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Paris is becoming the world’s home of football, and Jurgen Klopp is helping it get there

Photo of Nicky Nicky17/06/2025 - 07:15 am

PSG’s Stade du Parc des Princes sits pretty on the French World Cup 1998 Monopoly board. It is the sole representative of club football in Paris. Sandwiched between Clarence Seedorf’s  Netherlands and Franky van der Elst’s Belgium, it’s a healthy bit of Monopoly real estate. Which other team could lay claim to such an honour? Yet, there is a second Parisian team that is also metaphorically represented on the board. Five rolls behind their grand neighbours lies the ‘In Jail’ section of the board which is exactly where Paris FC have rotted for the last 40 years. 

Sir Alex Ferguson used to refer to Manchester City as the ‘noisy neighbours’ of Manchester United. PSG likely considered Paris FC as a long-lost cousin at best. Once belonging to the same institution, they broke apart in the early 1970s and have had contrasting fortunes ever since.

PSG have had Ballon d’Or winners in the ranks, have won 13 league titles, and this year secured the elusive Champions League title.For Paris FC, their fate has been more like a sadder episode of Love Island. They have spent every year since 1979 outside of the top flight – watching their ex thriving whilst they’ve struggled to move on from the breakup. PSG has a monopoly on fans in Paris and so PFC dishes out free tickets just so their games have a hint of atmosphere. A true basket case. 

That is until now. Paris FC have found a new match. A sexy, footballing match. Bernard Arnault is France’s richest man and the owner of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), a luxury goods conglomerate that administers Louis Vuitton, Dior, Loro Piana, Loewe and many more of the world’s most opulent fashion houses. In November of 2024, he acquired a majority ownership stake of the club. Red Bull Sports Group bought a minority stake in which they’ll control the footballing decisions, akin to INEOS’ arrangement at Manchester United.

The Arnault family has lofty ambitions for the club. The eldest son, Antoine, has emerged as the principal spokesman for the family and he’s spoken of his desire to bring glory to Paris FC and a personal ambition to face Liverpool. Should they make it to Anfield, Jurgen Klopp, recently appointed as Red Bull’s Global Head of Football, will be able to offer his expertise.

Jurgen Klopp will offer his advice in Paris
(Photo by Jan Kruger – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

He certainly has the savoir faire. Liverpool transformed in every way once he took control. He wasn’t just a master tactician, he was an overseer of all key components of the club. Needless to say, it led to rampant success which has laid the foundations for years of ensuing glory. He’s keen to do a similar, backstage transformation for PFC. 

Klopp has been spotted watching Paris FC alongside Antoine. It was Klopp who encouraged the Parisien outfit to move stadiums. It’s also Klopp that will lead the transition towards shrewd signings and an academy-led approach. Antoine has mentioned that he “wants to build a team where we will have five, six, seven or even eight players who have come through the youth academy”. He’s in the right city for that to happen. 

Paris is at the heart of global football talent. In a constantly revolving metropolis, the Parisian youth channel their energies into the streetball of the banlieues, the suburbs that surround the French capital. The style of football reflects Paris itself; it’s chaotic, spontaneous and you need to be shrewd and skilled to thrive. It’s seen legends Thierry Henry, Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe, N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez come through its impressive ranks in recent years.

Paul Pogba grew up in Paris
(GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

30 players from Greater Paris played in the 2022 World Cup – more than in the entirety of the French squad alone. The second-most represented city was Sao Paulo, with 12 players. Paris is now the world’s biggest football factory, and PFC are in line to profit. 

It’s not that they haven’t produced leading talent before, it’s just they’ve never been in a position to keep it. Nordi Mukiele, Axel Disasi, and Ibrahima Konaté all were developed at Paris FC but each one left for another French club that had a better chance of progressing their careers.

The trio now play for PSG, Chelsea, and Liverpool respectively and have enjoyed trophy-laden shelves and cash-healthy accounts. They took the Chance card and advanced straight to go, collecting far more than $200 in the process. You can’t blame them. 

Yet, that no longer has to be the case. Paris FC won promotion to Ligue 1 this season. They have a bright team. Maxime Lopez is a rarely dispossessed metronome with an eye for an assist and sharp defensive nous.

In front of him is the lethal Ivorian international, Jean-Philippe Krasso, who scored 17 goals on the road to promotion. With a kitty of at least €100m to spend this summer, Paris FC are targeting Ligue 1 journeymen and seasoned veterans such as Idrissa Gana Gueye and Hamari Traoré to steer them towards a continued top-flight presence. Bright Parisian prospects will fill in the gaps.

PSG have squandered serious local talent over the last decade. Fully fledged internationals Mike Maignan, Ferland Mendy, Kingsley Coman, Christopher Nkunku, Moussa Diaby and many more have left the French capital for playing time elsewhere. Paris FC can become that next destination. 

France is not known for its local derbies. In a country split by support for rugby, no city ever has had the demand for a second elite club. No team has shared a city in any season in the 21st century. When you think of the thunderous local derbies that emanate from the Premier League, La Liga, and the Serie A, it seems strange that France has no derby of its own. Storylines attract eyeballs. If there is no dramatisation of Ligue 1, no one will watch.

There have been countless, mind-numbingly boring Manchester derbies or San Siro clashes, riddled with average players, but they are consistently watched due to a story of a divided city being both told and sold. 

Paris FC’s new stadium, Stade Jean-Bouin, is mere yards away from PSG’s Parc des Princes. If the two teams were long-lost cousins last season, they’re now suddenly Siamese twins. Fiery derbies are to be the new norm in the West of Paris. PSG will be the favourites this year for all six points, but Paris FC are on the ascendancy.

Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain reacts after scoring during the Ligue 1 McDonald's match between Paris and Brest
(Photo by Aurelien Meunier – PSG/PSG via Getty Images)

Even fourth-tier outfit US Créteil, based in the Southern Suburbs of Paris, has been snapped up by Xavier Niel who is a telecoms multibillionaire and the son-in-law of Bernard Arnault. Expect many more titles and Champions League glory to head towards Paris. It’s already known as the City of Love, as well as the City of Lights. Next, Paris could also be known as the City of Footballing Glory. 

By Nicky Helfgott – NickyHelfgott1 on X (Twitter)

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Photo of Nicky Nicky17/06/2025 - 07:15 am