logo
Carnival atmosphere in Paris after Champions League success

Carnival atmosphere in Paris after Champions League success

PSG brought the trophy back to Paris for the first time after thrashing Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich on Saturday night – the record margin of victory in a Champions League final.
The number of fans on the Champs Elysees were limited to 100,000 after violence marred PSG's stunning victory.
Paris St Germain players presented the Champions League trophy to supporters during a parade on the Champs Elysees (Aurelien Morissard/AP)
Two people died and the French interior ministry reported 559 arrests were made across France during the celebrations.
But there was a carnival atmosphere in Paris as fans waved flags, lit flares and belted out the Queen anthem 'We Are The Champions'.
An open top double-decker bus in the PSG colours of blue, red and white, with the words 'Champions D'Europe' written on it, made its way slowly down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe.
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, chairman of club owners Qatar Sports Investments, and head coach Luis Enrique – who won the Champions League in 2015 with Barcelona and became the seventh manager to lift the trophy with two different clubs – led the celebrations.
PSG head coach Luis Enrique, right, and club president Al-Khelaifi, centre, enjoyed the trophy parade (Thibault Camus/AP)
The trophy was passed down the bus to every player, who were proudly wearing their winner's medals.
Defender Presnel Kimpembe grabbed the microphone to sing 'Ici c'est Paris!' (This is Paris) and captain Marquinhos urged FIFA to reward Ousmane Dembele for his efforts by saying 'Ousmane, Ballon d'Or.'
France forward Dembele scored eight goals in PSG's European campaign and was named by UEFA as the best player in this season's Champions League.
After the parade, the players and staff were received at the Elysee Palace by French president Emmanuel Macron.
'At last it's Paris,' said Macron. 'A lot of people know that as a teenage, 32 years ago, I was supporting the OM (Olympique Marseille) team in Munich.
'Now the Paris team has carried off the Champions League and you did it in a most sublime, fantastic way.
'You brought Paris to the top of Europe and you gave us all something to live for and be excited about together.
'It is a team with willpower, ambition and a sense of solidarity.
French President Emmanuel Macron (centre) congratulates Paris St Germain players at the Elysee Palace after the team won the Champions League (Thomas Padilla/PA))
'That's the football we like to see and that's the football you showed us – and I would like to say to Luis Enrique, 'We owe a lot to you for this victory'.
'You did it, finally Paris won, and this victory owes a lot to you Mr President (Al-Khelaifi). For 14 years you've been through a lot and you've always defended the club, the city and French football.
'There were years where it was hard for Qatar, but they kept believing in PSG.'
The celebrations will conclude at the Parc des Princes on Sunday evening with a trophy presentation in front of the club's season ticket holders.
There will also be a closing lap of honour from the players.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Arne Slot travels for Liverpool talks with £33.7m Man City transfer target
Arne Slot travels for Liverpool talks with £33.7m Man City transfer target

Metro

time29 minutes ago

  • Metro

Arne Slot travels for Liverpool talks with £33.7m Man City transfer target

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has held talks with Lyon midfielder Rayan Cherki, according to reports. Cherki has been Lyon's talisman this season with eight goals and 11 assists in Ligue 1, plus a further four goals and eight assists in the Europa League. However, Lyon financial difficulties mean that the French club are forced to listen to offers for the 21-year-old this summer. Manchester City have already held extensive talks to sign Cherki with Pep Guardiola keen to add more creativity to his midfield following the departure of Kevin De Bruyne. Liverpool and Manchester United have also been linked with a move for Cherki, who earned his first senior call-up for France ahead of their Nations League semi-final against Spain on Thursday. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. According to The Athletic, Slot left his holiday last week in order to travel to the south of France for a meeting with Cherki. The report claims that Slot's talks with Cherki took place before Liverpool intensified their efforts to sign Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz. City, however, are said to be 'hopeful' that they can secure a deal to sign Cherki. It's understood that Lyon are demanding at least €40 million for the 21-year-old. In an interview with L'Equipe this week, Cherki was asked about how he would adapt if he joined either City or Liverpool. 'I'm ready for any system. I work every day, physically and mentally, to be ready,' Cherki said. More Trending 'Above all, I'm trying to choose the best option for me, to develop as a person and a footballer. Cherki was also asked if he believes he is making the right decision to leave Lyon this summer. 'You're never sure of anything. But I'll say it: I did what I wanted to do at OL, be a true Lyonnais and give everything for my club,' Cherki said. 'I didn't leave the ship in difficulty. I stayed, I gritted my teeth. I cried, I laughed, I was scared. But a man has to be like that, it's part of his DNA. Even when it's hard, even when you cry, even when you're scared, you have to go to war for your club.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The £17m reason Celtic won't sit still this transfer window as Brendan Rodgers learns painful lesson
The £17m reason Celtic won't sit still this transfer window as Brendan Rodgers learns painful lesson

Daily Record

time37 minutes ago

  • Daily Record

The £17m reason Celtic won't sit still this transfer window as Brendan Rodgers learns painful lesson

Seven years ago the seeds were sown for a brief yet painful decline and Rodgers won't stand for the same this time around He's the most successful manager in Celtic's recent history – yet there are a few wrongs left to right for Brendan Rodgers. The Irishman has made it clear his return to the club was driven by his desire to ensure his unsavoury exit in 2019 wasn't his enduring Parkhead legacy. ‌ But there's another £17m mistake clearly rankling in the back of the boss' mind – one he can put right once and for all this summer. ‌ It's a critical transfer window for Celtic and Rodgers has made no secret of the fact he's anxious not to sit still. "It's all about improvement. I think naturally what you have at our club is a natural slide of players that move out and come in every three or four years," he said in April. "We always want to improve the team, improve the hunger in the team. 'That's always key. You need the freshness." It won't be a clear-out but it will be a substantial spring clean, the need for it underpinned after coming up just short in the hunt for a Treble. Rodgers' third season last time he was at Parkhead may forever be remembered for the way he left the club bang in the middle of their charge to a ninth title on the spin, but in his mind, the issues started a little bit earlier than that. Up until that point it had been unbroken progress. Both previous summers were rampant success stories: the arrivals of Moussa Dembele, Scott Sinclair, Kristoffer Ajer, Patrick Roberts and Odsonne Edouard had helped to build the most fearsome Celtic team of the modern era. But at some point they stopped and stood still. Perhaps feeling they no longer needed to spend to rack up the titles, the summer of 2018 saw them take their foot off the gas. ‌ Yes, they spent a then-record fee of £8m to make Edouard's loan from PSG permanent, a deal that in the future would pay off. But in a summer where they raked in £25m in sales of key men like Moussa Dembele and Scott Armstrong, that was their only financial outlay. ‌ Who else did they sign that summer? Emilio Izaguirre returned for a second spell, Youssouf Mulumbu and Scott Bain both arrived on frees. Filip Benkovic was loaned in, as was Daniel Arzani – a player Rodgers clearly didn't want and hardly played him thereafter. The squad had weakened. Their only expenditure was on retaining a player. They were in the green to the tune of £17m and parked the spending there. Rodgers spotted the problem brewing there and then. Speaking that August, after a dropping out of Champions League to AEK Athens, Rodgers told the BBC: "You have to always guard against being complacent. You do that by adding to the squad. It's pretty obvious, you have to keep progressing and keep getting stronger. ‌ "You only need to look at Liverpool, who got to the Champions League final and invested the money they had to be stronger." Even despite the upheaval that came with Rodgers' exit in February, this was the season Celtic went on to seal the treble Treble under Neil Lennon. So it was hard for fans to be too concerned about it there and then. Yet looking back, this summer was the early warning sign that led to a brief yet sharp and painful decline which needed Ange Postecoglou and a recruitment drive for the ages to put right. Rodgers has hinted in the past about not seeing eye to eye with the board on transfers and, whenever he winks in that direction, it's the summer of 2018, the of his first spell in charge, ringing loud and clear in his mind. That's why, as he approaches the same junction in his second trophy-laden tenure at Parkhead, he's made it crystal clear he won't stand for another summer standing still. And who could blame him?

Bruno Fernandes makes stunning transfer decision after demand from Ruben Amorim
Bruno Fernandes makes stunning transfer decision after demand from Ruben Amorim

Daily Mirror

time38 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

Bruno Fernandes makes stunning transfer decision after demand from Ruben Amorim

Bruno Fernandes has decided to REJECT a move to Saudi Arabia. The Manchester United captain has turned down a £700k-a-week switch to Al-Hilal, worth £100m to him over three years - and a £100m transfer fee to United. And that leaves United chiefs, led by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, with no choice but to listen to head coach Ruben Amorim's demand to find better ways of making money in this summer's transfer market. Al Hilal are playing in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup and Saudi chiefs - operating in Paris this week - have been pushing hard to get a number of deals done before the tournament. But their hopes of making Fernandes their marquee new signing - in a move that would see him link up with Portugal team-mates Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo - have failed. The 30-year-old has been weighing up a move to Saudi over the past couple of weeks, following United's disastrous season. He has been aware of the monstrous money he could make by moving to the Middle East, as well as the effect the £100m could have on United, especially since there will be no European football at Old Trafford next term. But he has also been reticent to move from both a personal and professional point of view. Fernandes hasn't wanted to uproot his young family, who are settled in Manchester, and make a major cultural change by moving to Saudi. And he also doesn't want to end his time in major European football yet, even amid United's struggles. As such, he has doubled down on his decision to lead Ruben Amorim's United overhaul, which began this weekend with the £62.5m arrival of Matheus Cunha and is likely to soon see Bryan Mbeumo arrive from Brentford. It is a huge boost to boss Amorim, who has been desperate for Fernandes to STAY - and told Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the club's decision-makers to make up the money elsewhere. Speaking after United ended their post-season tour of Asia with a 3-1 victory over Hong Kong last week, he made his feelings very clear when asked if it was the last supporters had seen of Fernandes in a red shirt. "I don't think so, I don't know for sure. Nobody knows but I don't think so," the Red Devils boss said. "I think he is seeing us taking some actions to change all the things and I think he saw that and I think he wants to stay. "He is saying no to a lot of things but he shows he wants to win. He's really young, he's really good he needs to be in the best league in the world.' Asked if United were in a position to turn down the money, he replied: "Yes, we can find another way to earn money.' Now club chiefs will have to do just that. Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from . We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store