The Parisian club is present in Japan for a few days as part of its pre-season summer preparation.
A welcome worthy of rockstars! In the heart of Tokyo, nearly 13,000 Japanese Paris SG fans cheered on Monday to encourage their heroes and get up close to Mbappé, Messi, Neymar and others during training open to the public, in a crazy atmosphere. The day after their arrival in the Japanese capital for a ten-day tour, the Parisian players were once again able to see their popularity in a country where the club claims no less than 6 million followers.
Already accompanied by a hundred supporters at Haneda airport on Sunday, the 25 members of the group this time performed a session on the lawn of the Chichibunomiya rugby stadium at 7:00 p.m. local time in front of a crowd enthusiastic at the idea of seeing their idols evolve. .
You had to spend 2,000 to 4,500 yen (about 18 to 30 euros) to attend the various workshops prepared by the new technical staff led by Christophe Galtier. Not enough to put off these privileged people, who are happy to admire players they are used to seeing only on television. In any case, nothing to do with the exorbitant price of tickets for the three friendly matches scheduled during this course (from 5,000 to 1 million yen, from 35 to 7,000 euros).
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“I bought my ticket on the internet, testified Masayuki Yoshizawa, a 38-year-old office worker. I’ve been a fan since Jay-Jay Okocha plays for PSG. I first heard about the club when Leonardo, who was playing for the Kashima Antlers, signed there. There, I want to see Mbappé. Ligue 1 teams don’t usually come to Japan, they go to China. It’s great that Paris came here after the pandemic. This may be the first and the last time.»
“I can’t wait for it to start. My son plays football and we have been supporters for a while“, said for his part Kazuya Oura, 36, who came with his child. To this audience of enthusiasts were added guests from the club’s various partners, including many French people.
Distortion of Japanese discipline
By the applause, Lionel Messi and Neymar, very popular in Japan, largely won, most of the jerseys being flocked to their name. Before the artists entered, a announcer had warmed up the atmosphere in Japanese and English, launching a thunderous “Are you ready?» («Are you ready?“). The session, which lasted a total of one and a half hours, was marked in particular by a tactical set-up then by oppositions at six against six, the public igniting with each goal scored.
The only small breach of Japanese discipline, several spectators, including children, entered the lawn when the players left before being stopped by the security service. The day had started very early for the Parisian stars. At 10 a.m. local time and in blistering heat, accentuated by high humidity, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos took part in small games for half an hour with 43 boys and girls, always on the lawn of the Chichibunomiya rugby stadium.
After a short photo session with the players, the children, aged 6 to 10 and most of them of a very good level, left with stars in their eyes, singing a vibrant “This is Paris“. PSG is visibly at home in Japan.