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Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (French pronunciation: [paʁi sɛ̃ ʒɛʁmɛ̃]), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain or simply PSG, is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As France's most successful club, they have won 50 official honours, including twelve league titles and one major European trophy. Their home ground is the Parc des Princes, located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris near the Boulogne-Billancourt commune.
The Parisians were founded in 1970, following the merger of Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain. PSG won their first major honour, the French Cup, in 1982 and their first Division 1 title in 1986. The 1990s was among the most successful periods in the club's history; they claimed a second league title, three French Cups, two French 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 when they were taken over by Qatar Sports Investments. With considerable financial investment, the team has achieved unparalleled dominance in domestic competitions, winning multiple league titles and national cups. PSG have also become a regular feature in the UEFA Champions League, reaching their first final in 2020.
PSG have the most consecutive seasons playing in France's top flight and are one of two French clubs to have won a major European title. They are 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, and their crest features the Eiffel Tower and a fleur-de-lis. The team has a longstanding rivalry with Marseille, against whom they contest Le Classique.
Since 2011, Paris Saint-Germain have been majority-owned by Qatari government-backed investment fund Qatar Sports Investments, which currently holds 87.5% of the shares. American investment firm Arctos Partners owns the remaining 12.5%. PSG are the richest club in France and one of the wealthiest in the world. PSG currently have the third-highest revenue in the footballing world with annual earnings of €802m according to Deloitte, and are the world's seventh-most valuable football club, worth $4.21 billion according to Forbes.
History
Creation and split (1970–1973)
In the summer of 1970, an ambitious group of businessmen decided to create a major team in the French capital.[1][2] Guy Crescent and Pierre-Étienne Guyot chose to merge their virtual side, Paris FC, created in 1969, with Stade Saint-Germain of Henri Patrelle after the team from Saint-Germain-en-Laye, 15 km west of Paris and founded in 1904, won promotion to Division 2.[1][2][3] However, the three men were stuck with the financial feasibility of the project until they met Real Madrid president Santiago Bernabéu.[4][5] He told them that starting a crowdfunding campaign was the best solution to establish a new team. 20,000 people backed the project and Paris Saint-Germain were formed on 17 June 1970.[4] Guyot was elected the club's first president a few days later.[1][6][7] For the first time in French football history, the fans had financially contributed in the making of a club.[8] The merger was made official following the creation of the club's association on 12 August 1970.[6] PSG retains this day as their foundation date.[1]
Paris FC contributed with the financial backing, while Stade Saint-Germain provided the sporting infrastructure, from the Division 2 status to the Camp des Loges training center, as well as the manager Pierre Phelipon and most of the players, including Bernard Guignedoux, Michel Prost and Camille Choquier.[9] PSG further strengthened their squad with the signing of Jean Djorkaeff, captain of the French national team.[10] PSG's first official game was a 1–1 league draw away to Poitiers on 23 August 1970. Guignedoux scored the club's first ever goal from a free-kick.[11] The club went on to clinch promotion to Division 1 and claim the Division 2 title in its inaugural season.[2][12]
PSG's first top-flight season ended with a safe 16th place, meaning they would stay in Division 1 next year, but behind the scenes the club was in a delicate financial situation.[9][13] Back in September 1971, the Paris City Council offered 850k francs to pay the club's debt and save its place in the elite, demanding PSG in return to adopt the more Parisian name "Paris Football Club."[9][14] Crescent, who had replaced Guyot as club president before the start of the season, was in favor of the name change, but Patrelle was against it.[3][15] The disagreement led to Crescent's resignation in December 1971, handing the presidency to Patrelle.[14] The latter tried to persuade the council to reconsider their position, but they remained inflexible and the club split on 1 June 1972, a few days after the last match of the campaign.[9][14][16] Backed by the council, Crescent re-formed Paris FC and remained in Division 1, while the PSG of Patrelle were administratively relegated to Division 3, thus losing professional status.[3][9][10]
Top-flight return and Parc des Princes move (1973–1978)
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Paris Saint-Germain really took flight with the arrival of fashion designer Daniel Hechter as chairman of the management committee in June 1973.[1][17] Besides offering his financial support to the club, he also designed the team's classic home outfit.[13][18] Hechter then shocked the national game ahead of 1973–74 by appointing French legend Just Fontaine as sporting director.[9][10]
Robert Vicot's men finished second in Group B, four points behind Red Star, qualifying for the promotion play–offs against Valenciennes. PSG lost 1–2 away to Valenciennes, but PSG recorded an incredible 4–2 comeback at the Parc des Princes, thus achieving promotion to Division 1 and regaining its professional status abandoned two years earlier.[9][19] Overwhelmed by emotion, Fontaine collapsed on the lawn and was then carried by the players in celebration.[19][20] Since then, PSG have always played in the first tier of French football.[19]
PSG played their first game at the Parc des Princes during this campaign. It was against fellow Parisian side Red Star on 10 November 1973. PSG won 3–1 and Othniel Dossevi scored the club's first goal at the stadium.[21] The Parisians also began their tradition of brilliant Coupe de France runs, reaching the quarterfinals after beating Metz at the Parc in front of 25,000 spectators (2–1; 4–1 on aggregate).[22]
In an ironic turn of events, Paris FC were relegated to Division 2 at the same time as Paris Saint-Germain moved up to the top flight in 1974, leaving their home stadium, the Parc des Princes, in the hands of their estranged Parisian brothers. Since then, the Parc has been the home of PSG.[9][16] With promotion to Division 1 also came a change of command. Daniel Hechter, then chairman of the management committee, took over as club president in June 1974 following the resignation of Patrelle.[17][23] He named Francis Borelli as vice-president.[18][22]
Under Hechter's tenure, the Parisians failed to win any silverware in the 1970s but began their tradition of brilliant Coupe de France runs, established themselves in Division 1, and attracted several prestigious players, including Jean-Pierre Dogliani, Mustapha Dahleb and Carlos Bianchi.[9][10] After Hechter was banned for life from football by the French Football Federation in January 1978, for running a ticketing scheme at the Parc des Princes, Francis Borelli, who had been vice-president until then, became the new boss of the Île-de-France club.[9][18][22]
First major honours and decline (1978–1991)
Following the arrival of manager Georges Peyroche in November 1979,[24] the club established itself as a top-half team and then welcomed its first major honour when the Parisians reached their first French Cup final in 1982.[13][25][26][27] Up against the great Saint-Étienne of Michel Platini at the Parc des Princes, Nambatingue Toko opened the scoring for PSG following a good cross from Ivica Šurjak. Saint-Étienne reacted and Platini equalized to send the game to extra-time. Platini then doubled his personal account, giving the Greens the lead.[20][21][28] The Parc des Princes faithful no longer believed in their team when Dominique Rocheteau, after yet another assist from Šurjak, scored an unexpected equalizer in the last seconds of the match.[20][21] PSG fans invaded the field in joy, while club president Francis Borelli kneeled and kissed the lawn of the Parc.[20][28] Following an interruption of 30 minutes, the penalty shootout sealed PSG's coronation.[21][28] Dominique Baratelli stopped Saint-Étienne's last attempt and Jean-Marc Pilorget scored the winning penalty for the capital side.[20][28] This success opened the doors to Europe, where PSG made an impressive continental debut in reaching the quarterfinals of the 1982–83 European Cup Winners' Cup.[12][29]
On the domestic scene, results were just as satisfying. PSG captured their first podium finish, coming in third place, and repeated the feat in the 1983 Coupe de France Final, this time against Nantes.[10][30] Recently crowned French champions, the Canaries were headed for the league-cup double, leading at the break after overturning Pascal Zaremba's early strike. But PSG managed their own comeback in the second half as Sušić equalized and then assisted Toko for the winning goal (3–2).[25][29][30] The campaign ended on a sad note, though, as Georges Peyroche left the club.[31]
Three years later, under the guidance of manager Gérard Houllier, PSG claimed their maiden league crown in 1985–86.[10][32] They dominated the championship from start to finish thanks in big part to the likes of Joël Bats, Dominique Bathenay, Luis Fernandez, Dominique Rocheteau and Safet Sušić, all of whom made up the backbone of the team.[9][25] The victory away to Toulouse on Matchday 3 meant PSG sat at the top of the table for the first time ever, a spot they never relinquished, going a memorable 26 matches without defeat towards the title.[9][25][32]
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