Paris Saint-Germain Academy

Paris Saint-Germain

Full name	Paris Saint-Germain Academy
Short name	PSG Academy
Founded	12 August 1970; 51 years ago (1970-08-12)
Ground	Stade Municipal Georges Lefèvre
Capacity	3,500
Management	Association Paris Saint-Germain
Director	Jean-François Pien
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Active departments of Paris Saint-Germain
Football (Men's)	Football (Youth Mixed)	Football (Women's)
Handball (Men's)	Esports	Judo (Mixed)

Closed departments of Paris Saint-Germain
Boxing (Men's)	Rugby League (Men's)

The Paris Saint-Germain Academy, commonly known as the PSG Academy, is the youth system of both Paris Saint-Germain (men's team) and Paris Saint-Germain Féminine (women's team). Established in 1970, the academy is managed by the Association Paris Saint-Germain. Its first youth training centre opened in 1975 at the Camp des Loges in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Île-de-France. The academy now has centres in several countries around the world. The club launched the women's section of the academy in 2012 at the Centre Sports et Loisirs de la Banque de France de Bougival (CSLBF de Bougival) in Bougival, Île-de-France.

Since its inception, PSG's youth system has produced several renowned players such as Jean-Marc Pilorget, Luis Fernandez, Nicolas Anelka, Mamadou Sakho, Kingsley Coman, Adrien Rabiot, Alphonse Areola, Presnel Kimpembe, Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Grace Geyoro, Perle Morroni and Sandy Baltimore. Many other graduates have also gone on to sign professional contracts with PSG or other clubs.

Recognized as one of the best in the country, the PSG Academy has been named Best Youth Club by the French Football Federation on four occasions. Domestically, the men's under-19 team have won a record four Championnat National U19 titles, one Coupe Gambardella and one Tournoi Carisport. The men's under-17 outfit have won three Championnat National U17 titles and one Championnat National des Cadets. The women's under-19 side have won the  [fr] three times.

In international club football, the men's U19 side have won one  [fr] and reached the UEFA Youth League final in 2015–16. The men's U17 squad have won a record three Alkass International Cups and one Montaigu Tournament. Additionally, the now-defunct men's reserve team won three Coupe de Paris.

History[]

First graduates and Coupe de Paris champions (1970–1987)[]

On June 17, 1970, Paris Football Club and Stade Saint-Germain merged to form men's football team Paris Saint-Germain Football Club. It was made official on August 12, 1970, with the creation of the Association Paris Saint-Germain. This organization has managed the club's amateur section, including the academy, ever since then. It also ran the professional section until 1991.^[1] So, like the club itself, the Paris Saint-Germain Academy was officially established on the same date.^[2]

The first wave of graduates emerged in the 1972–73 season. A total of ten players were promoted to the first team in what still is the largest class in the academy's history. It was made up of Éric Renaut, Patrice Zbinden, Claude Rivet, Patrice Turpin, Bernard Lambert, Michel Llodra,  [fr], Robin Leclercq, Richard Vanquelles and Kamel Ben Mustapha.^[3] These players would all go on to play for the first team, with Renaut being the most successful one, amassing 290 appearances during his decade at the club.^[3][4] They were part of the club's reserve side that won the Coupe de Paris in 1971–72 and 1972–73, the academy's first titles ever. PSG won this cup again in 1979–80.^[3][5]

On 4 November 1975, the club opened the academy's first centre, with Pierre Alonzo as its director. The maiden generation issued from this centre was led by François Brisson, Jean-Marc Pilorget, Lionel Justier and Thierry Morin. On December 21, 1975, a few weeks after the inauguration, PSG's so-called « four musketeers » made their professional debuts as starters against Reims in a league match at the Parc des Princes. Brisson won an Olympic gold medal with France in 1984, while Justier became a fan favorite at PSG. For his part, Pilorget remains to this day PSG's all-time record appearance maker with 435 official matches.^[6] Finally, Morin played most of his career with PSG before being named director of the CFA Omnisports in 1994. Formed at the club's initiative, this organization is responsible for the education of the academy players. Morin presided it until 2018.^[6][7] He is now the general secretary of the Association PSG.^[1]

Another great youth product was Luis Fernandez. A big PSG fan, he made his debut in 1978, became team captain and led the club to its first major trophies in the 1980s. He then returned as coach during PSG's golden era in the 1990s, leading them to the domestic cup double in 1995 and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996.^[8][9]

Gambardella winners and rise to the top (1987–2009)[]

The late 1980s and early 1990s welcomed another bright generation of young players including Richard Dutruel, Jean-Claude Fernandes, Thomas Kokkinis, Roméo Calenda, Francis Llacer, Pascal Nouma and Bernard Allou. Before playing for the first team, they were part of the men's under-19 and reserve sides that claimed the Championnat National des Cadets title and the Coupe Gambardella in 1987–88 and 1990–91, respectively.^[5][10][11] The men's under-17 then won the Montaigu Tournament in 1993, while finishing runners-up in the Plougonvelin Tournament that same year. Already one of France's best youth systems, the PSG Academy were given the Best Youth Club award by the French Football Federation in 1988–89.^[5]

Dutruel, Llacer, Nouma and Allou were all part of the club's crowning glory in the 1996 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final with legend Luis Fernandez now as coach. Jérôme Leroy, Pierre Ducrocq and Nicolas Anelka also made their first-team breakthroughs during that decade.^[3] Anelka, however, was the pioneer of promising PSG talents signing for other European clubs due to the lack of game time. He signed for Arsenal in 1997 at the age of 17 for a really small fee. This would become a regular trend in the 2010s.^[12][13]

The later half of the 1990s and the early 2000s were bittersweet; players kept reaching the first team, but only Sylvain Distin, Bartholomew Ogbeche and Lorik Cana cemented their place in it.^[3][4] Additionally, the youth sides didn't win any trophy.^[5] Fortunes changed in the late 2000s as the PSG Academy slowly began its rise to the top of French youth football.^[3] Clément Chantôme and Mamadou Sakho were the two most successful graduates during these years. They were part of the men's under-19 side that won the club's first Championnat National U19 in 2006 and then became regular starters for the first team, playing over 200 games and winning several trophies.^[3][4][14] Sakho was also club captain between 2011 and 2012.^[15] Albeit with different players, the U19 team also won the Tournoi Carisport in 2008, a trophy which heralded an era of unprecedented success for the PSG Academy.^[5]

National dominance and talent exodus (2009–2019)[]

Since 2009–10, the academy teams have dominated the national scene. That season, the men's under-19 team won the Championnat National U19 final against Monaco, while the men's under-17 side lost to Sochaux on penalties.^[12] The club also began developing a women's section of the academy to strengthen its first-team squad with homegrown players, setting the goal of opening it by 2012 and having the first players graduating from it by 2014.^[16] The 2010–11 season was even more prolific as PSG became the first club to be crowned French champions in both age categories. The U19 won their second title in a row against Grenoble, while the U17 defeated arch-rivals Marseille in the final to clinch the club's first Championnat National U17 title.^[12] PSG received the Best Youth Club award for the second time in history in recognition of their U17/U19 double. They won it again in 2012–13 and 2013–14.^[5][12]

The U19 participated in another final in 2011–12 but they would have to wait until 2015–16 and their victory over Lyon to be champions again. That same season, following two consecutive silver medals in 2013–14 and 2014–15, the U17 defeated Saint-Étienne and won the title as well, thus handing PSG their second double. They claimed their second championship in a row and third overall after beating Monaco in 2016–17.^[12] The women's department has been doing just as well. As planned, the club inaugurated it at the Bougival training center in 2012 and Grace Geyoro became the first graduate to play for the professional team in 2014.^[16][17][18] The U19 have reached the  [fr] final a record six times since 2013–14, winning three of them. The ladies defeated Lyon in 2015–16, 2016–17 and 2018–19 to clinch the trophy.^[5][19][20]

The academy has also shined at the European and international level. The U19 first reached the UEFA Youth League final in 2016, narrowly losing to Chelsea, and then downed Monaco to win the  [fr] in 2018.^[12][21] Simultaneously, the U17 have dominated the Alkass International Cup, contested in Doha, Qatar by teams from around the world. They won the inaugural edition in 2012 and reached the final in 2013, before regaining the trophy in 2015 and 2018.^[12]

Despite its success, the academy has seen the exodus of several promising talents to other European clubs for free since 2014.^[12][13] This has been the case of Kingsley Coman (Juventus, 2014), Dan-Axel Zagadou (Borussia Dortmund, 2017), Claudio Gomes (Manchester City, 2018), Tanguy Kouassi (Bayern Munich, 2020), Adil Aouchiche (Saint-Étienne, 2020),  [fr] (Lyon, 2020) and (Lyon, 2020).^{[12][13][22][23][24]} Conversely, other graduates like Adrien Rabiot, Alphonse Areola, Presnel Kimpembe, Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Grace Geyoro, Perle Morroni and Sandy Baltimore have played big roles in the men's and women's first teams.^[3][4][17]

Dissolution of reserve team and COVID-19 pandemic (2019–present)[]

In May 2019, following the end of the 2018–19 season, the club decided to dissolve its men's reserve team and instead focus on the under-19s squad from the 2019–20 campaign onwards.^[12][25] The reserves used to compete in the Championnat National 2, the fourth tier of French football.^[7][25] Consequently, the under-19s side became the last step before breaking into the first team.^[7] Club officials considered that the reserves no longer offered the desirable conditions in preparing players for the step up to the professional squad. In fact, many of PSG's starlets had skipped the reserves and gone straight into the first team.^[7][25]

The 2019–20 season would have been the academy's first without its reserve team. In mid-April 2020, however, the French Football Federation (FFF) voided all amateur football leagues because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on football.^[26] As the coronavirus outbreak continued to spread, the FFF suspended the 2020–21 campaign for amateur teams in October 2020 before definitely voiding it in March 2021.^[27] Despite the forced inactivity, the FFF still recognized the PSG Academy as the country's best youth system in 2019 and 2020.^[28]

Organization[]

Teams[]

Players recruited by the club join the Paris Saint-Germain Academy from a young age and work their way up to the youth system's top teams before breaking into the men's and women's professional squads. Male players have to pass through the U17 and U19 sides before being promoted to the first team, while the U19 side is the final step for female players. The men's U19 compete in four competitions – the Championnat National U19, the Coupe Gambardella, the UEFA Youth League and the Premier League International Cup. Likewise, the men's U17 play in the Championnat National U17 and the Al Kass International Cup. Finally, the women's U19 take part in the  [fr].^[7]

Formerly, there was also a men's reserve side, which competed in the Championnat National 2. It was dissolved after the end of the 2018–19 season.^[12][25] In 2019, the club's second reserve side was promoted to the Championnat National 3. However, the team is not linked to the professional team nor the youth academy; it is solely made up of amateur players.^[29]

Schools[]

The Paris Saint-Germain Academy began expanding its network in 2005 as part of the club's international development strategy. Pauleta, emblematic club legend and striker from 2003 to 2008, is the academy's official ambassador.^[30] Year-round, the PSG Academy centers scattered across the globe welcome boys and girls in 15 countries: France, the United States, Brazil, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Germany, England, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Thailand, Senegal and Rwanda.^[31] The academy also offers these children an adapted and complete scholarly education assured by the Centre de Formation d'Apprentis Omnisports Ile-de-France (CFA Omnisports).^[6]

Grounds[]

The men's youth teams train at the Camp des Loges in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, while the women's under-19 players do so at the Centre Sports et Loisirs de la Banque de France de Bougival (CSLBF de Bougival) in Bougival.^[6][32] The Camp des Loges has been the men's training facility since the first centre of the PSG Academy opened there in 1975.^[33] All three sides play their home matches at the Stade Municipal Georges Lefèvre, a sports complex located just across the street from the Camp des Loges.^[6][32][34] Its main stadium has a seating capacity of 2,164 spectators. This arena — as well as the other artificial turf and grass football pitches of the complex — host home matches for the club's male and female academy sides.^[34]

The Paris Saint-Germain Training Center, sometimes referred to as Campus PSG, located in Poissy, Paris Region, will be the new training ground and sports complex of PSG.^[35][36][37] Owned and financed by the club, the venue will bring together PSG's male football, handball and judo teams, as well as the football and handball academies.^[35][38] The Camp des Loges will in turn become the training ground of the female football team and academy.^[39][40] The Campus PSG will have its own stadium.^[35] With a total capacity of 5,000, the arena will host UEFA Youth League, Division 1 Féminine and UEFA Women's Champions League matches. French youth league matches will continue to be played at the Stade Georges Lefèvre.^[34][41][42]

Honours[]

As of the end of the 2020–21 season.^[5]

Domestic[]

• Best Youth Club
  • Winners (4): 1988–89, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14
• Championnat National U19
  • Winners (4; record): 2005–06, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2015–16
  • Runners-up (1): 2011–12
•  [fr]
  • Winners (3): 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19
  • Runners-up (3): 2013–14, 2014–15, 2017–18
• Championnat National U17
  • Winners (3; record): 2010–11, 2015–16, 2016–17
  • Runners-up (4): 2007–08, 2009–10, 2013–14, 2014–15
• Championnat National des Cadets
  • Winners (1): 1987–88
  • Runners-up (1): 1979–80
• Coupe Gambardella
  • Winners (1): 1990–91
  • Runners-up (3): 1977–78, 1988–89,  [fr]
• Tournoi Carisport
  • Winners (1): 2008
  • Runners-up (3): 1996, 1997, 2011
• Coupe de Paris
  • Winners (3): 1971–72, 1972–73, 1979–80

European[]

• UEFA Youth League:
  • Runners-up (1): 2015–16
•  [fr]
  • Winners (1): 2018
• Montaigu Tournament:
  • Winners (1): 1993
  • Runners-up (5): 1977, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1994
• Plougonvelin Tournament:
  • Runners-up (1): 1993

Worldwide[]

• Alkass International Cup
  • Winners (3; record): 2012, 2015, 2018
  • Runners-up (1): 2013

Players[]

As of 7 February 2022.^{[43][44][45][46]}

Men's under-19[]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  FRA Lucas Lavallée — GK  MAD Mathyas Randriamamy — GK  POR Louis Mouquet — DF  FRA Moutanabi Bodiang — DF  MAR Younes El Hannach — DF  FRA El Chadaille Bitshiabu — DF  FRA Vimoj Muntu Wa Mungu — DF  MAR Kaïs Najeh — DF  FRA Nehemiah Fernandez-Veliz — DF  FRA Hugo Lamy — DF  FRA Zoumana Bagbema — DF  FRA Lenny Manisa — DF  POR Jordan Monteiro

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  FRA Daouda Weidmann — MF  FRA Ayman Kari — MF  FRA Warren Zaire-Emery — MF  FRA Edouard Michut — MF  FRA Ismaël Gharbi — MF  POR Enzo Tayamoutou — MF  NED Xavi Simons — MF  FRA Dan-Patrice Bikouta — FW  MTN Djeidi Gassama — FW  FRA Wilson Odobert — FW  FRA Sekou Yansané — FW  FRA Mehdi Ganouni

Men's under-17[]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  FRA Desthy Nkounkou — GK  FRA Ibrahim Diarra — GK  FRA Aboubaka Dosso — GK  MAR Bilal Laurendon — GK  FRA Almami Toure — DF  FRA Yoram Zague — DF  FRA Thomas Cordier — DF  FRA Sekou Doucouré — DF  MAR Shadyl Delest — DF  FRA Erwan Adonis — DF  FRA Ibrahima Diaby — DF  FRA Ibrahim Bakayoko — DF  FRA Lou Kent Bosc — MF  FRA Emerick Lopes

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  FRA Ethan Mbappé — MF  FRA Queyrell Tchicamboud — MF  FRA Senny Mayulu — MF  FRA Etienne Michut — MF  FRA Kamil Bensoula — MF  FRA Rafael Fernandes — FW  FRA Romaric Etonde — FW  FRA Christ Mukelenge — FW  FRA Ilyes Housni — FW  FRA Noha Lemina — FW  FRA Maëta Konte — FW  FRA Tony Mendy — FW  FRA Mahamadou Diawara

Women's under-19[]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  FRA Alyssa Fernandes — GK  FRA Océane Toussaint — DF  POR Nelly Da Cruz Rodrigues — DF  FRA Mariama Dabo — DF  FRA Tara Elimbi Gilbert — DF  FRA Océane Hurtre — DF  FRA Eden Le Guilly — DF  FRA Laure Robert — DF  FRA Lora Sulejmani — MF  FRA Baby Jordy Benera — MF  FRA Lucie Bertrand

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  FRA Laurina Fazer — MF  FRA Magnaba Folquet — MF  FRA Lilou Glyda — MF  FRA Katia Imarazene — MF  FRA Amélie Joseph — MF  FRA Kelly Kouame — MF  FRA Marie Mulot — FW  FRA Aminata Dicko — FW  CMR Soufiya Ngueleu — FW  FRA Fanny Rossi — FW  FRA Manssita Traoré

Notable graduates[]

Men[]

Since the academy's inception, 143 graduates have played for the men's first team.^[3][28]

Luis Fernandez

Nicolas Anelka

Presnel Kimpembe

Marie-Antoinette Katoto

Sandy Baltimore

No. Player Promotion 1  [fr] 1972–73 2 Bernard Lambert 3 Robin Leclercq 4 Michel Llodra 5 Éric Renaut 6 Claude Rivet 7 Patrice Turpin 8 Richard Vanquelles 9 Patrice Zbinden 10 Kamel Ben Mustapha 11 Jacky Bade 1973–74 12 Pierre Bajoc 13 Guy Nosibor

No. Player Promotion 14 Michel Bensoussan 1974–75 15 Gérard Cenzato 16 Dominique Lokoli 17 Bernard Moraly 1975–76 18 Pierre-Antoine Dossevi 19 Dominique Barberat 20 Dominique Berthaud 21 François Brisson 22 Lionel Justier 23 Thierry Morin 24 Jean-Marc Pilorget 25 Gilles Brisson 1976–77

No. Player Promotion 26 Hervé Porquet 1977–78 27 Mario Mongelli 28 Philippe Jean 29 Jean-Claude Lemoult 30 Franck Tanasi 31 Bernard Bureau 1978–79 32 Philippe Col 33 Luis Fernandez 34 Franck Mérelle 35 Gilles Cardinet 1979–80 36 Patrick Grappin 37 Didier Toffolo

No. Player Promotion 38 Alain Préfaci 1981–82 39 Thierry Bacconnier 1982–83 40 Yannick Guillochon 41 Pascal Havet 1984–85 42 Thierry Tinmar 43 Sylvain Bied 44 Jean-Luc Girard 45 Patrice Marquet 46 Olivier Martinez 47 Fabrice Moreau 48 Laurent Pimond 49 Franck Vandecasteele 50 Liazid Sandjak 1986–87 51 Claude Barrabé 52 Amara Simba 53 Pierre Reynaud 54 Jean-Luc Vasseur

No. Player Promotion 55 Stéphane Persol 1987–88 56 Francis Llacer 1989–90 57 Pascal Nouma 58 David Rinçon 59 Thomas Kokkinis 1990–91 60 Richard Dutruel 1991–92 61 Patrick M'Boma 1992–93 62 Roméo Calenda 1993–94 63 Jean-Claude Fernandes 64 Bernard Allou 1994–95 65 Didier Domi 66 Pierre Ducrocq 67 Vincent Fernandez 68 Nicolas Anelka 1995–96 69 Djamel Belmadi 70 Jérôme Leroy 71 Edvin Murati

No. Player Promotion 72 Sylvain Distin 1997–98 73 Fabrice Kelban 74 Grégory Paisley 75 Fabrice Abriel 1999–2000 76 Gaël Hiroux 77 Selim Benachour 2000–01 78 Bartholomew Ogbeche 2001–02 79 Chiguy Lucau 2002–03 80 Lorik Cana 81 Hocine Ragued 82 Samuel Piètre 83 Franck Dja Djédjé 2003–04 84 Jean-Michel Badiane 2004–05 85 Sol Bamba 86 Rudy Haddad 87 Boukary Dramé 2005–06

No. Player Promotion 88 Clément Chantôme 2006–07 89 Larrys Mabiala 90 Youssouf Mulumbu 91 David N'Gog 92 Mamadou Sakho 93 Loris Arnaud 2007–08 94 Yannick Boli 95 Granddi Ngoyi 96 Younousse Sankharé 97 Maxime Partouche 98 Tripy Makonda 2008–09 99 Jean-Eudes Maurice 100 Florian Makhedjouf 2010–11 101 Yacine Qasmi 102 Jean-Christophe Bahebeck 103 Neeskens Kebano 104 Loïck Landre

No. Player Promotion 105 Kévin Rimane 2011–12 106 Adrien Rabiot 2012–13 107 Kalifa Traoré 108 Hervin Ongenda 109 Antoine Conte 110 Kingsley Coman 111 Alphonse Areola 112 Presnel Kimpembe 2014–15 113 Jean-Kévin Augustin 114 Jérémi Kimmakon 115 Christopher Nkunku 2015–16 116 Yakou Méïte 117 Timothée Taufflieb 118 Antoine Bernède 2016–17 119 Lorenzo Callegari 120 Alec Georgen 121 Jonathan Ikoné

No. Player Promotion 122 Colin Dagba 2017–18 123 Timothy Weah 124 Moussa Diaby 125 Stanley N'Soki 126 Yacine Adli 2018–19 127 Metehan Güçlü 128 Loïc Mbe Soh 129 Arthur Zagre 2019–20 130 Tanguy Nianzou 131 Adil Aouchiche 132 Arnaud Kalimuendo 2020–21 133 Kays Ruiz-Atil 134 Bandiougou Fadiga 135 Timothée Pembélé 136 Xavi Simons 137 Edouard Michut 138 Kenny Nagera

No. Player Promotion 139 Éric Junior Dina Ebimbe 2021–22 140 Ismaël Gharbi 141 Nathan Bitumazala 142 El Chadaille Bitshiabu 143 Sekou Yansané

Women[]

Since the launch of the women's section of the academy, 16 graduates have played for the first team.^{[16][17][18][47]}

No. Player Promotion 1 Grace Geyoro 2 Marie-Antoinette Katoto 3 Perle Morroni 4 Hawa Cissoko 5 Anissa Lahmari 6 Sandy Baltimore 7 Lina Boussaha 8  [fr]

No. Player Promotion 9 10 2019–20 11  [fr] 12 2020–21 13 14 15 16

Titi d'Or[]

The Titi d'Or is an annual award presented by Les Titis du PSG to the most promising and best talents in the Paris Saint-Germain Academy. Les Titis du PSG is an association affiliated to Paris Saint Germain that covers news of the club's academy. The prize has been awarded to male players since 2007, with an exception in 2010 due to technical reasons.^[48][49] Since 2019, it has also been presented to the most gifted female player.^[50]

Staff and management[]

As of 1 July 2021.^[28][51][52]

U19 head coach Zoumana Camara.

Position	Name
Academy director	Jean-François Pien
General manager	Frank Bentolila
Sporting coordinator	Yohan Cabaye
Head of recruitment	Pierre Reynaud
CFA Omnisports director	Jean-Marc Roudier
Men's under-19 head coach	Zoumana Camara
Men's under-19 assistant coaches	Vincent Guérin Mohamed Chacha
Men's under-17 head coach	Stéphane Moreau
Men's under-17 assistant coach	Mounir Obbadi
Women's under-19 head coach	Grégory Bénarib
Women's under-19 assistant coach	Paulo César Arruda Parente
Individualisation coaches	Régis Beunardeau Hervé Guégan
Goalkeeping coaches	Jean-Luc Aubert Nicolas Cousin Guillaume Lemire

References[]

External links[]

Official websites

• PSG.FR - Site officiel du Paris Saint-Germain
• Paris Saint-Germain - Ligue 1
• Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA.com