Cyrille de la Morinerie with AFP / Photo credit: MATTHIEU MIRVILLE / DPPI VIA AFP
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7:30 p.m., July 05, 2023
Paris Saint-Germain announced on Wednesday the appointment until 2025 of Luis Enrique, former coach of FC Barcelona and the Spanish selection, to replace Christophe Galtier, whose departure had been formalized earlier. “It’s a new cycle, a new way of playing, one of the best coaches in the world, not for what he has won but for his style of football, attacking,” said President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi alongside the 53-year-old technician at a press conference held at the new training center in Poissy in the Yvelines.
8th PSG coach since the Qatari era
Luis Enrique becomes the eighth coach of PSG since the arrival of the Qatari fund QSI (Qatar Sports Investments) at the head of the club in 2011. “I can guarantee you that we will work as a team”, promised the new coach, eager to “seek titles”, “the common goal” with the players. “Lucho”, renowned for his strong character, had been on the market since December and his dismissal by the Spanish Federation in the wake of the elimination of La Roja in the round of 16 of the World Cup-2022 against Morocco. He takes over from Galtier, criticized for the boring game, without desire or creation of his players, whose record shows a Champions Trophy and a title of champion of France, won with a point ahead of Lens.
With the Spaniard, the Parisian club managed to emerge from the top of a hectic and very disappointing exercise, unearthing a big name in international football with a prestigious career. The former international midfielder, passed through the benches of AS Roma (2011-2012), Celta Vigo (2013-2014) and FC Barcelona (2014-2017), has the mission to finally offer PSG a first Champions League, the dream of Qatari owners. Luis Enrique has already won the prestigious European Cup, with Barça in 2015, the year he also won the league and the Spanish Cup. He also led the blaugrana formation on the evening of the famous “remontada”, the 6-1 inflicted on PSG in the 1/8 final return of C1 (after a 4-0 defeat in the first leg) in 2017.
Reunion with Neymar
In Paris, he will find one of the major architects of these successes, the Brazilian Neymar whom he had under his orders in Catalonia, provided that the N.10 continues his adventure in the red and blue jersey. With his firm convictions and his outspokenness, Luis Enrique was recruited for his ability to instil an attacking philosophy in his formations, with a lot of possession, which has been particularly lacking at PSG in recent seasons. The management of the Kylian Mbappé case will be his first major project while the hazy future of the Parisian star, wishing to leave the free club at the end of his contract in 2024, risks being the soap opera of the summer.