When Luis Enrique leads his Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) crew out to play Inter Milan in Saturday’s UEFA Champions League last, the coach can be in search of to win the European continent’s prime prize for the primary time for the French facet and reverse years of fan frustration on the Parc des Princes.
That is the membership which, till just lately, boasted celebrity gamers the caliber of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr, however did not win any European silverware for the reason that third-tier UEFA Intertoto Cup approach again in 2001.
Since his arrival in 2023, Enrique has modified PSG radically, overseeing the high-profile exits of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe, and transitioning from a crew of ageing galacticos into one of the vital thrilling attacking sides in Europe.
Whether or not Enrique’s methodology is the perfect could in the end be judged by what occurs within the Champions League last in Munich.
Enrique the participant
Away from occasions on the pitch, who’s the true Luis Enrique who has presided over this radical transformation at PSG?
The 55-year-old started his soccer profession in 1988, enjoying within the midfield for his native facet, Sporting Gijon, a crew within the Spanish Segunda Division.
In 1991 he was signed by mega membership Actual Madrid the place he helped Los Blancos win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Tremendous Cup. On a person stage, Enrique didn’t carry out as much as expectations, which was largely attributed to enjoying out of place on the wing and in additional defensive roles.
Bitter rivals FC Barcelona snapped up an out-of-form Enrique in 1996, the place he reverted to his favoured central midfield function. It paid dividends for the Catalan giants and Enrique went on to win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and Spanish Tremendous Cup trophies with Barca.
After retiring as a participant in 2004, he went into administration, reportedly on the invitation of present Manchester Metropolis supervisor Pep Guardiola.
Enrique began his teaching profession at FC Barcelona “B”, earlier than transferring to AS Roma in Italy’s Serie A for the 2011-2012 season. The Spaniard was sacked on the finish of the season, with a yr nonetheless remaining on his contract, after Roma completed a disappointing seventh within the premier home competitors.
Managing expectations
His subsequent transfer was to Spanish La Liga facet Celta Vigo – however he additionally departed from that membership after only one yr. It was then that Enrique acquired his career-altering managerial alternative, returning to Barcelona as supervisor of the primary crew.
His four-year reign on the Nou Camp was topped by Barca’s victory within the Champions League last in 2015 in opposition to Juventus, with the “Massive-3” of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar main the attacking line, finishing a uncommon treble for the membership: Spanish League (La Liga), Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey) and European (Champions League) titles.
If PSG win the Champions League last on Saturday, Enrique will make historical past be turning into the one man to ever obtain a treble on two events.
When Enrique was named crew coach of Spain in 2018, he entered a brand new world of worldwide soccer.
Earlier than the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Spain was fancied as potential winners. Nonetheless, after a crushing spherical of 16 loss to underdogs Morocco, Enrique introduced his resignation from the nationwide facet.
Incessant media hypothesis linked Enrique’s subsequent managerial job with a transfer to England’s Premier League.
He was interviewed by Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea – nevertheless it was PSG, to the shock of many, who secured his signature.
Maybe it was the distinctive problem of profitable the Champions League with one in every of solely two European tremendous golf equipment by no means to have achieved the milestone – Arsenal being the opposite – which made him head to Paris.
Or maybe it was a want to indicate off his imaginative and prescient of attacking soccer by rebuilding a membership his approach.
Take me to Paris
A current three-part documentary, produced by Zoom Sport Movies, offered an intimate portrait of the coach who allowed the cameras into his personal life for the primary time, regardless of Enrique’s well-known animosity in direction of the media.
No Teneis Ni P*** Thought (You Don’t Have Any F****** Thought) reveals a pushed man who’s as obsessed with soccer as his household – and maintaining match.
Viewers see Enrique arriving at PSG talking only some phrases of French. Nonetheless, he imposes his character on the membership from the beginning.
Recognized by his nickname, Lucho, Enrique brings a Spanish-speaking teaching workers with him and addresses the gamers in his personal language, with the help of a French translator.
As relations together with his largest star – Mbappe – seem to worsen, viewers are handled to Enrique giving the star participant what former Manchester United supervisor Sir Alex Ferguson used to name the “hairdryer therapy”, or an enormous telling off.
However, as that is France, Enrique calls it “C’est Catastrophique (It’s catastrophic)” on an enormous presentation display screen to the striker. The Spaniard is referring to Mbappe’s obvious refusal to defend in any respect after PSG have been overwhelmed 2-3 at residence by Barcelona within the quarterfinal of the Champions League in April final yr.
Regardless of the manager-star participant bust-up, PSG would transfer on to the semifinals, the place they have been in the end overwhelmed by Borussia Dortmund. A yr on, Enrique’s post-match feedback could transform prophetic:
“Now it’s a tragic second however you need to settle for generally sport is that approach. We now have to attempt to create one thing particular subsequent yr and win it.”
Behind-the-scenes with Lucho
Curiously for a soccer supervisor, he spends a lot of his day learning his crew on a collection of laptop screens. That is interspersed with exercises. “You should transfer each half an hour,” he says. Within the documentary, Enrique is seen, in his plush Parisian home, commonly doing varied strenuous workouts or biking.
On the PSG coaching camp, he mixes crew talks with plunges into his ice pool. It pays off, because the supervisor is match. However when he walks across the pitch, it’s at all times barefoot as he believes in “grounding” or getting again in contact with nature.
The documentary mixes moments from Enrique’s illustrious profession, from the Actual Madrid and Barca days, in addition to the Spain function – the great and the dangerous. Not surprisingly, the bottom level is when Morocco upsets Spain and knocks the bookmaker’s favorite out of the World Cup.
Away from soccer, we additionally see a young facet to Lucho when the documentary touches on his shut relationship together with his youngest daughter, Xana, who died on the age of 9 from osteosarcoma, a bone tumour, in 2019.
Enrique arrange a basis in her title together with his spouse, Elena Cullell, to attempt to assist different households who’re suffering from the identical situation.
Graham Hunter, a producer on the documentary and a soccer journalist who’s buddies with Enrique, described his character as “demanding and inspirational”.
“As a footballer, he was distinctive. A Spanish Roy Keane. His capability to play in all places on the pitch barely lower how good he was as a result of managers used him all around the pitch. He was trophy-laden at Madrid and Barca,” he says.
“He didn’t need to be a coach initially. [He] Accepted an invite from Pep [Guardiola] I feel to teach Barca B. Though he clashed a bit bit with Messi and Luis Suarez however that [2015] Champions League victory, it was unbelievable. They gained the treble.”
Hunter believes Enrique modified the enjoying model of the Spain crew throughout his managerial tenure, introducing younger expertise like Pedri.
“He constructed what has turn into a profitable franchise and he carries an enormous quantity of credit score to him,” he stated.
Hunter says Enrique didn’t simply go to PSG to win the Champions League.
“He went to PSG to imprint his model of soccer and to persuade the gamers, the followers that it was an excellent, trendy method to play soccer and to do this, you need to win the Champions League. For him, he’s as thinking about how folks see his soccer as attacking and inspirational as profitable trophies.”
