Paris Saint-Germain are no strangers to welcoming incredibly famous faces to the Parc des Princes -- like Beyonce, Jay-Z, Rihanna and Leonardo DiCaprio to name but a few -- and last weekend was no exception as the Ligue 1 leaders played host to Rennes on Sunday evening with Kim Kardashian in the crowd.
- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
The star of the reality show "The Kardashians" joined the ever-increasing roster of celebrity PSG fans as she attended the game with her 7-year-old son, Saint, and a few of his friends.
The group, which also included Kardashian's half-sister, Kendall Jenner, were all treated to pitchside access before the match kicked off as the club welcomed their special guest.
Great to welcome special guest @KimKardashian to the Parc des Princes today! #PSGSRFC pic.twitter.com/xbWtnDTEER
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) March 19, 2023
League leaders PSG had previously earned 35 points from a possible 39 at home in the league this season and thus went into the game as strong favourites. However, coach Christophe Galtier's side fell to a shock 2-0 defeat on their own turf.
Prior to the Rennes upset, Les Parisiens had gone 35 matches unbeaten at home in Ligue 1 in a commanding run that stretched back to April 2021.
The defeat also ended an impressive personal run for Lionel Messi, who had never lost a single home game in over 700 days since signing for PSG in August of 2021. That was until Kim K came to town.
Just three days before watching PSG suffer a surprise defeat, the 42-year-old TV personality and her family took in a game at Arsenal -- and witnessed the Premier League leaders get eliminated from the Europa League by Sporting CP.
After enjoying a FaceTime call from Bukayo Saka in the build-up, Kim watched on from the terraces as Mikel Arteta's side were ousted on penalties at the Emirates, bringing their continental run to an end at the round-of-16 stage.
Just Bukayo Saka casually FaceTiming @KimKardashian 😅🔥 pic.twitter.com/rW2BfPtvl4
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 18, 2023
The thrilling 1-1 draw featured a stunning goal scored by Pedro "Pote" Goncalves from near the halfway line and a dramatic penalty shootout, and the image of Kim's reaction has already entered into the meme canon.
Sporting knock Arsenal out of the Europa League on penalties 😲 pic.twitter.com/3ZwiN5aQ1X
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) March 16, 2023
Thankfully, watching two defeats for the home team in four days didn't stop the trip being a success. It probably helped that they were able to meet PSG star Kylian Mbappe, who posed for pictures with the kids and signed autographs, while his injured teammate Neymar spoke to them via FaceTime while he is back in Brazil recovering from his latest injury.
Style icon Kim was also given a new addition to her wardrobe in the form of a personalised PSG jersey with "Kim 1" on the back, gifted by club chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
Kim Kardashian, la meilleure recrue du PSG cette saison ? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/eqUx9wGzqk
— Football.fr (@football_fr) March 19, 2023
Little surprise, then, that she posted on her Instagram story: "It's safe to say the boys loved our soccer tour trip! Soccer moms for the win!"
That post is ironic given that the two home teams she visited both lost with her in the crowd, leading to plenty of light-hearted speculation online that she has taken the mantle from Drake as a cursed presence on the fortunes of whoever she watches play.
PSG are still seven points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and therefore remain in the driving seat as they chase their ninth top-flight title in the past decade.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are eight points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table in England, with only their first championship in almost two decades left to focus on this season.
All the same, perhaps both clubs will be keen for Kim Kardashian to keep her distance from now until the end of the season.