When Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Qatari Sports Investors took over Paris Saint-Germain in 2011, they had two major objectives. The first was to create a football team that could compete in Ligue 1, leverage the city of Paris and establish themselves as a force in the Champions League.
The second - and perhaps more important - was to flesh out a global empire. That was the task Fabien Allegre, now PSG's Chief Brand Officer, was assigned. At the time, it seemed an impossible challenge. The Parisians were a recognized name in the European soccer landscape, but they were nowhere near the power they have since become.
Flash forward nearly 15 years, and Allegre and his team have developed something immense. PSG isn’t as much of a football team as it is a movement, one in which on-field success is relevant, but not vital.
And, despite losing the Club World Cup final to Chelsea at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Allegre and his team have achieved what they always intended to do: build something bigger than just a jersey and penetrate a global soccer market that often rejects those who try to disrupt. And now, they are the distinctive modern football brand.
“We have this unique capacity in the football world to address different kinds of audiences, considering that you can be a fan of PSG as a football club, but you can also be a fan of PSG the brand,” Allegre told GOAL.