Paris Saint-Germain fan Hidayah Ali is not one to be discouraged by setbacks, as he continues to back his team to one day lift the famous big-eared trophy
Supporting Paris Saint-Germain is always quite a rollercoaster of emotions; many smiles have adorned our faces, yet many tears have been shed. It's safe to say being a Paris supporter isn't always easy, especially in the Champions League – a dream that we have reached out to touch a few times, but to no avail.
Whenever a round of the knockout stage looms, for most Paris Saint-Germain fans it spells disaster. We’re braced for an often-cruel exit from the competition. But do we regret falling in love with the Rouge et Bleu? Never.
Despite all the letdowns, there is no other club I would rather support than the one I love with my whole heart.
Four years ago, when everything shut down and the world came to a standstill, the return of the Champions League brought a ray of relief and hope – a distraction from the strangest phases the world will ever see.
And as such, came a very unique quarter-final against Atalanta. A one-off game with no margin for error. But disaster struck early, Mario Pašalić scoring in the 26th minute. And the walls began crumbling again. Until the 89th minute, all hope was gone and I’d accepted another defeat, numbed by the ones I’d been seeing in the years prior.
But somehow, we came back from the brink at the death. The referee had all but raised his whistle to his lips, but Marquinhos and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting both intervened after 90 minutes to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. A victory like no other. I can't begin to describe the emotions I experienced when that full-time whistle went.
And even though we failed at the final hurdle that year, that quarter-final gave me the belief that we’re up there and we’ll always be capable of the improbable. After our fair share of heartbreaks, it’s nice to get some reassurance every now and then. And that was enough to keep me going. And as we prepare to face Real Sociedad in the Round of 16, I can’t help but keep thinking – maybe this is our time…
