Paris Saint Germain is a famous and successful football club from France. It was founded in 1970, after the merger of Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain. It has won 9 Ligue 1 titles, 14 French Cups, 10 French League Cups and 1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. Some of its legendary players include Zlatan Ibrahimović, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, and Gianluigi Buffon. Paris Saint Germain plays its home games at the Parc des Princes, which has a capacity of over 47,000 spectators. Its main rival is Olympique de Marseille, and their matches are known as Le Classique.
The current coach of Paris Saint Germain is Christophe Galtier. He is a French coach and former player who signed the contract that will keep him at the club for the next two seasons in July 20222. He replaced Mauricio Pochettino, who left the club after one and a half seasons. He is in his first spell at the club, having previously coached Lille, Saint-Etienne and OGC Nice1. He is one of the most respected coaches in French football, having won the Ligue 1 title with Lille in 2021 and been voted Ligue 1 Coach of the Year three times. He is expected to bring his philosophy of dynamic and attacking football to Paris Saint Germain, following the footsteps of his former coach and mentor Aimé Jacquet.
There are many famous matches played by Paris Saint Germain in its history, especially in the European and domestic competitions. Here are some of the most memorable ones:
-Paris Saint Germain 6-1 Barcelona (16/17): This was one of the biggest shocks in Champions League history, as Paris Saint Germain crushed Barcelona in the first leg of the round of 16. They scored four goals in the first half, with Angel Di Maria scoring twice, and added two more in the second half, with Edinson Cavani and Julian Draxler scoring. The win gave them a huge advantage for the second leg, but they would eventually lose 6-5 on aggregate after a dramatic comeback by Barcelona.
-Paris Saint Germain 2-2 Chelsea (14/15): This was one of the most resilient performances by Paris Saint Germain in Champions League history, as they held Chelsea to a draw at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of the round of 16, despite playing with ten men for most of the match. They had lost the first leg 1-2 at home, and conceded an early goal in the second leg, but equalized through David Luiz. They then had Zlatan Ibrahimović sent off in the 31st minute, but managed to take the game to extra time. Chelsea scored again through Eden Hazard, but Paris Saint Germain leveled again through Thiago Silva. The away goals rule gave them a place in the quarter-finals.
-Paris Saint Germain 4-0 Lyon (19/20): This was one of the most dominant performances by Paris Saint Germain in Ligue 1 history, as they thrashed their rivals Lyon at the Parc des Princes. They scored four goals in the first half, with Angel Di Maria scoring twice, and Kylian Mbappé and Edinson Cavani scoring once each. The win put them 12 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and paved the way for their ninth league title.
-Paris Saint Germain 2-0 Marseille (20/21): This was one of the most heated matches in Le Classique history, as Paris Saint Germain beat Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome. The match was marred by a brawl that broke out in stoppage time, resulting in five red cards, including Neymar and Álvaro González. Neymar accused González of racism, while González denied it and accused Neymar of homophobia. The goals were scored by Kylian Mbappé and Mauro Icardi.
-Paris Saint Germain 2-0 Rapid Wien (95/96): This was one of the most historic matches for Paris Saint Germain, as they won their first and only European trophy, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. They beat Rapid Wien at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, with goals from Bruno N’Gotty and Patrick Kluivert. The win made them the second French club to win a major European title, after Marseille.
These are just some examples of famous matches played by Paris Saint Germain.
The captain of Paris Saint Germain is Marquinhos. He is a Brazilian defender who joined the club in 2013 from Roma. He has won 25 trophies with Paris Saint Germain, including 7 Ligue 1 titles and 1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. He is also a regular member of the Brazil national team, having played in the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 Copa América, which Brazil won1. He was appointed as the captain of Paris Saint Germain in 2020, following the departure of Thiago Silva1. He is known for his leadership, versatility, and aerial ability.