History of Paris Saint-Germain FC

Steered by players such as Safet Sušić, Luis Fernandez and Dominique Rocheteau, the Parisians claimed two consecutive French Cup titles in 1982 and 1983 followed by their maiden league championship in 1986, after which they went into decline.

Since then, Paris have spent heavily on the signings of world-class players such as Zlatan Ibrahimović, Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani, Ángel Di María and, most notably, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, the world's two most expensive transfers in football history.

[1][8] Paris FC contributed with the financial backing, while Stade Saint-Germain provided the sporting infrastructure, from the Division 2 status to the Camp des Loges training center, as well as the manager Pierre Phelipon and most of the players, including Bernard Guignedoux, Michel Prost and Camille Choquier.

[8][18] Some of these gifted youngsters included Éric Renaut, Othniel Dossevi, Michel Marella, Jacques Laposte and, most notably, Christian André, the main architect of the rise to Division 2 thanks to his 27 goals in 35 games.

[5][14] Hechter then shocked the national game ahead of 1973–74 by appointing French legend Just Fontaine as sporting director and signing several prestigious players, including Jean-Pierre Dogliani, Jean Deloffre, Louis Cardiet and Jacky Bade.

Reinforced with Dutch legend Johan Cruyff and Serbian star Dragan Džajić for the occasion, PSG narrowly lost to Spanish side Valencia in the final in front of a sold-out Parc des Princes.

[42] Jean-Michel Larqué, who had recently hung up his boots to become the new PSG manager in 1977–78, was quickly forced to put them back on to fill the void left by the failed transfer of Lyon playmaker Serge Chiesa.

Led by an attacking trio made up of Rocheteau himself, Nambatingue Toko and Boubacar Sarr, with Mustapha Dahleb pulling the strings from the number 10 position, PSG managed their most promising season so far.

[55] The expectation was huge for 1982–83 and PSG strengthened their squad with European Golden Shoe winner Kees Kist, 1978 FIFA World Cup champion Osvaldo Ardiles and, most notably, Yugoslav wizard Safet Sušić, who remains to this day one of the club's greatest players ever.

[55] Following a comfortable victory over Swansea City,[58] the quarter-final draw appeared to be perfect as Paris avoided top teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Inter Milan.

[46][54] PSG were really close to eliminating Juve in the return leg in Turin, with a free-kick from Sušić hitting the post and Jean-Marc Pilorget missing a clear chance just before the final whistle.

The double title holders of the Coupe de France were eliminated at the first hurdle and, then, a bad run towards the end of the campaign saw Leduc resign as Paris face the prospect of missing out on European football.

[63] Georges Peyroche was sacked by Francis Borelli in March 1985 due to poor results, but his replacement, Christian Coste, could not steady ship and PSG finished the league in 13th place.

[70] Erick Mombaerts was named manager but he also failed to steer the ship and PSG finished the year in the relegation zone, prompting Houllier's return in February 1988 for the second half of the campaign.

[78][79] Pre-season saw PSG sign a deal with American sportswear brand Nike as their new kit manufacturer from this campaign onwards, while a young Daniel Bravo joined the club.

[46][82] On a bright note, the under-19 side of the PSG Academy won the club's first Coupe Gambardella against Auxerre (1–1; 3–1 on penalties) with future first-team players Pascal Nouma, Bernard Allou and Richard Dutruel leading the squad.

The revolution began with the appointment of renowned coach Artur Jorge, famous for leading Porto to the 1986–87 European Cup trophy, and the departure of eleven players including Jocelyn Angloma, Michel Bibard, Philippe Jeannol and PSG legend Safet Sušić.

[83][84] The club then embarked on a spending spree, signing Brazilian internationals Ricardo and Valdo, proven French players Paul Le Guen, Laurent Fournier, Bernard Pardo, Bruno Germain and Patrick Colleter, and promising young star David Ginola.

Despite criticism over Artur Jorge's solid but unpleasant playing style, PSG managed to achieve the goal set at the beginning of the campaign as they qualified for the UEFA Cup after finishing 3rd in the league.

[84] Led by Bernard Lama, who replaced the recently retired Joël Bats in goal, fellow French talents Alain Roche and Vincent Guérin, and prolific Liberian marksman George Weah, the Red and Blues reached a European semifinal for the first time in their history in 1992–93.

[87][88] After an easy first round against PAOK, PSG defeated Napoli and Anderlecht — two resounding European names but whose best days had already passed — and qualified for the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup where they were paired with the great Real Madrid.

Paris were given a free kick near Real's area in the final seconds of regular time and Antoine Kombouaré, just like against Anderlecht in the previous round, rose higher than anyone else to send his team to the semifinals with a fantastic header that made him a club legend.

Bernard Lama, Alain Roche, Paul Le Guen, Vincent Guérin, David Ginola and Youri Djorkaeff all enjoyed stints with France, while Ricardo, Valdo, Raí and Leonardo were regulars for Brazil.

[4] Paris Saint-Germain were transformed into a top team in 2011, when the club was purchased by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) after two years of solid progress and stability under the stewardship of manager Antoine Kombouaré and president Robin Leproux.

[13] Despite finishing behind Montpellier in 2011–12, the elusive league crown was finally brought back to Paris in 2012–13 driven by star player Zlatan Ibrahimović, team captain Thiago Silva and famous manager Carlo Ancelotti.

[112][113] However, Blanc's teams were never able to advance past the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, a goal that president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and ownership group QSI made clear was the ultimate benchmark for the club's success.

[113][117] But, with Parisian fans promised European glory in light of their massive expenditure, these victories on the national stage were not enough after their UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid in the round of 16.

However, the club did make the semi-finals of the Champions League for the second time in a row, notably eliminating Barcelona and Bayern Munich before falling short of the final at the hands of Manchester City.

[131] Ahead of the 2021–22 season, Paris Saint-Germain completed the signings of seven players; Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Lionel Messi, Danilo Pereira,[132] Sergio Ramos, and Georginio Wijnaldum.

[133] Later in the season, PSG went on to reclaim the Ligue 1 title,[134] but fell short in the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid in the round of 16, a tie amplified by the uncertainty surrounding Kylian Mbappé's future.