Opinion – The World is a Ball: A title with a bittersweet flavor

A title won by a club is always a title, another cup for the club’s trophy room, and theoretically, it can never be considered unpopular by its fans.

However, those of Paris Saint-Germain, used to winning the French Championship for almost a decade – there were seven in nine attempts, from 2012/2013 to 2020/2021 –, were not completely satisfied with another one for the collection.

A draw was enough for PSG, with Messi, Neymar and Mbappé, to regain the position that Lille had taken from them last season.

With the goal of the Argentine ace in the 23rd minute of the second half, after a pass by the Brazilian colleague, the certainty of the conquest was imminent. Reason enough for the more than 45,000 PSG fans in the stadium to start celebrating.

But a part of them, those who make up the organized crowd, didn’t.

The most fanatical and faithful followers, called “ultras”, accompanied by many “ordinary” fans, preferred to leave the Parc des Princes about 15 minutes before the final whistle and celebrate in the surroundings of the Parisian arena.

A celebration without the presence of the athletes. No applause or thanks to any of them.

“Shame on this atmosphere [no estádio]. Football is our passion and we will try to make the most of it. Too bad it’s not with the fans”, declared to Canal+, after the match, defender and captain Marquinhos, holder of the Brazilian team.

The reason was the lasting discontent over the elimination in the round of 16 of the Champions League, in early March, in a duel against Real Madrid that seemed to have been won and that ended with a sensational comeback by the Spanish team (3-1), in night of Benzema, a Frenchman.

PSG’s dream of consumption, not only for the fans but also for the club’s management, is the prestigious cup of the most important European competition. Again, and in a remarkably negative way, it did not come.

In this way, French, in the eyes of many people, was nothing more than a consolation prize. Very little for a team that has invested millions of euros, year after year, to reach the top of Europe and that, constantly, cannot get close to it.

The fans who disbanded in the match on Saturday night (23) were not able to see the Lens tie, in the 43rd minute.

In other words, to make matters worse, the title came the way you don’t want it, without the victory on the scoreboard. Anyone who is a fan knows that it’s kind of chocho to win without winning.

A bittersweet title for PSG. Sweet, for being another title. Sour, because it’s just another title, not “the” title.

So bittersweet that, despite Marquinhos and his teammates criticizing and lamenting the attitude of the fans, there was not even the traditional Olympic return of the players in the stadium.