From Superstars to Champions: Luis Enriques Masterful Reconstruction of PSG

In the final months of Paris Saint-Germain's superstar-driven era, the team's head coach, Luis Enrique, faced a daunting task: to turn a group of pampered phenoms into a cohesive, pressing machine. The task was made even more challenging by the fact that only one of the team's former superstars, Kylian Mbappé, remained. Enrique's first lesson to Mbappé was a blunt one: "You think that you only have to score goals, but that's not enough for me." He explained that his striker had to lead an impassioned, coordinated press, and if Mbappé would do so, "we'll have a f***ing machine." This was Enrique's vision for PSG when he took charge in the summer of 2023, but with the team's previous policy of signing superstar players, he couldn't quite build it. For more than a decade, PSG's stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar, and Lionel Messi had been "treated like gods," Enrique explained in a 2024 docuseries. By the time he arrived, only one remained; but one was enough to corrupt his vision. Mbappé was brilliant and unbenchable, "the cornerstone of the team" for a reason. But he was also a burden. The team defended in a way to avoid him tiring and attacked to give him freedom. The moment he left, the team became the cornerstone. This prologue led to a fascinating story that culminated on Saturday in Munich. Mbappé left, PSG improved, and walloped Inter Milan 5-0 to win its first European title. Enrique, the story's primary author, bounded around like a little boy, honored his late daughter, and twirled his shirt in ecstasy. And none of it would have been possible with the type of players that PSG chased for a decade. "PSG would never have been an option for me with the previous policy of signing superstar players," Enrique said last year. "The PSG with Neymar, Messi, Mbappé...no chance." The PSG with Neymar, Messi, and Mbappé captivated global soccer. But it didn't win a single Champions League knockout game. For all their individual skill and accolades, as a team, they were stale and stodgy. And they were disjointed. Most of all, they were fragmented. Messi was too old to press; Neymar was too fragile to press; Mbappé often chose not to. So they defended with eight and attacked with maybe four or five. They were everything that modern soccer isn't. In the end, it was Enrique's vision that prevailed. With a newfound focus on pressing and coordination, PSG emerged as a formidable force in Europe. And while the team may have been built on the backs of its former superstars, it was Enrique's vision that brought them their first European title.