Team History
Paris Saint-Germain, or PSG, as they are popularly known, are a French football club who play in Ligue 1, the highest football league in France. Unlike some of their other older rivals, one only has to turn the clock back by a few decades to go back to the time PSG came into existence . PSG was founded in May 1970 by the fusion of Paris FC and Baptiste Stade Saint Germain, which was necessitated by the fact that the city of Paris did not then have a worthy club of its own to support. Like the city they are based in, PSG have a certain aura about them and are one of the most popular clubs in France today. For a club so young, they have made rapid strides, both domestically and in Europe. PSG were one of the founding members of the elite G-14 group of clubs, which was disbanded in 2008. They are only one of two French sides to have tasted success in Europe, which they did by beating Rapid Vienna in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Final in 1996.
Where do they play
PSG play their home games at the Parc des Princes in Paris. The Parc des Princes was the national stadium of the country before it was replaced by the Stade De France. It can accommodate close to 49,000 spectators. The stadium has been witness to some of the finest matches featuring PSG, one of them being the 1993 European Cup quarterfinal game against Real Madrid. PSG had won the first leg 1-0 in Spain, and in the return leg, Los Merengues scored a late goal that leveled the tie on aggregate. Deep into injury time, current PSG manager Antoine Kombouare ran up the pitch and headed home from a corner to knock Real out of the competition. PSG’s current home jersey, made by Nike, is navy blue in color with red pinstripes. To get to the stadium,the Paris metro is the best way to travel. Either take the No.9 line running between Pont de Sèvres and Montreuil and get down at Porte de Saint Cloud, or take the No.10 line operating between Pont de Saint-Cloud and Gare d’Austerlitz, and get down at Porte d’Autueil.
Why to watch them play
Although PSG have not finished in the top three in the league for the last few years, they are not a team to be taken lightly. This is the same club for which the likes of Nicolas Anelka, Ronaldinho, David Ginola and George Weah have played for in the past. In the 2008-09 season, they had the second highest average attendance in France, ahead of winners Bordeaux and defending champions Lyon. Former Chelsea and Real Madrid midfielder Claude Makelele is the captain of the team. Mateja Kezman, Guillaume Hoarau and Peguy Luyindula are their chief attackers. Former Le Havre strike Hoarau is certainly one to watch out for, having been referred to by former PSG president Alain Cayzac as “the club’s signing of the century”. Playmaker Stephane Sessegnon and winger Jerome Rothen provide flair in midfield. And just like a visit to Madrid is incomplete without seeing Real in action, a visit to the French capital is also incomplete if you do not see a PSG game.
Ticket Information
Pricing varies with the teams in action, and your choice of seat category. You could get a ticket for as low as €25 ($35) when teams like Toulouse, Rennes, Nancy etc. are in action at Parc des Princes. When the likes of Lyon come visiting, tickets in the best area of the stadium can make your wallet lighter by €145 ($208)
Team History
Paris Saint-Germain, or PSG, as they are popularly known, are a French football club who play in Ligue 1, the highest football league in France. Unlike some of their other older rivals, one only has to turn the clock back by a few decades to go back to the time PSG came into existence . PSG was founded in May 1970 by the fusion of Paris FC and Baptiste Stade Saint Germain, which was necessitated by the fact that the city of Paris did not then have a worthy club of its own to support. Like the city they are based in, PSG have a certain aura about them and are one of the most popular clubs in France today. For a club so young, they have made rapid strides, both domestically and in Europe. PSG were one of the founding members of the elite G-14 group of clubs, which was disbanded in 2008. They are only one of two French sides to have tasted success in Europe, which they did by beating Rapid Vienna in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Final in 1996.
Where they play
PSG play their home games at the Parc des Princes in Paris. The Parc des Princes was the national stadium of the country before it was replaced by the Stade De France. It can accommodate close to 49,000 spectators. The stadium has been witness to some of the finest matches featuring PSG, one of them being the 1993 European Cup quarterfinal game against Real Madrid. PSG had won the first leg 1-0 in Spain, and in the return leg, Los Merengues scored a late goal that leveled the tie on aggregate. Deep into injury time, current PSG manager Antoine Kombouare ran up the pitch and headed home from a corner to knock Real out of the competition. PSG’s current home jersey, made by Nike, is navy blue in color with red pinstripes. To get to the stadium,the Paris metro is the best way to travel. Either take the No.9 line running between Pont de Sèvres and Montreuil and get down at Porte de Saint Cloud, or take the No.10 line operating between Pont de Saint-Cloud and Gare d’Austerlitz, and get down at Porte d’Autueil.
Why to watch them play
Although PSG have not finished in the top three in the league for the last few years, they are not a team to be taken lightly. This is the same club for which the likes of Nicolas Anelka, Ronaldinho, David Ginola and George Weah have played for in the past. In the 2008-09 season, they had the second highest average attendance in France, ahead of winners Bordeaux and defending champions Lyon. Former Chelsea and Real Madrid midfielder Claude Makelele is the captain of the team. Mateja Kezman, Guillaume Hoarau and Peguy Luyindula are their chief attackers. Former Le Havre strike Hoarau is certainly one to watch out for, having been referred to by former PSG president Alain Cayzac as “the club’s signing of the century”. Playmaker Stephane Sessegnon and winger Jerome Rothen provide flair in midfield. And just like a visit to Madrid is incomplete without seeing Real in action, a visit to the French capital is also incomplete if you do not see a PSG game.
Ticket Information
Pricing varies with the teams in action, and your choice of seat category. You could get a ticket for as low as €25 ($35) when teams like Toulouse, Rennes, Nancy etc. are in action at Parc des Princes. When the likes of Lyon come visiting, tickets in the best area of the stadium can make your wallet lighter by €145 ($208)
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August 23rd, 2008 at 11:02 am
[...] to introduce our Paris sports tourism site. We definitely need more sports articles, currently PSG soccer is the only sports article on the site. Obviously tourist attractions will be no trouble at [...]
August 9th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
[...] Paris St.Germain, who finished sixth in Ligue 1 last year, needed seventy minutes to break the deadlock as Montpellier frustrated their more illustrious opponents after the dismissal of Cyril Jeunechamp for a second bookable offence in the 33rd minute. [...]