PSG F.C
club’s sole shareholder in 2012. The takeover made PSG the richest club in France and amongst the richest in the world. Paris Saint-Germain are the best paid team in global sport according to Sportingintelligence’s Global Sports Salaries Survey (GSSS) for 2015, compiled in association with ESPN The Magazine.
The crest and shirt of Les Parisiens were mainly designed by Daniel Hechter. The traditional shirt is blue with a red central vertical bar framed by white edgings. “Allez Paris Saint-Germain”, to the tune of “Go West” by Pet Shop Boys, is the official anthem of PSG. However, “Ville Lumiere” is considered by the fans to be one of PSG’s most emblematic songs. Germain the Lynx is the club’s mascot.
Towards the end of the 1960s, an ambitious group of businessmen decided to create a major club in the French capital. They chose to merge their virtual side, Paris FC, with Stade Saint-Germain after the team from Saint-Germain-en-Laye, located 15 kilometres west of Paris, won promotion to Ligue 2. The merger was ratified by the French Football Federation (FFF) and the new outfit, Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, came into being in 1970.
PSG made an immediate impact both on and off the pitch, building a substantial fanbase and winning promotion in their first season. Their momentum was soon checked, however, and the club split in 1972; Paris FC remained in the top-flight while PSG was demoted to Division 3. Two seasons later, however, PSG returned to Ligue 1, moving into the Parc des Princes in 1974.