Paris Saint-Germain have gone from mid-table dwellers to European title contenders, and are now the dominant force of French football.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are a French football club who currently compete in Ligue 1, the country's top flight.

PSG were founded as recently as 1970 and over the years they have seen many high-profile players represent them including Ronaldinho, George Weah, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

However, PSG are most famous for their domestic success since 2011, when they were taken over by Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, ruler of Qatar.

But while PSG have enjoyed an abundance of domestic succcess in France, the Champions League remains their priority, and the club are yet to win the prestigious European title, coming closest after finishing runners-up to Bayern Munich in 2020.

 

Early history

On August 12, 1970, Paris Saint-Germain were formed as a result of a merger between Paris Football Club and Stade Saint-Germain. They won Ligue 2 and earned promotion to Ligue 1 in their first season.

In 1972, the club split again, with PSG relegated via the boardrooms into Division 3. Paris FC remained in Ligue 1. However, PSG soon surpassed Paris FC and 1974 saw them win promotion back to the top flight. The club also moved into the Parc des Princes stadium.

In 1982, PSG won their first major trophy - the 1982 Coupe de France. They won their first French top-flight title in 1986 but subsequently fell into decline prior to being taken over by television company Canal+.

 

The first golden era

The 1990s saw PSG enjoy their first golden era. They won the Ligue 1 title in 1993/94 and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup two years later. Furthermore, the decade saw them win the Coupe de France in 1992/93, 1994/95 and 1997/98. David Ginola, George Weah and Rai were key players in a side which was consistently competitive in France and Europe.

PSG struggled in the 2000s to replicate their 1990s form despite having talented players such as Ronaldinho and Pauleta on their books.

In 2001, PSG signed attacking midfielder Ronaldinho in a €5million transfer from Gremio. He came into a side which also featured Jay-Jay Okocha, Nicolas Anelka and Aloisio Jose da Silva.

The Brazilian impressed in the 2001/02 campaign, scoring nine goals in 28 Ligue 1 appearances. However, he was criticised by manager Luis Fernandez for allegedly being too focused on partying and matters outside of soccer.

Ronaldinho didn't quite hit the same heights in 2002/03. After PSG finished 11th in Ligue 1 and missed out on qualification for European competitions, he left to join Barcelona.

The sale financed the arrival of Pauleta from Bordeaux in a transfer reportedly worth €12million. The Portugal striker went on to score 109 goals in 211 matches for PSG in a five-year spell.

Pauleta retired from soccer at the end of the 2007/08 season, which saw PSG narrowly avoid relegation. The player later made a brief comeback with Sao Roque in Brazil.

New golden era

State-backed Qatar Sports Investments bought a 70% stake in PSG in June 2011. They bought the remaining 30% from Colony Capital early in 2012. At the time, PSG had not won Ligue 1 since 1994.

Leonardo became PSG's director of football and Carlo Ancelotti became their manager in January 2012. Javier Pastore, Thiago Motta and Jeremy Menez were among the early signings.

Between 2012/13 and 2015/16, PSG won four league titles in a row. Thiago Silva, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani were key players during this era. Despite changes in management, PSG repeatedly fell short of landing the Champions League trophy.

In 2016/17, PSG lost the Ligue 1 title race to AS Monaco. They responded with the world record €222million transfer of Neymar from Barcelona, while also signing Kylian Mbappe on loan in a deal which would go on to become permanent.

PSG won Ligue 1 in 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2021/22. But still the Champions League has eluded them. Thomas Tuchel came closest to bringing Europe's showpiece back to Paris in 2020, but his side fell just short in the final, losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the final.

PSG added Lionel Messi to their squad ahead of the 2021/22 season, hoping the magical Argentine would help in their quest for European glory.

But the former Barcelona star was unable to have the desired impact in Paris - while the club was able to win Ligue 1 again, they suffered defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16.

In the 2021/22 domestic season PSG stormed to the Ligue 1 title, with Kylian Mbappe netting 28 goals to become top scorer for the fourth consecutive season. His 17 assists made him the first player to be named top scorer and top assister in Ligue 1 history.

Mauricio Pochettino's failure in Europe, despite having an all-star line-up featuring Neymar, Messi and Mbappe, meant he was always on borrowed time at the French giants.

Despite delivering the 2021/22 Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de France in 2021, he was sacked in July 2022, and quickly replaced by ex-Lille coach Christophe Galtier.

In the 2022/23 season, Galtier delivered a record 11th Ligue 1 title as well as the Trophee des Champions. However, they got knocked out in the last-16 of the Champions League and Messi and Sergio Ramos decided to leave the club at the end of their contracts.

However, Galtier was sacked at the end of the season and replaced by former Spain and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique.

Paris St Germain were crowned Ligue 1 champions for a record-extending 12th time in April 2024 after second-placed Monaco lost 3-2 at Lyon.

The latest success for Enrique’s side meant Mbappe, whose contract expired in the summer, departed the French capital with seven league titles.

However, once again European glory eluded them in the 2023/24 season as they exited the Champions League at the semi-final stage after a 2-0 aggregate defeat to Borussia Dortmund.

Mbappe celebrated his final Paris St Germain appearance by lifting the Coupe de France after a 2-1 win over Lyon following first-half goals from Ousmane Dembele and Fabian Ruiz.

Enrique’s side endured a nervy final 35 minutes after Jake O’Brien pulled one back but Mbappe – PSG’s record scorer with 256 goals – was not to be denied a memorable send-off.

PSG's biggest rivals

PSG have had several fiercely contested Champions League ties against Chelsea. One particularly heated matchup was in 2014/15, as PSG progressed to the quarter-finals with David Luiz scoring against his old club. Zlatan Ibrahimovic had been controversially sent off following pressure from Chelsea players against the referee.

There is also a rivalry between PSG and Barcelona, largely as a result of their shared history in the Champions League. In 2017, Barca overturned a 4-0 deficit to knock PSG out of the competition, only for PSG to sign Neymar later that year.

The two teams were drawn against each other in the round of 16 in the 2020/21 Champions League.

PSG also have a bitter rivalry with Marseille, who are one of the traditional powers of French soccer but have struggled for glory during PSG's era of dominance. There is also a rivalry with AS Monaco borne out of competing for honours.

The fanbase

PSG have gained a global following as a result of their superstar signings and their dominance of French soccer. However, there is still some way to go before they can truly catch the established European elite.

Locally, PSG have a passionate and loyal fanbase which has existed for some time. Many longstanding PSG supporters can now enjoy the success they craved for some time.

 

PSG's finances

PSG announced a club record €637.8million in revenue for the 2018/19 financial year. This was a far cry from the financial difficulties they had prior to investments from Qatar.

PSG are the 7th most valuable soccer club in the world according to Forbes. Their team value was $4.21billion as calculated in May 2023.

Apart from the mega-money Neymar transfer, Kylian Mbappe cost PSG €180million. This was also one of the most expensive soccer transfers of all time.

In 2019, PSG won a legal battle against UEFA, who were investigating alleged breaches of their Financial Fair Play rules, via the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The investigation had initially begun in 2017. Questions were raised regarding how PSG had been able to sign Neymar for such an astronomically high fee by the club's rivals.

In May 2022, Mbappe extended his contract with PSG until 2025 to make himself the highest-paid player in world football on wages of around £1m a week, with a £100m signing-on fee.

PSG have also made concessions over image rights and bonus payments for goals, Ballon d'Or honours and Champions League success.

Once again questions have been raised over how PSG funded the deal.