League final for the first time, losing to Bayern Munich.
PSG are the club with the 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 contests French football’s most notorious match, known as Le Classique.
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani owns PSG through closed shareholders Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), which purchased the club in 2011. The takeover made PSG the richest club in France and one of the wealthiest in the world.
History
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club was founded on 12 August 1970 after the merger of Paris Football Club and 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 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, Dominique Baratelli and Dominique Rocheteau.
PSG claimed their maiden league title in 1986, only to decline in subsequent seasons. 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 (QSI).
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.
The club has become a regular in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League but has yet to win it. Since 2012, PSG has reached the round of 16 each season and has advanced on to the quarterfinals on five occasions.
In 2020, PSG achieved a breakthrough, advancing to the Champions League final for the first time ever, where they lost to Bayern Munich 0–1.