Paris welcomes its champions on the Champs Elysees
PARIS : Paris St Germain held a victory parade on the Champs Elysees for thousands of cheering supporters on Sunday after crushing Inter Milan 5-0 to win their first Champions League title.
Dressed in the club's blue-and-red colours, fans gathered in the French capital's most famous avenue to welcome their Parisian heroes. The players showed off the coveted trophy from their open top bus and joined in the crowd's singing.
"We are the champions!", "Ici c'est Paris!" (Paris is here) and other chants reverberated throughout the avenue.
PSG's young team achieved what the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe could not do in their colours, becoming only the second French side to win the trophy after Olympique de Marseille in 1993.
"It's unbelievable," said one fan Leo Rogue, 22, standing in the middle of the packed crowd in a vintage PSG top. "I don't have the words ... We've been waiting for this for a long time."
Police capped numbers at 100,000 for security reasons.
Some youngsters climbed on scaffolding or news stands to better take in the moment.
Jamel, 55, was disappointed to be stopped near an entrance to the parade as numbers had reached a maximum, but was not letting that spoil his celebration.
"Yesterday I partied and today I'm partying," he said.
Wild celebrations erupted across the French capital and beyond on Saturday night, although skirmishes with police later threatened to spoil the party.
The club condemned violence on X. "Paris St Germain calls on everyone to show responsibility and respect, for that historic win to remain a moment of pride shared by all," it said.
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