Macron gets fired up over PSG, sends strong message to critics

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·1 June 2026

Macron gets fired up over PSG, sends strong message to critics

Received at the Élysée after their new European coronation against Arsenal in PSG/Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain received glowing praise from Emmanuel Macron. In remarks relayed by RMC Sport, the President of the Republic hailed Paris’ back-to-back, Luis Enrique and Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.

Macron: “PSG has entered the very top tier”

“You had us on the edge of our seats until the very last second. Last year, it had been clear-cut, emphatic. You went and got this one. We were thrilled beyond the 120 minutes. What a team! Yesterday, thanks to PSG, France did in two years what it had not done in 70 years of football, with two titles. Thank you for that. PSG has entered the very top tier by achieving the back-to-back. It’s immense, it’s huge. It’s the pride of PSG, of Paris, of the whole of France.”

This opening passage sums up PSG’s change in status. The Parisian club is no longer chasing validation, nor constantly having to justify itself. It is now judged by what it builds over time. The back-to-back changes the perspective: one victory could be seen as a peak, two straight titles become domination.

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The reference to 70 years of French football also gives the speech a historical dimension. Macron places PSG in a broader context than that of the club alone. Paris did not just win for itself: it gave French football a European run that no one had managed to build before.

Macron: “The best answer to all the criticism”

“You never gave up on PSG. It is a great source of pride that you brought this club to the top of Europe. I have not forgotten all the football experts who said it was going to be terrible when Luis Enrique arrived. Yesterday we saw a coach who was an extraordinary conductor. It is the best answer to all the criticism. The two stars.”

The tribute to Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and Luis Enrique is the other highlight of the speech. PSG’s president is praised for his perseverance in a project long mocked, challenged or reduced to its financial means. This time, the sporting result provides an answer that is hard to dismiss: the club reached the summit, and then stayed there.

For Luis Enrique, the phrase “conductor” fits PSG’s path perfectly. PSG won with an idea, a structure, a collective identity. That is precisely what makes this title even stronger: Paris did not just stack talent, it built a team capable of holding firm, controlling the game and striking at the right moment.

Macron: “PSG is the greatest team in Europe”

“Everyone gave everything right to the end. No one lost their head. You never gave anything away and you showed unity, strength of character and maturity. You never showed any sign of nerves. You held firm, you came back. Until the very last second, your nerve did not fail. That is the sign of a great team (…) There is no doubt with this back-to-back, PSG is the greatest team in Europe. (…) I am extremely proud of this PSG team.”

In this final part, Macron stresses an essential element: maturity. It may be the word that best tells the story of PSG’s evolution. For a long time, Paris was associated with collapses, nights that slipped away, details poorly managed. This time, the speech highlights the opposite: calm, unity, character and steel nerves.

The line about “the greatest team in Europe” obviously makes an impression. It can still fuel debate, because football loves to challenge the obvious while the scoreboard settles the matter. But after two consecutive Champions League titles, PSG now has the most brutal argument of all: trophies.

This visit to the Élysée will not win one more match. But it says something about this moment for Paris. PSG is no longer celebrated only by its supporters: it is recognized as an established European powerhouse, driven by self-assured leadership and a coach who turned criticism into historic validation.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.