Champions League trophy, Ousmane Dembele get winners’ welcome at French Open
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PSG's Ousmane Dembele presents the Champions League trophy on the Philippe-Chatrier court.
PHOTO: REUTERS
PARIS – Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele got a roaring welcome usually reserved for tennis champions, when he carried the freshly won Champions League trophy onto the Roland Garros centre court on June 2.
The French football giants beat Inter Milan 5-0 in the showcase match in Munich on May 31 to clinch the trophy for the first time, before the players and staff got a heroes’ welcome in the French capital on June 1.
The festivities for Frenchman Dembele, who was voted the Champions League Player of the Season, continued on June 2 when he carried the shiny trophy onto Court Philippe-Chatrier in front of more than 10,000 people.
He was wearing a white T-shirt with the word “Triumph” written on it.
Organisers could not have timed the brief ceremony better, with Europe’s most prestigious football club trophy arriving minutes after world No. 361 and wild card Lois Boisson of France stunned third-seeded American Jessica Pegula in three sets to reach the last eight in the upset of the tournament.
“Ici c’est Paris, (This is Paris)” shouted Dembele as the normally more reserved afternoon tennis crowd erupted with cheers.
“Exceptional, it was a magic moment in Munich. We played an exceptional season and were rewarded with our first European Cup,” the France international, whose team also won the French Ligue 1 title and the French Cup, told the crowd.
“The individual titles are fine but it is the collective titles that matter.
“We will try to win as many titles as possible.”
Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion and three-time winner in Paris, was on court later for a straight-set win over Briton Cameron Norrie and he was quick to congratulate the Paris club, having joined in PSG’s festivities on June 1.
“An incredible season for PSG, so congratulations to all Parisians,” the Serb said after his 100th career win on the Roland Garros clay.
“It was amazing to be there yesterday.
“Two days ago, during the game I was playing and it was a bit complicated to get to my hotel afterwards, complicated being an understatement. The roads were quite the show.”
PSG are only the second French side to win the European Cup after Marseille in 1993.
Earlier on June 1, the team held victory celebrations on the Champs-Elysees and at their Parc des Princes stadium for thousands of cheering supporters.
Dressed in the club’s blue-and-red colours, fans gathered in the French capital’s most famous avenue to welcome their Les Parisiens heroes, who had just landed from Munich.
The players showed off the coveted trophy from their open-top bus and joined in the crowd’s singing, before heading for the nearby Elysee Palace, where they were greeted by President Emmanuel Macron. REUTERS