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We present an article by BBC correspondent John Sinnott about the rebirth of the French PSG club.
Paris has survived many famous revolutions in history. This summer is no exception. It may not make it into the history books, but for football fans it won't go unnoticed: the "Paris Saint Germain" club, now in its fifth decade, has started a new phase of existence.
The reason is simple: in 2005, the club was taken over by the company "Qatar Sports Investments," led by Emir's son and heir to the Qatari throne, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Wealthy Muslims acquired 70% of PSG shares and soon appointed the famous Brazilian, former Inter Milan coach Leonardo, as general manager.
Now PSG has the potential to do what "Man City" did in England: push all competitors aside in the transfer market and, without sparing money for new footballers, become one of the strongest teams in the country or even in Europe.
The evidence of these intentions is clear. The Parisian team will soon acquire Javier Pastore, a defender from "Palermo," for 43 million euros. Yes, such amounts are no longer available only in England or Spain, but also for this French club.
It is also worth noting that over 40 million euros have already been spent on other players. They may not be the biggest stars, but undoubtedly high-level footballers, such as Jeremy Menez, Blaise Matuidi, Momo Sissoko, and others.
"I believe that in the next five or ten years PSG could completely dominate France," said Damien Comolli, director of football at "Liverpool."
London "Arsenal" scout Gilles Grimandi commented laconically: "Now they are a team from another planet."
However, the question remains - why did a team that last won the country's championship in 1994 not attract serious investors for so long. After all, this club is unique, being the only professional club in the huge city of Paris.
"If we look at the map of popular team sports, we probably wouldn't find a club in a city of 10-12 million people that is a kind of monopoly," said Comolli.
Paris, as the capital of France, undoubtedly allows for the acquisition of more players, and 22-year-old Pastore, according to Comolli, gives an impression of what strategy will be followed.
"Javier is a very talented player. I have no doubts that he will be extremely important in the PSG team and French football in general," said a football expert.
"The strategy of buying young footballers who can become global stars is correct, because England or Spain are more attractive countries for mature, well-known players," he added.
Until now, PSG has wasted talent abroad - even though 80% of the French national team members come from the capital, the only club team so far has not been able to take advantage of this.
"It's funny - talented footballers from Paris represent not PSG, but 'Rennes,' 'St Etienne,' or 'Lyon.' An example is Hatem Ben Arfa, who wore the jersey of the latter team," said Comolli.
PSG had a reputation as a club unable to grow its own players because young people from the academy didn't get a chance in the first team. However, last season, seventeen and nineteen-year-olds won their championships. The goal of such tournaments is not victory, but improvement, but the chosen direction is correct.
But "Arsenal" representative Grimandi warns: "Now the task for club officials is not easy - to find the golden mean between training young players and buying top-level players."
Comolli agrees, but paints a bright future: "Of course, it will take time, but this season PSG will compete for the title and, I believe, break into the Champions League without major problems. However, to win the Champions League, you need to develop a winners' mentality, and that takes time - just look at 'Chelsea'."
And he added: "The question arises: will the French league be competitive enough to prepare PSG for the fight for top places in the prestigious European tournament?"
Comolli did not see a threat to "Liverpool" and other clubs: "I believe that PSG will change French football, but not Europe. Liverpool will always be Liverpool, Real Madrid will always be Real, and Inter Milan will always be Inter."
