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Paris Football

Football is often considered the most popular French and Parisian sport.The French National Football team has a history dating back almost a hundred years, and the country has been prominent in the world football community for decades.

Teams

Paris is the home of the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club. The popular team has a history dating back to 1970, and is the only team in Paris that plays in the French Premiere League. Paris Saint-Germain is consistently one of the top performers in the League and ranked in the first division. The team has won several championships and has been a consistent competitor for the French cup. Internationally, Paris Saint-Germain also competed in the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2001[now disbanded].

Founded in 1919, the French National Football Team has a lengthy history. Since the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, the French national team has qualified for the influential competition thirteen times. France won the World Cup in 1998 when the tournament was played on their home soil. In the eighty year history of the FIFA World Cup, the French National Team has come in third three times: 1938, 1958 and 1986.

Prominent Players

Through the teams' lengthy history of football in France, there have been a number of influential players to grace the rosters of both the French National Team and the Paris Saint-Germain club.

One of the most recognized football players to come out of France is Zinedine Zidane. Considered one of the greatest players in the country, Zidane played for the French National Team until his retirement in 2006. When Zidane joined the prolific Real Madrid football club in 2001, he earned what was then a world record fee of 66 million pounds (roughly 102, 375,203 U.S. dollars) in exchange for signing a four year contract. In 1998 he was a member of the team which brought the World Cup to France.

A more contemporary star in the French football scene is Paris Saint-Germain striker Kevin Gameiro. Gameiro quickly made his mark on the team by scoring a team high eight goals during the 2011/2012 season. Gameiro joined the team after playing for the Lorient football club since the 2008/2009 season.

Stadiums

Le Parc des Princes is located in the sixteenth arrondissement of Paris, and serves as the home stadium for the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club. The Paris venue is also is a prominent location for rugby matches and concerts. The stadium is easily accessible by the Paris city beltway between the Porte de Saint Cloud or the Porte d'Auteuil exits. Le Parc des Princes is also easily reached via public transportation, through the Porte d'Auteuil station or the Pont de Sevres terminal.

Located just outside of Paris in Saint-Denis is the Stade de France. The arena is the national stadium of France, and is the home of the French National Football Team. The stadium has a seating capacity of just over 80,000 seats, making it the fifth largest in all of Europe. More than a football stadium, the venue is also a popular concert venue as well as home to rugby matches. Popular French acts like Johnny Halladay, as well as international groups like the Red Hot Chili Peppers have played the Stade de France. Those visiting the Stade de France from nearby Paris can reach the stadium by taking the Autoroute du Norde north from the Bd Peripherique .

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Paris Football