Champions League: The Rivals
Paris Saint-Germain FC
Often known as PSG in the same way the Reds are called LFC, Paris Saint-Germain FC were only formed 48 years ago in 1970 after two clubs – Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain – merged to create a bigger club. Paris didn't have a team in the top division of French football at the time so this was an attempt to put that right. Can't imagine Liverpool FC and Everton FC ever doing that!
A fashion designer called Daniel Hechter became club president in 1973 and he is responsible for designing PSG's iconic kit. He based his idea on Ajax's strip but introduced a blue shirt with a red vertical band featuring white stripes either side of it. This became known as 'Hechter's Shirt'.
You might think the colours represent the French flag, but you'd be wrong! The colours red and blue traditionally represent the city of Paris while the white is in recognition of the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye – the suburb where Stade Saint-Germain were based and the equivalent of Liverpool FC being based in Anfield.
Paris Saint-Germain FC's club crest features the iconic Eiffel Tower, but this badge was only created in 1973, a year after PSG split from Paris FC. The original crest featured a ship inside a football and the current one has a lily, known as a 'fleu-de-lis', underneath it to symbolise Saint-Germain-en-Laye, just like the Liver Bird symbolises the city of Liverpool.
Whereas Kopites have sung You'll Never Walk Alone since the 1960s and this has become the anthem of Liverpool FC, PSG have only had an anthem since 2010. It is called Allez Paris Saint-Germain and is sung to the tune of Go West by The Village People. Bet you don't know the words!
They have played at the Parc des Princes (park of princes) since 1972 but the site has quite a history. It used to be a hunting ground for members of the royal family and then a cycling velodrome which featured the finishing line for the Tour de France from 1903 to 1967! Wonder if Liverpool FC fan Bradley Wiggins knows that?
Football has been played at Parc des Princes since 1903 and in 1956 the first ever UEFA Champions League final – when it was known as the European Cup – was held there between Real Madrid C.F. and Stade de Reims. Real Madrid C.F. won the trophy, but they didn't when returning in 1981!
Bob Paisley's Reds were their opponents that day and thanks to a goal from left-back Alan Kennedy, Liverpool FC were champions of Europe for a third time in five seasons having also won the European Cup in 1977 and 1978. PSG, incidentally, have never won the famous trophy. Promoted in 1971, they won their first French Cup in 1981, their first French Ligue 1 title in 1986 – the year LFC won the English league and FA Cup double – and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1996. A year later they met Roy Evans' Liverpool FC in the semi-final of the same competition.
PSG won the first leg of that tie 3-0 in France and although a passionate Anfield inspired the Reds to go 2-0 up in the second leg with goals from Robbie Fowler and Mark Wright, it was PSG who went to the final where they lost to FC Barcelona.
Since being bought by rich owners from Qatar in 2011, Paris Saint-Germain FC have enjoyed their most successful era, winning five Ligue 1 titles in the last six years and both the French Cup and French League Cup for the last four years in a row. They've also signed some top-class players such as Kylian Mbappe, Dani Alves, Edinson Cavani and Neymar. It should be quite a match when the Reds go to Paris next month after beating them 3-2 at Anfield with goals from Daniel Sturridge, a James Milner penalty and Bobby Firmino...allez allez allez!
