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.
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.
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.
🏆 UEFA Champions League Player of the Season: Ousmane Dembélé! 👏#UCL | @PSG_inside pic.twitter.com/1BQFl4Ficf
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 1, 2025
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.
'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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
35 minutes ago
- Metro
Rio Ferdinand reacts to Liam Delap snubbing Man Utd move for Chelsea transfer
Rio Ferdinand has described Liam Delap as a 'wonderful young player' but believes his decision to join Chelsea could be a blessing in disguise for Manchester United. United expressed interest in signing Delap from relegated Premier League side Ipswich Town, with Ruben Amorim keen to bolster his attacking options this summer. Delap, who scored 12 goals in the Premier League last season, was interested in joining the Red Devils despite their alarming fall from grace but ultimately decided to join Chelsea instead. Chelsea qualifying for the Champions League on the final day of the season was reportedly a key factor in Delap's decision, with United finishing just 15th in the Premier League and failing to qualify for any European competition. Ferdinand says Delap has 'huge potential' but admits he is not too bothered that the striker, the son of ex-Stoke City defender Rory, will not be arriving at Old Trafford. 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 so we can send you football news tailored to you. The Manchester United legend does want a new striker to arrive at the club this summer but wants that player to have more experience than Delap, who has made just 39 Premier League appearances. 'I think Liam Delap is a wonderful young player with huge potential,' Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel. 'But I felt him coming to United now would be the wrong fit for both him and the club. United need experience, not another young centre forward. 'I've always said, young centre forwards coming to big clubs like United need to learn from experienced players. We've seen it with someone like [Wayne] Rooney learning from more experienced players. 'That always needs to happen and United are in a position where we have Chido [Obi-Martin], a young forward, one of the best young strikers about at the moment. 'We've got [Rasmus] Hojlund who's been there for two years and what a vulnerable place that's been. He's had no one to lean on in that position or to look at for an example. 'He hasn't had that man and that's a big worry for me. If you invest £75m in a player you need to put the things around him to let him grow and he hasn't had that. 'This is no slight on Liam Delap, who looks like he's going Chelsea. But Manchester United need to go and get an experienced striker to help the current forwards they've got at the club.' More Trending After missing out on Delap, Manchester United could intensify their interest in Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres or Napoli's Victor Osimhen. Gyokeres appears closer to joining Arsenal at this stage, however, while Osimhen is considering a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia. United have held talks to sell or loan out Hojlund but will only sanction his departure if and when they bring in a new goalscorer. The Manchester giants are open to offloading several other players, including Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Chelsea told they still must fix 'biggest problem' after Liam Delap deal MORE: Timo Werner given shockingly low price tag with RB Leipzig desperate to sell MORE: How to watch Club World Cup 2025 in UK: TV channel and live stream
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Timo Werner given shockingly low price tag with RB Leipzig desperate to sell
After an underwhelming spell with Tottenham, Timo Werner will return to RB Leipzig and now the German club is willing to accept a very low fee to get rid of the forward. Werner initially joined Spurs on loan in January 2024 for six months and did enough during that stint to be re-signed for the 24/25 season on another short-term deal. That proved to be a poor decision from the club, though, with the Germany international having something of a nightmare campaign. Werner started just four Premier League games, making 18 top flight appearances in total and failing to score a goal. He netted just once all season in 27 outings and was even singled out for criticism from manager Ange Postecoglou at one stage of the season. Tottenham have no interest in making his loan move permanent and the 29-year-old returns to RB Leipzig where he is under contract for another year. Another move looks likely, though, with Leipzig keen to sell the forward, so much so that they will accept a tiny price for his services. Bild report, via Sport1, that Leipzig want just €4m (£3.4m) for Werner this summer, in order to secure an exit for the Germany international. It is a remarkable demise for a player who Chelsea paid £47.5m for in 2020 and came to the Premier League with great expectation after scoring 34 goals in the 2019/20 season with Leipzig. His spell at Stamford Bridge saw him score 23 goals in 89 appearances and win the Champions League under Thomas Tuchel, but he returned to Leipzig in 2022. His second stint with Leipzig yielded 18 goals in 54 outings before his 18-month loan to Spurs. Werner leaves Tottenham as a Europa League winner, although he was not in the squad for the final against Manchester United as he was suffering with a hamstring injury. The forward made five appearances over the Europa League campaign, but it was in the competition that a performance drew stinging criticism from his manager. After taking Werner off at half-time of a 1-1 draw with Rangers, Postecoglou made it clear what he thought of the German's efforts. 'When you've got 18-year-olds in the team, it's not acceptable to me,' Postecoglou said when asked about Werner's withdrawal. 'I said that to Timo, he's a German international. In the moment we're in right now – it's not like we've got many options, I need everyone to at least be going out there and trying to give the best of themselves. 'His performance in the first half wasn't acceptable. We need everybody, including him, to be contributing because we don't have the depth to leave people out if they perform poorly. 'I expect a level of performance from some of the senior guys, and tonight wasn't that.' More Trending Expanding on his comments in a press conference the following morning, Postecoglou said: 'We're in a fight here. I'm not going to go around worrying about bruised egos. We want to achieve things, we want to be successful and we're down to the bare bones in players. 'If someone is fit and able to contribute and someone who feels they need a bit extra [motivation], they are probably not the right person. If they can't give me extra right now, that shows me where they are at. Chelsea – 2020/21 Apps: 35 Goals: 6 Assists: 8 Chelsea – 2021/22 Apps: 21 Goals: 4 Assists: 1 Tottenham 2023/24 Apps: 13 Goals: 2 Assists: 3 Tottenham 2024/25 Apps: 18 Goals: 0 Assists: 3 'We are in a difficult situation because of where we are squad wise. We have 15 fit players. If you want to make excuses there's millions of excuses of them why they can't be successful. If that's you, move on, go somewhere else. 'Last night wasn't about Timo Werner wasn't about him. It could have been someone else. Other players could have given more. It's not about Timo, it's about the situation we are in. It could be anyone. It's not about bringing someone down or blaming someone.' MORE: Manchester United given asking price by Brentford to sign Bryan Mbeumo MORE: Christian Eriksen shoots down rumour of next club after Man Utd exit MORE: Chelsea begin talks to sign Robert Sanchez replacement ahead of Manchester United
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Liam Delap issue solved as Chelsea's Jadon Sancho blow offers striker ideal gift
Chelsea are close to sealing a £30million deal to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, with the striker set to be offered a perk with Jadon Sancho's loan ending as he heads back to Manchester United Liam Delap could be set to take the number 19 shirt at Chelsea, as Jadon Sancho prepares to return to Manchester United. Chelsea are close to securing the signing of the Ipswich Town forward after triggering his £30million release clause. The 22-year-old striker is now poised to make the switch to Stamford Bridge, having been offered a six-year contract following a medical earlier this week. Despite Ipswich's relegation to the Championship, Delap made a significant impact in his first full Premier League season, scoring 12 times in 37 league appearances while wearing the number 19 shirt. With Sancho returning to his parent club, the shirt is now available for Delap, should he choose to take it. Sancho has worn the number since his loan move to Chelsea last summer. Delap also wore the number 48 shirt during his time at Manchester City, a number that is currently unassigned at Chelsea. However, the prospect of wearing the same number he wore while making his mark in the Premier League and for England may be too enticing to resist, reports Football London. Sancho, 25, is expected to depart west London when his contract expires at the end of June, resulting in a £5m loss for Chelsea. It's understood that a permanent move for Sancho fell through after personal terms could not be agreed between the club and the former Borussia Dortmund star. Chelsea will now be hit with a whopping £5m penalty fee to United after backing out of the agreed commitment to sign the winger for £25m. Sancho found the back of the net five times and set up another ten goals in 42 matches for Chelsea this season. Despite his inconsistent time under Enzo Maresca, he did score the third goal in Chelsea's 4-1 win over Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final. The Italian manager sang Sancho's praises after the game. "Jadon Sancho, if we finished fourth, it's because of Jadon, if we won tonight it's because of Jadon," Maresca said. "Everyone is up and down a little bit, that's part of the game." After making 83 appearances following his transfer from Dortmund to Man United in summer 2021 for a mammoth £73m – and not always seeing eye to eye with then-boss Erik ten Hag – Sancho seems set for an Old Trafford return to potentially work under Ruben Amorim. Meanwhile, Chelsea are set to accelerate their business in the transfer window once a swoop for Delap is wrapped up. Maresca's side have made an approach to AC Milan to sign French goalkeeper Mike Maignan this summer. Dortmund's 20-year English winger Jamie Gittens and Eintracht Frankfurt's French striker Hugo Ekitike are also thought to be of interest to the Blues.
