PSG vs Real Madrid (2022 Champions League Round of 16)
One of the strongest youth systems in France, with multiple national titles and Best Youth Club awards.
The Paris Saint-Germain FC Youth Academy (French: Centre de formation du Paris Saint-Germain FC), commonly referred to as the PSG Youth Academy, is the youth system for the men's and women's football teams of Paris Saint-Germain. Managed by the Association Paris Saint-Germain, the men's section of the academy was founded in 1970, with its first center opening in 1975. PSG began developing young players for the women's section in 2012, and the first women's center of the academy was inaugurated in 2023. Campus PSG in Poissy is currently the training ground and home stadium for both sections.
- Competition
- UEFA Champions League Round of 16
- Result
- Eliminated on Aggregate (3-4)
- First Leg Venue
- Parc des Princes, Paris
- Second Leg Venue
- Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
Lore & Background
The academy has produced players such as Jean-Marc Pilorget, Nicolas Anelka, Mamadou Sakho, Kingsley Coman, Adrien Rabiot, Alphonse Areola, Presnel Kimpembe, Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Grace Geyoro, Perle Morroni and Sandy Baltimore. The men's U19 team won the Championnat National U19 in 2006, 2010, 2011, 2016, and the women's U19 team won the Championnat National Féminin U19 in 2016, 2017, and 2019. The academy has been named Best Youth Club by the French Football Federation in 1989, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2019, and 2020.
In Their Own Story
The floodlights at the Bernabéu hummed with a tension that felt heavier than the Parisian air. In the dying seconds, the scoreline was not level; PSG desperately chased an equalizer from one goal down on aggregate. Then, chaos erupted. A flicker of movement from Vinícius Júnior, a deflection off Danilo, and the ball found its way into the net. The roar from the Madrid faithful was deafening, drowning out the stunned silence of the Parisian contingent. It was a moment that would be replayed in PSG history books forever: the exact second when hope turned to heartbreak.
Reader's Guide
Male players progress through the U17, U19, and Espoirs categories before reaching the first team, while the U19 is the final step for female players. The Espoirs men's team plays in the Challenge Espoirs and the Premier League International Cup, the U19 men's team participates in the Championnat National U19, the Coupe Gambardella, and the UEFA Youth League, and the U17 men's team competes in the Championnat National U17. The U19 women's team competes in the Championnat National Féminin U19 and the Coupe Nike Féminine U18. Previously, there was also a reserve men's team that played in the Championnat National 1.
Did You Know?
- The academy's first center opened at the Camp des Loges on 4 November 1975.
- Jean-Marc Pilorget made 435 official appearances for PSG, the second most in the club's history.
- The men's U17 team won the inaugural Alkass International Cup in 2012.
- The academy saw the exodus of several promising talents for free during the 2010s, including Kingsley Coman to Juventus in 2014.
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