Results might not be going according to plan in the UEFA Champions League right now but Paris Saint-Germain remain on course in pursuit of a bigger goal which is to harness the staggering strength of the French capital region's local talent basin. Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Warren Zaire-Emery were unable to inspire a turnaround in the 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena on Tuesday but things look decidedly brighter away from the field where the French giant announced big news last week.
PSG inaugurated its new training center in Poissy last Thursday and despite the snowy blizzard which swept the Paris region, it is clear that the Ligue 1 champions have thrown down the gauntlet to their domestic and continental rivals in terms of setting a new benchmark. Spending just over $315 million in the past would have come with the expectation of acquiring readymade superstar names for relatively immediate success at senior level but those days are now gone with that amount instead spent on a cutting-edge talent creation and extraction tool.
"We are immensely proud to present the PSG Campus, one of the most remarkable, modern, and innovative training centers in the world -- a landmark to guide future generations of PSG," said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. "This ultramodern campus embodies our ambition to shape the champions of tomorrow by providing the best resources and the most qualified professionals for the development of top talents. The campus also highlights our commitment to inspiring local communities through sports, education, art, and culture. The future of PSG is being built here -- at home. Made in Paris, for Paris."
Every possible need has been met with the Wilmotte and Associates-designed Campus which covers 59 hectares of which 150,000 m² is dedicated to outdoor training space with no fewer than 16 soccer fields, 600 m² of performance space and twin hydrotherapy pools. Les Parisiens' new campus -- which has housed the men's team for over a year already -- is a hub of innovation and will be the performance center blueprint to follow for years to come with the facility combining state-of-the-art training and talent development areas.
Although in nearby Poissy and not central Paris, the new training center is just 25 minutes away from Parc des Princes and houses not only the men's but also the women's and youth academy teams all in the same place which each area tailormade to that team's needs. PSG have pumped substantial sums of money into their playing staff in their years under Qatari ownership but those investments have also gone into the club's local ties with over $250 million alone estimated to have benefitted the Ile-de-France for the 2023-24 season by the Center for Sports Law and Economics (CDES).
"PSG may have grown into an international brand but its heart and home are here in the Greater Paris region -- where our most passionate fans live and where we feel truly connected. That is why we are committed to giving back to this community, recognizing the support it has shown us over the past 50 years," said CEO Victoriano Melero. High-profile guests such as Novak Djokovic were also present alongside legendary PSG figures such as Pedro Miguel Pauleta and Javier Pastore as well as Laura Georges and Nikola Karabatic to usher in this new era of potential organic prosperity for France's flagship club.
There is already evidence of this culture shift on the field with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar making way for a new wave of talent spearheaded by Zaire-Emery assisted by Senny Mayulu, Yoram Zague and Ibrahim Mbaye. The 16-year-old Mbaye took over from 18-year-old Zaire-Emery as the capital club's youngest-ever starter earlier this season at just 16 years, six months and 23 days while Presnel Kimpembe is present to bridge the generations mentioned by Al-Khelaifi as a veteran homegrown star at 29.
PSG boasted the youngest average age in their UEFA competition history in last campaign's Champions League run at just under 24 years across the board which is a philosophy that matches strongly with head coach Luis Enrique who has carved out a reputation for talent development. The Spanish tactician and his staff have been enjoying the unrivaled facilities for the best part of two terms already and the groundwork is being laid for a continued transition towards even more domestically produced and Paris-raised influence on the first team regardless of current UCL results.