History
For the longest time, Paris did not have a football club that truly belonged to the elite. That finally changed in 1970, when a group of businessmen went through with the plan of merging Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain into a single club named Paris Saint-Germain. (The year of establishment are somewhat debated though, since the club was affiliated with the Fédération française de football already in December 1969.)
Not surprisingly, PSG immediately drew sympathies of the Parisian crowd, which was exalted to finally have a club that could contend for domestic trophies. Shortly after earning promotion to Ligue 1 in 1972, the club moved into the legendary Parc des Princes, which would serve as their home to this day.
Winning the first major trophies
The early 80s saw PSG win their first major trophies by claiming back-to-back French Cups in 1982 and 1983. This naturally led to the club winning their first Ligue 1 title in 1986 and consequently trying their luck in European competitions, where they played a number of memorable matches but ultimately failed to advance past the quarter-final. It was during this period that PSG developed a penchant for attacking-minded football, which would play a large part in the club becoming fan favorites, both in France and abroad.