‘Footballing architect’ – how Luis Enrique led PSG to Champions League glory
Luis Enrique walks barefoot on the grass of Campus PSG, the club’s training ground 25 minutes away from their Parc des Princes home, every morning as part of his devotion to “earthing”, believing it brings him closer to nature and helps fight off allergies.
Now the 55-year-old Asturian has brought the Champions League to Paris for the first time, PSG’s fanatical ultras will believe he can also walk on water.
His appointment in July 2023 was a clear signal that PSG were moving away from the superstar culture, a dramatic change of direction which appealed to a coach bolted on to the team ethic.
French football expert Julien Laurens told BBC Sport: “They wanted someone to build something for the future, with patience. He was the best candidate.
“The considered people of the calibre of Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho. These guys are winners but they win now. They don’t really build anything. Luis Enrique fitted what PSG wanted.”
Former Brazil midfielder Rai, who was a member of the only PSG team to win a European trophy in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1996, is also a Luis Enrique admirer.
Rai told BBC Sport: “Nowadays, for a team to be considered complete and with a good chance of winning major titles, they need not only talent, but 100% commitment from all players, at all times of the game, whether defending or attacking, with or without the ball.
“What is most impressive about Luis Enrique’s management is the fact that he achieved this in such a short time, and especially with such young players. This shows that his tactical scheme was well understood, that the players believe in him, and that his system is very effective.”
Away from the pitch, the coach also demanded a level of control that had escaped predecessors such as Unai Emery, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Christophe Galtier.
“Luis Enrique is the leader of the club,” said Laurens. “For a long time it was run by the superstars. If they didn’t want to do something they wouldn’t do it. They would go straight to the president. It undermined the coach – not any more.”