The temperature's rising!
Throughout the China Tour 2019, the effervescence surrounding Paris Saint-Germain has continued to build with each leg of this pre-season training tour. The ultimate aim: Saturday’s Trophée des Champions!
From Shenzhen to… Shenzhen, via Macao and Suzhou, the Rouge et Bleu fever is burning stronger and stronger with each day of the China Tour 2019. Encouraged by the Fan Club s China, Macau and Suzhou, the local supporters have been getting more and more numerous and louder and louder each time they come in contact with the Paris delegation. No matter which hotel the team was staying in, which stadium that were playing or training in, or where the marketing activities were taking place, the club’s Chinese fans were there in numbers!
And their love for Paris Saint-Germain has grown stronger over the last ten days, but also over the years. “It’s a passion… for night owls!” quipped Robert, a member of the Fan Club China. “We’ve been meeting up with friends to watch the matches for the last five years or so… between 3, 4 or 5am here in China! Slowly but surely, more and more people have joined us. The fervour is growing each and every year. At the start we were just expats. Now more and more Chinese are with us.”
This Frenchman who now lives in Shenzhen has witnessed the fervour growing first hand. “There are normally between 30 and 40 of us to watch a match,” he continued. “With the team here in China, there were around 150 people for the match against Inter… We got together in front of the TV and it was really nice. The team’s presence here in China has changed everything! It has created a real link between the supporters and the players. A lot of fans are seeing them in the flesh for the first time. And I have to add that the players have been very kind and very generous with their time. We are very happy to see them. For us, it’s incredible.”
They are sentiments that were echoed by Xihan: “I got here very early to make sure I didn’t miss the players and to have the chance to try and get an autograph,” he explained in front of the team hotel. “Mbappé, Neymar and Cavani are my favourite players. They signed my shirt and posed for photos with me. It’s fantastic!” Before adding in French: “Allez Paris!”