Paris Saint-Germain wins second Champions League, popularity soars

Paris Saint-Germain secured a second consecutive UEFA Champions League title, becoming the first club to win the competition twice. The following day, thousands of supporters gathered along the Champs-de-Mars and inside the Parc des Princes to greet the champions. A new survey indicates that support for Les Parisiens is expanding across France. The poll involved 1,511 French respondents and showed a marked rise in the club’s popularity and reputation. Seventy‑three percent said PSG enhances France’s image internationally, while 71 % believe the club promotes French football and 67 % feel it makes French people proud. Among those who watched the UCL final against Arsenal, 77 % wanted the Ligue 1 side to win, and 84 % back PSG when they face foreign opponents in European competition. Sixty‑seven percent now hold a positive image of PSG, associating the team with hard work (73 %) and solidarity (69 %). By achieving the back‑to‑back, PSG joined Olympique de Marseille as the only French clubs to have won the Champions League, with Marseille’s triumph recorded in 1993. Sixty‑five percent of respondents consider PSG one of the greatest teams in French sport history, and 43 % rank the club first among iconic French football sides, ahead of Marseille’s 1990s team (14 %) and AS Saint‑Étienne’s 1970s side (13 %). President Emmanuel Macron echoed the poll’s sentiment during the title celebrations, stating, “Thanks to PSG, France, in two years, has done what it hadn’t done in 70 years – win two Champions League titles. You are the pride of Paris and of the whole of France.” The article was compiled by Luke Entwistle.