PSG celebrate historic Champions League triumph with jubilant Paris parade

Tens of thousands of fans flooded the Champs-Elysees on Sunday as Paris Saint-Germain celebrated their first-ever Champions League title with a victory parade through the French capital, followed by a major celebration at the Parc des Princes.

The team arrived directly from Munich, where they crushed Inter Milan 5-0 in Saturday’s final. Cheered along the route from Roissy airport by ecstatic supporters waving flags and lighting flares, PSG players and staff paraded the trophy through central Paris on an open-top bus.

Clad in special shirts bearing the number ’25’, the players lifted the trophy high and interacted with fans, led by captain Marquinhos, who urged the crowd, “Let’s all sing together!”

Among the standout performers was 19-year-old Desire Doue, who scored twice in the final and was later honoured with his teammates at a reception hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.

“You are the champions and you have put Paris at the top of Europe,” Macron said, acknowledging the significance of the victory while joking about his personal support for PSG’s arch-rivals, Olympique de Marseille.

However, Macron also condemned the violence that marred celebrations following Saturday night’s final. Nearly 600 arrests were made across France, with over 200 cars torched and numerous clashes reported between police and youths. Tragedy struck in Dax, where a 17-year-old boy was fatally stabbed, and in Paris, where a 23-year-old man died after a scooter collision. A police officer was also critically injured by a firework and placed in an induced coma.

“Nothing can justify what has happened in the last few hours,” Macron said. “We will pursue, we will punish, we will be relentless.”

Both the president and PSG swiftly condemned the violence. The club released a statement distancing itself from the incidents, saying, “These isolated acts are contrary to the club’s values and in no way represent the vast majority of our supporters.”

Authorities remained on high alert on Sunday to prevent further unrest, particularly during the team’s festivities at their home stadium.

The final, which drew 11.8 million viewers in France, saw PSG become only the second French team to lift the European Cup, following Marseille’s win in 1993. Their 5-0 win set a new record for the largest margin in a Champions League final.

The victory marks the culmination of a long-term project. Since Qatar Sports Investments took over the club in 2011, PSG have invested heavily. But in recent years, they have shifted focus from international superstars like Neymar and Lionel Messi to nurturing homegrown French talent.

That strategy paid off. Alongside Doue, fellow 19-year-old Senny Mayulu scored PSG’s fifth goal after coming on as a substitute, later reflecting on the emotional scenes in the dressing room.

“In the dressing room, everyone broke down in their own way,” Mayulu said. “You could see it in their eyes, people were filled with joy and pride.”

Having lost their only previous final appearance five years ago, PSG now look to build on their historic achievement.

“The objective now is to win again,” club president Nasser al-Khelaifi said. “It has taken 14 years of hard work but we are building something for the future.”