When Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi declared the club’s “bling bling” era was over in June 2022, very few took him too seriously.
PSG were all about their Galacticos and had just signed the world’s most famous footballer Lionel Messi on astronomical wages to play alongside ageing former Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos and their piece de resistance Kylian Mbappe.
Nobody really believed PSG would sell their biggest stars (Photo: Getty)
“When perhaps everyone realised the club were serious was when Messi was dropped after he chose to go on a tourist trip to Saudi Arabia instead of training,” a source close to the club tells The i Paper.
“But the club had to put the collective first. And it has worked.”
Al-Khelaifi therefore began the first of three phases of the club’s transformation – stabilisation.
square FOOTBALL Sport AnalysisI rewatched PSG beat Liverpool and found five things Aston Villa must do to win
Read More
“The club probably let the bling bling era go on too long,” a source adds. “But that spending was necessary to raise the profile of the club and bring in revenue that could be spent on players in the future.
“It was always part of the plan. Bringing in the star names has got PSG where they are today. And then phase three could come in.”
Mbappe’s exit, although forced, was PSG really sticking to their word. Regarded as the world’s best player, a Parisian, he fell out with the club spectacularly, with legal cases threatened, but there was never any real resistance from senior figures at the Parc des Princes to his departure. They were ready to move on.
“The most important thing is not the result of a match or qualification. We have the basis. We have the team for now and the future.”
It felt very PSG-y. The odd impressive performance on the continent was no trouble for their expensively assembled team of megastars. But where the Galacticos of previous years had no inclination to fight back, today’s fledgling force held no fear at fortress Anfield, Europe’s most vibrant team taking the game to their opponents and this time getting their rewards.
square FOOTBALL Doing the 92Chelsea are a black hole of logic
Read More
They still spend big, but on a different kind of player altogether. What’s more, as is essential in the world of greater financial regulations, they generate plenty of revenue from player sales too.
Commercially, their appeal has not suffered as a result of moving away from the bling. The NBA has approached QSI over the prospect of a Parisian basketball franchise.
Remarkably, however, with Aston Villa to negotiate their way past next, there are a growing number of voices who believe this year represents their best chance of their first Champions League crown, all after having sold four of the greatest players of all time within the last two years.
“They don’t deal with all that stuff anymore,” a source adds. “There are no nightclubs, no distracting girlfriends. It is all about the collective. The institution is now stronger than anyone.”
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Aston Villa, meet the new PSG – no ‘bling-bling’, girlfriends or Galacticos )
Also on site :