Paris St-Germain have made history by becoming the first French club to win 11 Ligue 1 titles, one more than Saint-Etienne. Despite this achievement, the satisfaction and pride that usually comes with such an accomplishment is not as great due to the difficult, strained and toxic backdrop of the campaign. The nine of their 11 titles have come in the past 12 years, making them the most dominant team in France, apart from Montpellier, Monaco and Lille who have all had successful seasons in recent years.
The season has been a tough one for Paris St-Germain, both on and off the pitch. Manager Christophe Galtier was appointed last summer to replace Mauricio Pochettino and despite a good first half of the season, they crumbled at the start of 2023 with eight defeats in the first 19 games of the campaign. Galtier never looked good enough and failed to build an identity or style for the team, while struggling to control a dressing room full of superstars. The ‘MNM’ trio of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe were the team’s biggest assets but also caused a lot of disruption with their ill-discipline. Neymar was even singled out by the club’s ultras who turned up unannounced at his house one evening four weeks ago to chant for him to get out of their club.
This summer will be a momentous one for Paris St-Germain as Galtier is certain to depart, star players are heading for the exit and a new philosophy around the club is being implemented. The club are already working on the next campaign and are looking for a new manager from a shortlist of candidates including Luis Enrique, Zinedine Zidane, Jose Mourinho, Marcelo Gallardo, Thiago Motta and Abel Ferreira. In terms of players, there will be a lot of departures starting with Messi and Neymar who are both considering a new chapter. The club are also looking for younger players like Manu Kone, Randal Kolo Muani or Marcus Thuram as well as team players like Manuel Ugarte or Bernardo Silva and a world-class number nine such as Harry Kane, Victor Osimhen or Dusan Vlahovic.
For now, Paris St-Germain will enjoy the title celebrations and making history, even after an unsatisfying season.