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PSG's journey from relegation scare to international glory
- In 2008, Paris Saint-Germain avoided relegation to Ligue 2 by the skin of their teeth
- Seventeen years on, they are targeting the Club World Cup title after being crowned European champions
- Ahead of their quarter-final against FC Bayern München, FIFA chronicles their incredible resurrection
For fans of Paris Saint-Germain, 2008 must feel like a long time ago. It was then that the French club dodged relegation to the second tier, but fast forward 17 years and the Les Rouge et Bleu are reigning UEFA Champions League winners and have earned a boatload of trophies in the last decade-and-a-half.
FIFA looks back on the journey that has taken PSG to Europe’s zenith and the precipice of global glory in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.
2008: Disaster averted
On 17 May 2008, PSG’s place in the French top flight was in genuine jeopardy. Granted, the Parisians had climbed out of the drop zone on the previous matchday, capitalising on defeats from fellow strugglers Lens and Toulouse. However, with just a one-point cushion over both of those clubs and an inferior goal difference to the latter, PSG were far from home and dry.
After taking the lead away to Sochaux in their curtain-closer, the team from the capital sat back and were punished when they conceded an equaliser. With their fans nervously biting their fingernails while keeping an eye on proceedings elsewhere, Amara Diane emerged as the hero in the 83rd minute, straining every sinew to get to the ball ahead of a defender and poke home the winner. That goal kept Paul Le Guen’s side up and ensurd that legendary club captain Pedro Pauleta did not endure the ignominy of relegation in the final season of his career.
2008 strongest XI: Mickael Landreau; Sylvain Armand, Mario Yepes, Zoumana Camara, Ceara; Jerome Rothen, Jeremy Clement, Gregory Bourillon, Clement Chantome; Pedro Pauleta, Amara Diane
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2008-11: Progress on the pitch, upheaval off it
The club was plagued by instability at the top during this period, which featured several changes at ownership level and six different people serving as President. The dugout was not immune to this turmoil either, with Le Guen being replaced by former team-mate and fellow club legend Antoine Kombouare as head coach in mid-2009. Nevertheless, a revamped squad tuned out these off-pitch distractions and acquitted themselves impressively. With big-name signings Claude Makelele and Ludovic Giuly proving particularly inspirational, the team made major strides, finishing as high as fourth in 2010-11 and reaching back-to-back Coupe de France finals, of which they won the first.
PSG also put themselves back on the map on the European stage. After making it to the quarter-finals in the last edition of the UEFA Cup in 2008-09, they enjoyed a run to the round of 16 in the rebranded UEFA Europa League in 2010-11, having notably twice held Borussia Dortmund to draws in the group stage.
2011 strongest XI: Apoula Edel; Siaka Tiene, Mamadou Sakho, Sylvain Armand, Christophe Jallet; Jeremy Clement, Claude Makelele, Nene, Ludovic Giuly; Mevlut Erding, Guillaume Hoarau
2011-15: Leap into the stratosphere
A massive and high-profile turning point came in June 2011, when the club was taken over by QSi, a government-operated sports investment fund from Qatar. Newly-found financial firepower kicked things up a gear. As well as troopers such as Maxwell, Thiago Motta and Thiago Silva, the club splashed out on stars in the shape of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Beckham and Edinson Cavani, plus hot prospects such as Marco Verratti, Lucas Moura and Marquinhos.
This was a period of transformation off the pitch too, including a name change (with “FC” being dropped) and a new logo, as the club entered a different dimension internationally. A first Ligue 1 title since 1994 was secured in 2013 – ten more have followed in the subsequent 12 years – and the PSG brand skyrocketed.
2015 strongest XI: Salvatore Sirigu; Maxwell, David Luiz, Thiago Silva, Gregory van der Wiel; Thiago Motta, Blaise Matuidi, Marco Verratti; Javier Pastore, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani
2015-23: Domestic success but European disappointment
Despite their virtual stranglehold on domestic silverware, Les Rouge et Bleu continued to come up against a glass ceiling at continental level. Following four straight Champions League quarter-final eliminations from 2013 to 2016, they bowed out a round earlier in embarrassing fashion the following season. Leading 4-0 after the first leg of their last-16 tie against Barcelona, they crumbled in the return match, going down 6-1 and crashing out despite being two goals to the good on aggregate until the 88th minute. This now infamous setback prompted the club to go all out, in line with its slogan: Dream Bigger. Accordingly, big-money deals were agreed to snap up Neymar – then at the peak of his powers, and a key figure for Barça in that iconic Champions League turnaround – and teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe.
Four years on, with the club’s President, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, having invested heavily in search of the “new Lionel Messi”, he went one better by luring the Argentinian maestro himself. Messi linked up with Neymar and Mbappe to form the much-vaunted MNM. Yet European success, or rather the lack of it, remained the yardstick by which the club would be judged – and harshly at that. While it is true that PSG suffered a number of early exits in the round of 16, they also reached the trophy decider in 2020 and the semi-finals the following year. However, the nature of their defeats on both of these occasions will have been particularly tough to swallow.
In the 2020 final, against Bayern München, PSG succumbed to a solitary goal from their own academy graduate, Kingsley Coman, who had left the Parc des Princes due to a lack of opportunities. A year on, they were outclassed by Manchester City, losing out 4-1 on aggregate. A 3-0 reverse over two legs in the last 16 against none other than Bayern in 2023 brought this chapter to a close.
2023 strongest XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Nuno Mendes, Presnel Kimpembe, Marquinhos, Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi; Marco Verratti, Vitinha; Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Lionel Messi
2023-25: A gilded era with Luis Enrique
The first signs of change came in 2022, when Luis Campos was installed as sporting director – Leonardo, Patrick Kluivert and Antero Henrique had previously traded places in this hot seat – and duly brought in Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz, who would later establish themselves as linchpins.
However, the real revolution would follow at the end of the 2022-23 season, with a string of players departing, headed by Neymar, Messi, Ramos and Verratti. The club put its faith in youth – signing Bradley Barcola, Lee Kangin and Goncalo Ramos (all aged between 20 and 22 at the time) – and in a coach known for a demanding style of play that gets results: Luis Enrique.
Having overcome PSG during his time at Barcelona, the Spanish tactician was given free rein to apply his philosophy at the Parc des Princes. His first season in charge yielded league and cup glory and a creditable Champions League campaign that ended with a 2-0 aggregate loss to Dortmund in the semi-finals.
The time had come for the remaining member of the MNM to bid farewell, with Mbappe joining Real Madrid C. F. in June last year. After experimenting with various formations and moulding the team in his own image, Luis Enrique alighted on the magic formula and guided PSG to a historic treble, landing the Champions League title that the club had long coveted to go with another domestic double.
The Parisian outfit now set their sights on the Club World Cup. “We’re in it to win it,” said Luis Enrique. On the evidence of their masterclasses against Atlético de Madrid and Inter Miami CF, who were each put to the sword 4-0 in the Group B curtain-raiser and the round of 16, respectively, PSG have every chance of living up to those ambitions. The next step is to get the better of old foes Bayern in the quarter-finals this Saturday, 5 July at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
2025 strongest XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Marquinhos; Vitinha; Fabian Ruiz; Joao Neves; Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue
