Robert Pires has described Paris Saint-Germain as the "catalyst" behind the resurgence of Ligue 1.

The former Arsenal man believes that the French domestic league is now becoming "stronger", thanks mainly to Les Parisiens' Qatari investors.

After purchasing the club in 2011, the company helped broker a deal to show Ligue 1 games on Al Jazeera, which is destined to become very profitable for the rest of the division.

Pires said that PSG boast the best squad in the league, but also believes that they have raised the performance of every other team.

"Ligue 1 is getting stronger again and that's good news for France," Pires told Ligue1.com. "Of course the catalyst is Paris Saint-Germain.

"It's very important and I think that what the president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is doing is fantastic. It's one thing to have money, but he's spending it in an intelligent way. I think PSG are building a strong team in a clever, calculated way. They have top players at the back, in midfield and up front.

"Then you have the other French clubs who are trying to fight with them. We know it's going to be hard because PSG have certainly the strongest squad in France now."

Pires came through the ranks with his local side Metz, before moving to Marseille, Arsenal, Villarreal and Aston Villa.