« It’s unreal, it’s not logical » – Liberation

Be or not to be forever the first to have won two European trophies, a cup of the Cup winners and a Champions League? At the farm, before the final between Paris-SG and Inter Milan and the Allianz Arena in Munich, nobody wants to think about it. The Café de la rue des Petites-Ecuries, in the 10th arrondissement, has planned a special PSG menu with couscous and blonde pint at 20 euros. And the bearded server serves Mojito on Mojito without asking questions. Not far away, at the New Morning, is held the French final of Emergenza, a springboard of young rock groups. A boy came to bear his girlfriend who sings in the Kov group. The tail of the spectators mixes with Parisian supporters who smoke on the sidewalk, draped in Barcola, Dembélé or, rarer, Mbappé jerseys. It is the evening of the big games on this side of the sidewalk. « Frankly, that the best wins, but I would prefer that it is Paris », Hope Martin, at the bottom of the farm room. « Yeah, but anyway we’re going to lose 2-1 », replied a friend.

This young man with blue eyes is not pessimistic, but fatalistic. This is bad luck. Eternal bad luck. The one who folds PSG in front of a Barça in the middle of a comeback. The one who pushes supporters to say that next year will be better when on the Thiago Silva screen cries after yet another defeat in the Champions League. Tonight, for his second final in this competition, within an unconfined stadium and with a high -performance team, PSG will know if he is cursed, forever undermined by vacillating confidence, or if he has finally entered the territory of the winners, those that we reveal and that we do not complain. “I don’t like this match. I would have preferred that he does not exist. If you lose, it’s sad, as usual. If we win, we will have nothing to win. I like when each season brings hope, we say to ourselves that we can move forward ”, Map an old supporter. By message, another sends us his state of mind: “Stress is crazy. As if, if we ever won, nothing could happen to us later. ” At the farm, Louis -who would love that we are joining for his surname « The first name has been changed », so let’s call him Benoît (1) -would like PSG to win, but he bet on a victory of Inter: « 1-0. It was the best rating. «  We believe you, Benoît.

First half. After howls and songs in the overheated room at the time of the presentation of the teams, Benoît’s table attacks his couscous. Chicken and merguez. On the ground, Paris dominates. In the 12th minute, Achraf Hakimi Marque. The room explodes. Supporters levitate, the glasses crash on the ground. Finally ! Paris enters the territory of victors through the fog of smoke bombs. Benoît, imperturbable, ends his chicken thigh. In the 20th, Désiré Doué weighed down the scoring and the Parisians valued their provisional visa for the triumph, the border is very close. Around Benoît, people jump on chairs, crash. « I planned myself on my prognosis, but it’s better like that », he smiles.

Second half. Was there any suspense? No. Gifted again, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu forever rotate the destiny of Paris-SG in roars of happiness. « Me, I come from Honfleur. I started to be interested in football at the age of 10, around 2001. I saw a PSG match with Ronaldinho, who smoked the whole Marseille team, remembers Pierrot, 33 years old. I said to myself: it’s my player, it’s my team. I didn’t know how complicated it was going to be! ” He talks about the 2006-2007 season, while PSG was relegated, he talks about Fabrice Fiorèse and launched one of his friends: « Do you think you? » THE « Y », It is 5-0 against Inter Milan, the last step of the cheerful football pantheon, Paris became champion, Marquinhos crying with joy. « No, it’s unreal. Incredible, even it is not logical ”, Answers the friend to the puffy eyes who seems to wake up with a fifty -year -old sleep. It almost looks like this coronation does not please him. Or that he is afraid of being happy on a subject as snack as PSG. This cup with big ears is like a death: it takes time to achieve.

On the giant screen, coach Luis Enrique smiles. In the bar, people dance. Outside, the city is about to celebrate its new heroes. But neither the Benoît’s band nor that of Pierrot will go to the Champs-Elysées. “For the semi-finals, it feared too much. The atmosphere is rotten, there are cops and fights. ” On the great boulevards, in the still warm evening air, long clusters of supporters advance resolutely towards the fields. How does Paris turn into a champion city? In a carnival intoxication, sure of his mess. We see everything. Groups on bus shelters, scooter parades that bake in horn, smoke and fireworks mortars from each crossroads, Vélib barricades and farandoles of strolling jerseys: sometimes we follow Neymar Jr, sometimes Pastore or Pauleta, Vitinha, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes. The happy crowd trotting cheerfully while singing: « Laaaaa la la la laaaaaa paaaaris-SG, laaaaa la la la laaaaaa paaaaris-SG… » Paris is music during this demonstration whose claim is joy.

In the 8th arrondissement, the atmosphere deteriorates. Rue de la Boétie, a troquet has no windows, a telephony store is vandalized. On the Champs-Elysées roundabout, the police only let go in the saturated avenue that a net of supporters in the middle of thick Lacrymo clouds. In the distance, smoke, the bright red of a smoke, the echo of explosions. Silvia and Luis are Argentinians. These two young retirees landed in Paris this Saturday, but they cannot reach their hotel located rue Lincoln, a few minutes walk. They are waiting in darkness with their suitcases in the relevance of a closed coffee, see the screaming crowd movements pass before their eyes, attend the loads of CRS or the thunderous arrival of firefighters, ears their ears with mortar shots. “In Argentina, we are used to celebrations after football matches. But there … it’s violent anyway. And then there is no lacrymo in these moments, in Argentina ”, explains Luis. Silvia, not reassured, pouts.

Some 5,400 police officers and gendarmes were deployed in the streets of Paris this Saturday evening, mainly on the Champs-Elysées and around the Parc des Princes where a broadcast of the match on a giant screen was held. According to a statement by the police headquarters relayed by AFP at 2 am, 294 arrests were made and two cars were burned on the side of the Saint-Cloud door. Supporters have blocked the circulation of the device. A shoe store has been vandalized.

Many of those who would have liked to sing on the fields have given up. « As soon as we approach, we are gassed », Lilas deplore, 17 years old. With a group of friends, she came « For Paris », Then, pulling on his PSG jersey and with a big smile: “I was born in Paris, I always lived in Paris. PSG is my club! ” We understand. We were also born in Paris, PSG is part of our life, just like the Champs-Elysées, the metro or the often gray sky. We are hundreds of thousands in the same case, suspended from the vagaries of this club that we follow to our defending body. The club of our city. We learned to love him, or not to hate him too much, with or without Qatar. As a child, we went to the Parc des Princes, we tasted the abyss of the 1-1 void matches against Sochaux in the rain. Today is different. The situation has changed. Victory fell on us.

(1) The first name has been changed.