Charisma, aura, flow, whatever you want to call it. On the road to its European successes, this Paris Saint-Germain has shaped an identity not only tactical or technical but also visual, almost cinematographic. And it is in the celebration of goals that this energy crystallizes which makes PSG such a formidable team in the exercise of joy.
A recent example? Ousmane Dembélé’s slip + black look towards the cameras after his festival against Chelsea during the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League was particularly appreciated by Parisian supporters, to the point of making the rounds on the networks. It is no coincidence to see the image used by the broadcaster Canal + in its trailer for the quarter-final first leg on Wednesday evening, against Liverpool.
This celebration of Dembélé adds a page to an already thick catalog which opened on the evening of the Parisian comeback against Manchester City on the penultimate day of the 2024-2025 regular season. And, proof that the club itself is well aware of the hype, PSG posted a compilation of “iconic celebrations” on its YouTube channel last July.
Ile-de-France know-how
Anyone who has set foot on a pitch in Ile de France in their youth knows that all this is part of an aesthetic of Ile-de-France football, which extends from the small bridge at the city stadium to the provocative celebration in a fiery district derby.
The players from the Paris Saint-Germain youth teams also excel in the exercise, like Adam Ayari, highlighted by two teammates in a pose worked in the laboratory after a penalty scored in the Gambardella Cup last month. “When I go to see them in Poissy, all the young kids send me messages so that I can send them photos, even when it’s just training,” François Denat, photojournalist and avid follower of Paris Saint-Germain, tells us. There is a generational thing, guys are happy to show themselves on the networks. »
If there is a reference to rap, it’s even better: the entry of Désiré Doué on Dolce Camara by Booba and SDM during the festivities of the European title last year or the Matuidi charo celebration of Barcola after a goal against OM nourish this imagination. “Before the match, I watched videos of old Classics to soak up the atmosphere,” explained the former Lyon player in 2024. “I saw Blaise Matuidi do it, and as I really like this player, I said to myself: why not. I also listen to Niska a lot. So, a little wink is nice. »
“The players know the devices and use them”
This staging being by nature dependent on the moment, the most beautiful celebrations of PSG – ranging from the triple slide on the knees of Ruiz, Neves, Hakimi to the throw of Doué’s jersey in the C1 final, passing more recently by the Drogba of Barcola to Stamford Bridget – take place for the most part in important Champions League matches.
Should we also see the mark of Canal +’s know-how in terms of production in the way of broadcasting the outpouring? Laurent Lachand, who will direct PSG-Liverpool for the encrypted channel, claims “an absent presence” from the cameras while recalling that the C1 broadcaster is one of the rare channels to have the right to accompany the players on the field if the conditions are suitable. The rest belongs to the Parisian scorers.
“The players know our ways of filming,” explains Lachand. Even if our systems grow depending on the matches, there is a base which means that the players roughly know that if they head towards a certain area, they will be able to celebrate a goal slightly to the left. I think that a universe is integrated into the minds of the players and that depending on the moment, they use, in the good sense of the term, the device to show that and share it with us. »
Cavani, Neymar, Mbappé… Were goal celebrations better before?
It remains to be seen what the raw flow of Dembélé, Doué, Barcola, Kvaratskhelia and company is. Image specialists note that, taken individually, Paris Saint-Germain players’ celebrations were more impactful in the past. “We must put the adventure of PSG under QSI into perspective,” analyzes Laurent Lachand. For a long time there was a team around stars. The joys and celebrations embodied it. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was an extraordinary character, because with his personality and his ability to use the device to highlight his personal expression, there was a pleasant game to play. »
François Denat, for his part, keeps a place in his heart for Edinson Cavani – “a master of celebration” – while emphasizing the original approach of certain current Parisian figures. “We notice that players have two, sometimes three celebrations in one, like Kvaratskhelia and Vitinha. In another register, Barcola and Doué will try to play with the camera, with the lens. We also feel that Doué is trying to get closer to Neymar with his dance steps, like his Michael Jackson celebration (against Paris FC in Ligue 1). »
“Dembélé gained flow because he became serious”
The former Rennais, on the other hand, is almost the only one to find credit in the eyes of director Axel Chely, behind several clips by rapper Alonzo. “And again, it’s not great class. Strictly speaking, Hakimi has a bit of an old-school side, a broken face, a ‘real’ old-fashioned man…” He refutes any notion of individual charisma among the other Parisian players, whose authority rests above all on the result.
“Obviously, the team won last year and played well. So it has a logical flow. But if you take the players one by one: Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Kvara… Dembélé was never a “flow” player, but he gained depth because he became serious. This is also perhaps what gives this impression of collective flow. You have guys who don’t really have one but who, through their determination and their game, make it something atypical. »
As on the field, there are individually stronger elsewhere. Gyokeres and his mask, Cole Palmer and his thrills, Lamine Yamal and his dances… And as on the field, it is perhaps in the collective that the joy of the Parisians is the most exciting. “We see it against Chelsea: Kvara who comes in, who scores, who celebrates and who turns towards the team,” says Laurent Lachand. They will share. There is always this collective which will reconstitute itself and which, I hope, is felt during the production. Let’s add to that this public, which is another great success of this PSG… All this creates a climate, a positive, benevolent fervor. » And celebrations, whatever one may say, are iconic.
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