Loyal PSG fans made a reference to the glories of French history with a display ahead of Paris Saint-Germain’s historic victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League. PSG won the match 5-4 in a thrilling battle.
The tifo, or large-scale choreographed visual display, showed Napoleon Bonaparte leading a group of French soldiers. The tifo in question was a stylized take on the painting “Crossing of the Arcole Bridge” and depicts a key moment in French history.
The fans also displayed the message “a la conquete de l’europe” or “to the conquest of Europe” as if the Napoleonic reference was lost. The tifo was a stylized version of the original “La Bataille du Pont d’Arcole” was painted by French artist Horace Vernet in 1826. It was displayed in the Louvre and is now in private hands.
The real Napoleonic battle—the kind with bullets, not balls—took place from 15th–17th November 1796. It was a key victory for Napoleon over an Austrian (not Bavarian) force during his Italian campaign. Some 20,000 French soldiers faced off against roughly 24,000 Austrians.
During a dire moment in the battle, Bonaparte grabbed a flag and stood in the open about “55 paces” from the disputed bridge. The Austrians poured on murderous fire, and several of Napoleon’s staff were hit and killed, the most important loss being his own aide-de-camp, Jean-Baptiste Muiron. A French officer unknown to history pulled Napoleon into a muddy ditch—saving his life and perhaps the fate of France.
Some amateur historians of the Napoleonic period have criticized the choice, suggesting that other battles could have been referenced. The Battle of Hohenlinden was a French victory over Austrians and Bavarians in Bavaria. There is an epic painting of that battle, when the French were again outnumbered but led not by Napoleon, but by French general Jean Victor Marie Moreau. The painting scene above is an 1836 effort by Henri Frédéric Schopin Year which is now in the Palace of Versailles
Other fans suggested that the Battle of Hanau in 1813 would have been a better choice. In that battle, a French force was attempting to retreat back to France after defeat at the Battle of Leipzig. Napoleon, upon seeing the poor defensive position of Karl von Wrede and the Austrian and Bavarian troops he commanded, noted, “I have made Wrede a Count, but it was beyond my power to make him a General.” Despite being outnumbered by as much as 2-1 and disorganized — Napoleon’s army carried the day.
Those nitpickers miss the larger point about the bridge skirmish. The small heroic scene at Pont d’Arcole made Napoleon—still not yet emperor and only establishing his military career—a household name in France. It was the beginning of the Napoleonic legend.
PSG fans have their own fate in their hands following their massive win. PSG has proven yet again this season that sometimes the best defense is a good offense—a maxim that Napoleon would surely have approved of.
