PARIS — If a rock-solid Arsenal could not stop Luis Enrique and Paris Saint-Germain, one steward clutching a rope stood no chance.
The Spanish manager hurdled the obstacle and sprinted onto the pitch to celebrate the “back-to-back” that cemented the French side in football history, only the second team to retain the trophy in the Champions League era.
This time, PSG truly earned it. Last season they cruised to a 5-0 win against an underwhelming Inter Milan, but in Budapest, they battled over 120 minutes in a 1-1 draw and edged Arsenal on penalties.
That followed the semifinal classic 6-5 win over Bayern, highlighting all the qualities of PSG’s game over the two legs.
“The coach said it’s even harder to win twice,” said PSG captain Marquinhos. “We had the whole team (fighting) and the mental strength.”
It did not take long for the Brazilian defender to set the next target.
“We have a very young squad – we can win it a third time in a row,” said the skipper according to AFP.
At 32, Marquinhos is an elder statesman of the team. His centre-back partner Willian Pacho is 24, Nuno Mendes 23, Joao Neves 21, Vitinha 26, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia 25, Bradley Barcola 23, many still to hit their peak.
French winger Desire Doue, only 20, also had his eyes on the next prize, before he had even lifted this one.
“The first one was incredible, but more than anything we had that desire to get the second, to make history once again and become legends,” he told broadcaster M6.
“I love this club so much, and it’s not over! We’ve got the second, we’ll keep working and go get the third.”
Record 15-time winners Real Madrid won the Champions League three times between 2016-2018. Before that, the last teams to complete a hat-trick were Bayern Munich and Ajax in the 1970s. Real Madrid also won it five years running back at the competition’s inception.
“We can talk about the back-to-back-to-back. We can talk about these type of objectives, our club is worthy of it, our supporters,” said Luis Enrique.
Although the coach was reticent to proclaim his side would clinch the trophy again, it was clear he enjoyed the sound of the phrase.
In many ways Luis Enrique is the defining figure of this PSG project, with the commercial superstars departed, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and many more.
After Mbappe left in 2024, Lucho, as he is nicknamed, said his team would become even stronger.
“Having a player who moved wherever he wanted meant there were parts of the game I couldn’t control… next year, I’ll control everything. Everything,” he said. And he did. And it made PSG stronger.
The club still invested heavily in players, but players tailored to Luis Enrique’s plans, willing to run endlessly for the collective, and keep egos in check.
Doue, Kvaratskhelia, Pacho, Neves, arrived, among others. Luis Enrique converted Ousmane Dembele into a brilliant central attacker, who presses impressively, after several flaky seasons at Barcelona beset by injuries.
Dembele won the Ballon d’Or last season. The coach said the team would strengthen to help achieve a potential three-peat, but it was tricky to find ones who would not upset the balance and culture he has created.
“It’s very difficult to find the right ones to play in our team,” Luis Enrique told reporters.
“We do need new players to refresh certain positions, but we’ve been champions of Europe for two years… piano piano (slowly, slowly).”
The coach said he was “not interested” in whether he was becoming a legend or not, after winning the competition for a third time, a feat achieved by just four other managers.
Yet it is clear from inside and outside, the effect the Asturian has had on a club built in his image, capable of creating a modern football dynasty.
“His fingerprints are all over this team,” said Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta, admitting he was inspired by Luis Enrique.
Dembele, who netted PSG’s goal from the penalty spot, summed up Luis Enrique’s status by posting a photo of the coach on his Instagram feed after the triumph, along with the phrase “You can’t understand it,” the name of a documentary about the coach.
Everyone does understand it now. Two straight Champions League trophies are explanation enough.
Luis Enrique is an endurance racer, who ran an ultramarathon in the Sahara Desert. So this might just be the beginning.
