Paris Saint-Germain Football Club ( commonly referred to as PSG, is a French professional association football club based in Paris, whose first team play in the highest tier of French football, the Ligue 1. The team was formed in 1970 by the merger of Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain.
Domestically, PSG have won five Ligue 1 titles, nine Coupe de France, a record five Coupe de la Ligue, five Trophée des Champions and the Ligue 2 title once. In international club football, the Parisian side have won one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and one UEFA Intertoto Cup.PSG is the joint-most successful club in France and one of only two French clubs (with Olympique de Marseille) to win a major European club competition.
The Parc des Princes has been the home stadium of PSG since 1974. The Camp des Loges has served as the club’s training centre since 1970. TheTournoi de Paris has been hosted by the capital club at Le Parc since 1975. PSG shares an intense rivalry with Marseille and contest the most notorious football match in France, known as Le Classique.PSG is the second-highest supported football club in France after rivals Marseille. Qatar Sports Investments became the club’s sole shareholder in 2012. The takeover made PSG the richest club in France and amongst the richest in the world.
The crest and shirt of the club were mainly designed by Daniel Hechter.The traditional shirt is blue with a red central vertical bar framed by white edgings.”Allez Paris Saint-Germain”, to the tune of “Go West” by Pet Shop Boys, is the official anthem of PSG. However, “Ville Lumière” is considered by the fans to be one of PSG’s most emblematic songs.Germain the Lynx is the club’s mascot. “Ici, c’est Paris!” and “Paris est magique!” are the club’s most popular mottos.
Transfer news
Eden Hazard has made up his mind to leave Chelsea but he will not be sold this month.
Paris Saint-Germain believe they are the frontrunners to sign Hazard in the summer but face competition from Spain’s Real Madrid and Germany’s Bayern Munich.
The mega-rich French club are confident they can land the playmaker and it is understood Hazard has told close friends he will leave Chelsea at the end of the season.
PSG will even try to capitalise on his unsettled situation at Stamford Bridge with a cut-price offer of around £45million, though Chelsea consider him to be worth almost double that.
Chelsea defender David Luiz was sold to PSG for £50m in 2014 and the Barclays Premier League club will demand more than that for last season’s PFA Player of the Year.
Hazard is understood to be resigned to leaving, despite having just signed a new five-year contract worth £200,000 a week last season.
A club insider said problems started when Hazard and Jose Mourinho’s relationship broke down earlier in the season and added: ‘In his head he has already left. It would take some U-turn to keep him.’
Chelsea face PSG in the Champions League last 16 at the Parc des Princes on February 16 and it will give Hazard’s potential suitors a chance to watch their top target.
Hazard wants to continue competing in Europe’s elite competition next season and Chelsea are unlikely to be able to offer him that as they sit 14th in the table.
That, though, is partly down to Hazard having struggled for form and fitness this season as Chelsea embark on the worst title defence in Premier League history.
The 24-year-old has not scored in any competition this season and went off with a groin injury after just 15 minutes on Sunday as Chelsea won 3-0 at Crystal Palace.
The squad trained at Cobham on Wednesday after being given two days off by interim manager Guus Hiddink following the win at Selhurst Park.
Despite his poor form, Hazard is still considered one of the greatest footballers in the world and PSG believe they can convince him to return to France where he previously played for Lille.
Yet Real Madrid pose a threat to PSG’s ambition after Hazard previously revealed his admiration for the Spanish giants, while Zinedine Zidane is also an idol of his.
The Frenchman took over at Real Madrid after Rafa Benitez was sacked on Monday and his presence at the Bernabeu could tempt Hazard to move to Spain instead.
Zidane said in November: ‘After Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Hazard is my favourite player. It is spectacular to see him play.
‘Do I see him going to Real Madrid? I love the player, that’s all I will say.’
PSG consider themselves an emerging force in football and think Hazard would be a world-class addition.
They have won Ligue 1 for the last three seasons under Carlo Ancelotti and Laurent Blanc, and also reached the Champions League quarter-finals last year, where they lost 5-1 on aggregate to eventual-winners Barcelona.
