Interview by Rui Pastorin
The two-day PSG Macau Youth GBA Tournament 2025 concluded on Sunday at the Macau Workers Stadium, filled with excitement as teams of different age groups vied for prizes.
The stadium is located on Istmo de Ferreira do Amaral (亞馬喇土腰 [關閘馬路]).
Organised by PSG (Paris Saint-Germain) Academy Hong Kong and Macau, a total of 28 football teams from around the Greater Bay Area (GBA) competed during the tournament across the U9, U11, U13, and U15 age groups.
The U9 and U11 championships were won by IVO (Macau), while the U13 and U15 championships were respectively won by the teams Gala (Macau) and SASL (Macau).
Moreover, special prizes such as the “Donnarumma Award - Best Goalkeeper” and “Katoto Award - Best Female Player” were also given out.
Speaking with the Post after Sunday’s awards presentation, PSG Academy Hong Kong and Macau CEO Yannick Ngassa said that the event more than met expectations, adding that he hadn’t expected that many people or media.
Ngassa added: “This is a testament that the youth in Macau really need such a tournament or arrangement in order for them to, you know, find some joy in what they’re learning”, adding that one cannot just keep training and not have a way to “expose” one’s talent.
He also highlighted the importance of having the opportunity to showcase your skills and knowing that there’s a path that can be pursued. He added that when you see a path for a sport that you love the most, along with a path to work hard towards, your hard work doubles.
As an example, a child who is asked to train twice a week and doesn’t know the purpose, they might wonder why they have to when they don’t see a path. But if they know that they have to do things like prepare for tournaments, everyone will work hard as everyone wants to be psychologically on top, according to Ngassa. “It’s about the opportunity given to this kid to showcase what they love the most”.
Moreover, Ngassa said that he was very happy with the tournament’s success, adding that he was looking forward to seeing it double its size to having 50 teams coming from all over the GBA, and possibly, even some special teams from outside of these cities. He said that the organisers are looking forward to having over 2,000 or 3,000 families coming over to Macau.
Ngassa noted in his speech that the next event is tentatively slated to be held in March 2026.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is a professional football club based in Paris, known for competing in Ligue 1 and being one of the most successful clubs in French football.
PSG Academy Hong Kong and Macau CEO Yannick Ngassa (centre) delivers a speech after Sunday’s tournament at the Macau Worker’s Stadium near the Barrier Gate checkpoint.
Photos taken on Sunday by Rui Pastorin.
