Faith in Luis Enrique leads PSG to back-to-back Champions League titles

BUDAPEST, May 30 : Paris St Germain’s back-to-back Champions League triumphs have been built on talent, depth and tactical sophistication, but those inside the club point first to something less tangible when explaining their rise to the summit of Europe - belief.

Luis Enrique arrived in Paris in 2023 promising a cultural shift rather than instant glamour, with the Spaniard wanting a team in which collective sacrifice outweighed individual status, where the biggest names defended, pressed and suffered together.

Two Champions League titles later, his players speak about him less as a coach than as an architect and people leader.

“It’s not easy to do it back-to-back, but we did,” defender Achraf Hakimi said after PSG beat Arsenal 4-3 on penalties in Saturday’s final following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

“The coach is the big voice of the club. We follow him, we trust him. Since day one he told us the team is more important than the player. We have created not just a team but a family.”

That idea has become the defining principle of PSG’s modern era.

For years, the French club assembled collections of stars rather than genuine teams, their Champions League failures often framed as psychological collapses under pressure.

Luis Enrique instead built a side around intensity, resilience and blind trust in a collective framework. PSG still dazzled going forward, but the spectacle became secondary to structure and commitment.

LEGENDARY MANAGERS

The Spaniard has insisted he has little interest in legacy or personal acclaim, brushing aside suggestions that he now belongs among the game’s legendary managers.

“Legend? I’m not interested in that,” he said.

Yet PSG’s players increasingly describe him as the driving force behind a side that now