At the office, the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fan has long served as a way to blow off steam: He or she was the colleague you would drop in on with a wry smile after a miserable weekend when their favorite team had suffered yet another defeat. A poor soul at whom colleagues would lob fake-sympathetic jokes ("You won't be spending your holidays with Sergi Roberto!" – a reference to the FC Barcelona player who crushed PSG in 2017). With morale at rock bottom, this aficionado reliably pointed to the magnetic pole of defeat, somewhere near the Parc des Princes, the team's stadium. Alone in their corner of the open space, decorated with a poster of PSG legend Rai, this diehard fan sometimes managed to develop a true managerial philosophy of transcendence through failure, repeating over and over, "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger." Everyone else would quietly stifle their laughter.
But that was before. Before Saturday, May 31, 2025, when, after a legendary 5-0 win, PSG snatched the Champions League title from under Inter Milan's nose. That colleague, who had endured years of humiliation while gritting their teeth, naturally showed up on Monday after the feat, their jersey draped over their shoulders, head held high, striding through the halls with body language broadcasting a clear message: "I told you so!"
This is not someone merely celebrating a sporting achievement, but a true believer who has just witnessed a biblical resurrection. Carried by faith, they believed without evidence long before anyone else. In their scenario, coach Luis Enrique stands in as a sort of Jesus Christ who managed to transform a soulless team into a winning machine – as if turning water into wine.
Post-victory depression
On X, Fabien S. summed up the vengeful spirit of this office ultra: "Flag, jersey and scarf in the bag. I'm going to get a crazy amount of pleasure from saying: 'Good morning, how are you? Did you have a good weekend?' Every Marseille supporter at the office gets a message on Teams this morning." In truth, seeing your dream come true is never easy. Sometimes, it's even the worst thing that can happen to a dream. The famous line from journalist Thierry Roland after France's World Cup win in 1998 ("I think after this, we can die happy") led football fans down the wrong path.
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