There was to be no repeat of last season’s fairy-tale ending, and indeed no repeat of PSG failing to convert their financial dominance into trophies as Carlo Ancelotti led the capital club to their first league title in 21 years with two games to spare.
PSG wrapped up the title with two games to go, beating Marseille to the punch.
L’OM themselves enjoyed a surprisingly good season, qualifying for the Champions League after a year away from the premier competition. They were joined by Lyon who beat high-flying Nice to the final spot.
Champions Montpellier came back down to earth with a bump, only managing 9th place this time around, while Nancy, Troyes and Brest suffered relegation
CHANGES
After the false start they endured in 2011-12, PSG hit the acceleration button on their transfer spending to ensure there were no more slip-ups in their quest to be crowned French champions. Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were the marquee signings from Serie A, and they were joined by Ezequiel Lavezzi, Marco Verratti, Gregory van der Wiel and (in the winter window), Lucas Moura and one David Beckham.
For virtually everybody else in Ligue 1, the transfer window proved to be a selling game. Each of the other major clubs in France cashed in on their talent - headed by Eden Hazard who departed Lille for Champions League winners Chelsea in the close season.
Montpellier were also hit hard, with Rene Girard seeing his championship winning side pulled apart by bigger clubs. Olivier Giroud moved to Arsenal, while club captain Mapou Yanga Mbiwa was also lured to England by Newcastle United.
Marseille sold Cesar Azpilicueta to Chelsea and Stephane Mbia to QPR, with Joey Barton - fresh into a 12-match ban in the Premier League - moving the other way on loan. For L’OM however, they went into the campaign without manager Didier Deschamps, who quit the Stade Velodrome for the national team. He was replaced by Elie Baup.
SEASON SUMMARY
PSG began their quest for the title in stumbling fashion. They needed 2 goals from debut star Ibrahimovic to take a share of the points against FC Lorient at the Parc des Princes. It was Marseille who set the early tone, despite a transitional summer. OM won their first six games, something that had not been achieved in 52 years in Ligue 1.
But PSG quickly rallied to take over the lead before a challenging winter for Carlo Ancelotti. The Parisiens had only taken four points from a total of 15 just before the winter break, and there was talk of the Italian coach being replaced. Nevertheless, a tactical switch and potentially some stern words produced a run of 13 games without defeat, before they eventually clinched the title away to Lyon in May.
OM finished 2nd, picking up 13 1-0 wins along the way and scoring only 42 times across the entire campaign. Elsewhere, it was Brest who suffered relegation first, on the back of 11 consecutive defeats - before Nancy and Troyes were demoted on a frantic final day.
PLAYER OF THE SEASON
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Ibrahimovic won the Player of the Season award in his maiden campaign in France, leading PSG to the title with a return of 29 goals in 33 games.
MANAGER OF THE SEASON
Carlo Ancelotti / Christophe Galtier
A rare shared win for the Manager of the Season award as Christophe Galtier was honoured for delivering the Coupe de la Ligue and European football to Saint-Etienne alongside Carlo Ancelotti.
YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON
Florian Thauvin
The 20-year-old struck 10 goals for Bastia, proving his potential and securing a transfer to Lille midway through the season before winning the U20 World Cup with France.
TOP GOALSCORER
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
With 29 goals, Ibrahimovic spearheaded PSG’s assault on the title, finishing 10 clear of Saint-Etienne’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
TEAM OF THE SEASON
SIRIGU; JALLET, T SILVA, NKOULOU, MAXWELL; VERRATTI, MATUIDI, PAYET; VALBUENA, IBRAHIMOVIC, AUBAMEYANG
MOST EXPENSIVE TRANSFER
Thiago Silva
AC Milan to PSG
€42m
KEY MOMENT OF THE SEASON
Two games before the end of the campaign, Jeremy Menez’s solitary strike at Stade Gerland was enough to seal PSG’s first league title since 1994 on a night of celebration.
PSG 
Marseille 
Lyon 
Monaco 
