Christophe Galtier during Paris Saint-Germain training at Camp des Loges, May 5, 2023. FRANCK FIFE / AFP
One year, two trophies, and then it’s gone. Christophe Galtier was officially thanked, Wednesday July 5, by Paris Saint-Germain after a year spent in the capital. “The club would like to highlight its professionalism and commitment, which enabled the Rouge et Bleu to win a historic eleventh French championship title as well as a Champions Trophy”writes the PSG in a press release published at the end of the morning.
The departure of the Marseille coach seemed to have been confirmed for several weeks, but the formalization of it was delayed due to negotiations to terminate the contract which linked Christophe Galtier to PSG until 2024. His assistants Thierry Oleksiak and João Sacramento have also been thanked and will not appear in the staff of the next club coach, whose identity could be revealed in the coming hours.
For Galtier, this experience at PSG is far from being a success. The 56-year-old coach has won his second French championship title – after that acquired with Lille in 2021 – and has taken on an international dimension by coaching some of the greatest players on the planet, but he has also suffered, in particular through several controversies, the media coverage of his position and the expectations of Parisian supporters.
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Galtier victim according to him of the “media court” this season
In sporting terms, he failed to turn PSG over, eliminated in the knockout stages of the Champions League by Bayern Munich. Off the field, he has been the center of attention on several occasions. After only a few weeks of practice, he understood that each of his remarks could take on unexpected proportions. This was the case at the beginning of September during the sand yachting episode.
“We are trying to see if we cannot move around in a sand yacht”, he had fun at a press conference, after a question about the movements of his team in a private jet. At the beginning of April, Galtier’s season took a new turn with accusations against him of discriminatory remarks, revealed by several journalists, which he would have made during his time on the Nice bench (2021-2022).
« Now I know what it’s like to be in the media court. There was very little benevolence, sometimes insults, inappropriate words, we had to take it. I’m sure I’ll come out stronger.”, explained Galtier during his last match as PSG coach, during the 38ᵉ and last day of Ligue 1, on June 4. Now free of any contract, Galtier will be able to start looking for a new club. Or take a rest after a grueling year in the PSG machine.
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