Peru San German, South America’s other PSG, dreams of official tie-up with Paris | OneFootball

Peru San German, the other PSG making noise in South America, has climbed into the First Division of the San Martin de Porres district, the seventh tier nationally, and is daring to dream of an official link with Paris Saint-Germain one day.

According to L'Équipe, the club began in 2015 in a northern Lima neighbourhood when maths teacher Luis Montero created a team for local children after informal sessions. To enter federation competitions it needed an official name, a youngster suggested Peru San German so the initials would read PSG. Montero says the boy had David Luiz in mind from the 2014 World Cup, and that Paris’s global profile accelerated later with the arrivals of Neymar and then Messi.

To match the moniker, the crest reworks Paris Saint-Germain’s badge with Peruvian touches, including the national flag where the Eiffel Tower and fleur de lys would be. The kits, at a glance, could be mistaken for Paris colours.

Messi’s move to Paris in 2021 thrust the Lima side into the spotlight, prompting coverage in Peru, Argentina and Spain. The team train on a dirt pitch, but play matches on synthetic turf, and curious onlookers began turning up.

The name still causes confusion, opponents sometimes assume the initials on the teamsheet mean an official affiliate of the French club. Montero tells his players to be patient, and that perhaps, one day, they could become PSG’s official franchise.

Source: L'Équipe