A revolution is quietly taking place just 44 metres from the Parc des Princes and could change the football landscape in the French capital.
"Paris is Magic" is the slogan inside Paris Saint-Germain's stadium. Those three words reflect the monopoly that PSG has had in the capital for decades. PSG is Paris, Paris is PSG. But for how much longer?
There is no such slogan at the Stade Jean-Bouin, the new home of Paris FC. There, they routinely defeated Lorien 2-0 on Friday, moving up to eighth place in Ligue 1.
They are just six points behind their nearest rivals, although challenging PSG is not yet their reality. What is happening at Paris FC is less like a "great leap forward" and more like a cultural revolution, as the Arnault family - who bought the club late last year - puts their figures in place and shapes the club according to their own vision.
Despite their newfound wealth, the changes at Paris FC will be gradual. They are in no rush to progress. The club also made the move from Ligue 2 with a primarily financial investment.
"We have to be careful in the next few years," says Paris FC president Pierre Ferracci, who remains in his position after taking over the club from the Arnault family. "We have to establish ourselves in Ligue 1 and avoid any missteps, so we will start by bringing in experienced players."
However, that is not the long-term plan of Paris FC, which was "inspired" by Barcelona's academy system and wants to replicate it, with the help of minority shareholders such as Red Bull. Now the "seeds" of their long-term strategy are being "planted". Marco Nepe, former technical director of Bayern Munich, has taken over as sporting director, replacing his son Piero Ferracci. "We wanted the club's sporting management to have an experienced leader," said Bernard Arnault, the club's first man.
Jean-Philippe Crassot and Ilan Kebal led the way on Friday night. Both scored goals in a 2-0 win. Kebal, a technically gifted playmaker, has been improving game by game since arriving in 2023.
He has been told repeatedly that he will never get a professional contract due to his short stature, but Kebal continues to refute the doubters, and it is a wonder that, at 27, he has not yet been bought by a "bigger club". He already has four goals this season, only Joaquin Paniquelelli and Ansu Fati have scored more in Ligue 1.
Kraso, who arrived in 2024, finished last season as Ligue 2's second top scorer. He looked set to lose his place when the club brought in Willem Goebbels this summer, but, having also scored against Nice last weekend, he looks to have regained his place in the team.
The club's operations have been intelligent and geared towards the short-term goal of keeping Paris FC in Ligue 1 as a stable first division club to begin with. There is a certain continuity, both on the pitch and in the coaching staff, which also contributes to achieving that goal.
The evolution is happening at a pace that means PSG's dominance has not yet been seriously challenged, but, given that the Jean Bouin stadium (which is just 45m from the Parc des Princes) attracted a full house on Friday, it shows that PSG will have "noisy neighbours".
"Paris is magical" - PSG's signature fan slogans may need to take on a new level of distinction to reflect the fact that Paris may no longer be a one-club city.
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