When Luis Enrique claimed in early 2024 that Paris St Germain would be better without Kylian Mbappe, many dismissed it as arrogance or deflection.
Fifteen months later, after PSG’s first Champions League triumph – a jaw-dropping 5-0 steamrolling of Inter Milan in Saturday’s final in Munich – the Spanish coach’s bold prediction looks less like provocation and more like prophecy.
The victory marked the culmination of a profound transformation, from a club defined by star power to one shaped by structure, tactical clarity and collective belief.
Luis Enrique’s second season at the helm has delivered what eluded his predecessors – not just a European title, but a new identity for PSG with the youngest squad in the last 16 of the competition, featuring French teenager Desire Doue, who made a decisive impact in Saturday’s final.
Mbappe’s departure to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 was expected to leave a void as the striker had been the club’s leading scorer for six consecutive seasons and a global face of their ambition.
Without him, pundits questioned whether PSG could remain relevant at the highest level of European competition. They eventually became the second French club to win the European Cup after Olympique de Marseille in 1993.
Early results this season seemed to confirm those doubts. The team managed only one win in their first five Champions League group-stage matches, falling to 26th place out of 36 in the league-phase standings.
KEY MEETING
A 1-0 loss at Bayern Munich in November left the team on the brink of early elimination and Luis Enrique facing intense criticism for his tactical decisions and squad selections.
“You cannot understand,” he then quipped at a reporter questioning his tactics and method.
Behind the scenes, Luis Enrique stayed resolute. He said he had gathered the players and staff for a key internal meeting.
“We are one of the best teams in Europe,” he insisted, explaining the problem was not talent, but execution.
The coach demanded an immediate improvement in their intensity, even threatening to resign if the standard in training didn’t improve.
In January, PSG hosted Manchester City in a must-win clash and found themselves 2-0 down. What followed was a stunning 4-2 comeback in 30 minutes that transformed the club’s season and became a symbolic turning point.
From that point on, PSG were nearly flawless. A 4-1 win in Stuttgart secured progression, followed by knockout victories over Brest, Liverpool (on penalties at Anfield), Aston Villa, and Arsenal.
BUILT TO LAST
Unlike in recent years, the team did not buckle under pressure, holding firm in hostile environments and playing with an authority and self-belief that had long evaded the club in Europe.
Ousmane Dembele had his best season, scoring 32 goals in all competitions while Doue became a new star for the club, setting up one and scoring two in a stunningly one-sided final.
Gianluigi Donnarumma, once a point of weakness, produced decisive saves throughout the campaign and January signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added versatility and energy to a system that rewarded effort over ego.
Discipline, long elusive at PSG, has become a hallmark. When Dembele was late to training ahead of a Champions League match at Arsenal, Luis Enrique left him out of the squad.
PSG lost 2-0, but the coach’s authority was affirmed. “That was my best decision of the season,” he later said. And Dembele returned transformed into a formidable forward after years spent being a poster boy for unfulfilled potential.
Saturday’s final showcased everything Luis Enrique had instilled. PSG showed control, confidence and their high pressing proved too much to handle for Inter.
The title ends a 14-year wait for Qatar Sports Investments, who bought the club in 2011 with the stated aim of dominating Europe. That dream is now reality – not with a galaxy of stars, but with a system built to last.
Luis Enrique did not just win the Champions League. He reshaped Paris St Germain into something new and as he once claimed, something better.
REUTERS
