Borussia Dortmund take advantage into second leg of Champions League semi-final against PSG
Niclas Fullkrug's stunning finish gave Borussia Dortmund the edge in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Paris St Germain.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The two teams were drawn against each other in the round of 16 in the 2020/21 Champions League.
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 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 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.
Niclas Fullkrug's stunning finish gave Borussia Dortmund the edge in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Paris St Germain.
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