While PSG remain generally unstoppable in the French top flight, every four or five years, somebody randomly steps up to prevent the Parisians from lifting a fifth consecutive title.
In the 2012/13 season under Carlo Ancelotti, PSG won their first Ligue 1 title since 1994.
The beginning of a dominant era that has seen them win 11 of the last 13 league campaigns in France, but they’ve never managed five in a row.
Entering the 2016/17 season, PSG were on track to win an incredible fifth consecutive title.
Instead, one of the greatest cult-classic, one-season-wonder, fan-favourite football teams of all-time emerged: AS Monaco.
Their team under Leonardo Jardim was pure vibes. Straight from a game of FIFA.
We’re talking Radamel Falcao rolling back the years, Thomas Lemar and Bernardo Silva out wide, Bakayoko and Fabinho holding the centre of the park.
Jemerson, Kamil Glik, Djibril Sidibe in defence, Danijel Subasic between the sticks, and of course, the emergence of Kylian Mbappe up top in a 4-4-2.
Plus Allan Saint-Maximim, Rony Lopes, Joao Moutinho, and Valere Germain. What a team!
While they seem to be best remembered for their insane UEFA Champions League run, and that iconic run that saw them defeat Manchester City 3-1 to progress on away goals after a 6-6 aggregate draw.
What was even more impressive was the way they seized control of the French top flight!
AS Monaco won the Ligue 1 title in 2017 with an incredible 95 points in their 34-game campaign.
The second-highest points tally to this day, sitting one point below PSG’s 2015/16 total from the year before.
In the same season, they scored 107 goals, while also achieving a record of 13 away wins in a row.
And then the season ended, almost their entire squad was pillaged, and Kylian Mbappe jumped ship to Paris Saint-Germain.
The rest, as they say, was history, for three more seasons at least.
Paris Saint-Germain resumed business, amassing an impressive three consecutive Ligue 1 titles as they looked to erase the AS Monaco-shaped stain from their record.
But another hero stepped up to challenge the French giants, and in the 2021/22 season, LOSC Lille emerged to defy the Champions.
With a 2-1 win on the final day of the season against Angers, Lille were crowned Ligue 1 Champions, winning the league by a single point.
Jonathan David and Burak Yilmaz scored the crucial goals, and PSG were defied again.
While perhaps not as memorable as the iconic 2016/17 squad from AS Monaco, this Lille outfit meant business.
Only three defeats, while second-place PSG and third-place AS Monaco had eight, and an incredible 11 draws showcased their ability to grind out results.
A modest 64 goals scored, and an impressive 23 goals conceded.
Their squad included Mike Maignan in goals, Sven Botman and Jose Fonte in defence, Boubakary Soumare, Benjamin Andre, Renato Sanches in midfield, Jonathan Bamba and Jonathan Ikone on either flank, and the firepower of Jonathan David and Burak Yilmaz in the frontline.
Once again, the spell broke, and PSG went on to win four straight titles.
Mauricio Pochettino took over at Paris Saint-Germain, Lionel Messi signed on a free transfer, and PSG cruised to the title with zero contest.
Neymar Jr, Kylian Mbappe, and Lionel Messi, while ineffective in the Champions League, were able to combine to clinch the 2022/23 title with a 1-1 draw in the penultimate game of the season.
Messi scored the goal, which turned out to be vital as they lost their final game of the season against Clermont Foot, ending the season a mere point ahead of RC Lens.
They crashed out of the Champions League against Bayern Munich in the Round of 16, with Neymar, Messi, and Sergio Ramos departed at the end of the season.
Two more Ligue 1 titles followed, with their most recent signifying the best season in the club’s history.
Luis Enrique assembled an honest, hard-working outfit of young talent and guided them to a historic treble.
They comfortably won their fourth-straight Ligue 1 title with a 19-point gap between second and only lost twice.
Matching their record for most consecutive titles, the Parisians also secured the Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions titles, before finally lifting the cup that had evaded them throughout their entire history.
With a 5-0 victory over Inter Milan, PSG won their first UEFA Champions League title with the largest UCL Final victory in history.
Ousmane Dembele won the recent Ballon d’Or award for his performances in Paris, and his side has hit the ground running as they target a stunning fifth-straight Ligue 1 title.
So, can anybody actually stop this new-generation PSG squad? Or will they finally hit five in a row?
If history is to repeat itself, then the next unexpected David must be preparing to defy Goliath.
Who could it be this time?
After five Ligue 1 games, we have the blueprint for what has the potential to be an electrifying title race.
AS Monaco have 12 points in five games. So do PSG, Lyon, and so do RC Strasbourg.
Then Lille follow on ten, with Marseille and Lens on nine.
While we’re only five games into the season, these teams look like they mean business.
A talented squad featuring Ansu Fati, Folarin Balogun, Denis Zakaria, Paul Pogba, Aleksandr Golovin, Takumi Minamino, Thilo Kehrer, Eric Dier, Vanderson, Lucas Hradecky, and more looks like the makings of another cult AS Monaco squad.
Lyon, who had at one point been relegated to Ligue 2 but had the decision overturned in July, has hit the ground running this season.
With the likes of Rachid Ghezzal, Martin Satriano, Corentin Tolisso, Tanner Tessmann, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, and Nicolas Tagliafico, Lyon could go the distance.
Players like Ben Chilwell, Julio Enciso, and Joaquin Panichelli give Strasbourg an edge, while Lille boast the likes of Olivier Giroud, Felix Correia, and Nabil Bentaleb.
While it’s all wishful thinking.
Let’s be honest, a few strong players and good vibes won’t win a title. Lyon, Strasbourg, Lille, Marseille, and Lens all have exciting things to offer French football this season, but when push comes to shove, it’s unlikely they will have the depth of consistency to compete.
If anybody is going to dethrone Paris, it will have to be AS Monaco.
Probable? No. Possible? Yes.
We’re witnessing the rebirth of pure ballers like Ansu Fati, Paul Pogba, and Takumi Minamino.
The streets won’t forget, and now it’s time to show the world that kings don’t lose their crowns.
Top of the league after five games, 29 more to go, Monaco means business.