Luis Enrique in emotional tribute to daughter Xana, who died from cancer aged nine, after winning Champions League
LUIS ENRIQUE paid an emotional tribute to his late daughter Xana after winning the Champions League.
Enrique led Paris Saint-Germain to the holy grail of European football for the first time ever with a record-breaking 5-0 win over Inter Milan.
7
7
7
Desire Doue led the way with two goals and an assist.
Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu were also on target as PSG inflicted the biggest-ever European Cup final defeat on helpless Inter.
At the final whistle, Enrique celebrated by hugging wife Elena, son Pacho, 26, and daughter Sira, 25.
The result marked the Spanish boss' second Champions League win after leading Barcelona to glory 10 years ago.
But Enrique also used the moment to pay tribute to youngest daughter Xana, who tragically died in 2019 at the age of nine from bone cancer.
Following 2015's UCL win, Xana famously waved a Barcelona flag as proud dad Enrique watched on.
A decade later, the gaffer remembered his daughter as he switched into a black t-shirt bearing her name.
The top also showed a picture of two cartoon characters, one little and one large, each clutching a flag bearing PSG's club crest.
Meanwhile in the stands, French fans also paid tribute with a tifo showing Enrique planting a PSG flag into the ground with Xana watching on while wearing their club shirt.
Fans were left with tears in their eyes as they reacted to the tributes.
7
7
7
7
One said: 'My heart is so full of joy for this man and his little angel.'
Another declared: 'He's made sure Xana is with him in victory again.'
One noted: 'Xana is with you today.'
Another added: 'I'm glad he won for her.'
Speaking before the final, Enrique revealed that Xana would be with him on the sideline in spirit.
Enrique said: 'I remember an incredible photo I have with my daughter, after winning the Champions League, placing a Barca flag on the pitch.
'I wish I could do the same with PSG. She won't be there physically, but she'll be there spiritually and that's very important to me.'
After the final whistle, Enrique added: 'Xana is not physically here, but she is always connected to me and she is enjoying this time with us.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
14 minutes ago
- BBC News
Ex-GB skipper Ames joins Wales' coaching team
Recently retired Great Britain and England captain David Ames has joined Wales' coaching staff as they prepare for their FIH Hockey Nations Cup debut in Malaysia this Cymru say 35-year-old Ames is "helping out with additional coaching support over the summer period".Head coach Danny Newcombe takes a 21-player squad to Kuala Lumpur for the tournament from 15-21 June, including co-captain Rupert Shipperly, Gareth Furlong and Jacob Draper who all played alongside skipper Ames at the 2024 Paris Olympics."I've thoroughly enjoyed my first few weeks in the Wales camp, everyone has been really accommodating and it's been smooth sailing so far," said South Africa-born Ames."It's obviously a bit more stressful on this side, having not just to play but have to worry about everything that goes into it from a detail point of view. But I'm looking forward to the challenge and an exciting summer with these lads." Shipperly will skipper Wales in tandem with Ben Francis as they face three Pool A matches against South Africa, Korea and France, before the finals and play-off is two appearances away from reaching 150 Wales caps and is one short of 100 goals for his midfielder Sam Welsh is in line for a senior international debut, while goalkeeper Rhys Payne returns to the squad for the first time since sustaining a knee injury at the men's World Cup in January year's Nations Cup tournament will provide the winning team with the opportunity to be promoted to the FIH Hockey Pro League, joining last year's champions New Zealand along with Japan, Malaysia and Pakistan in Pool B."I am really excited to be heading back to Malaysia, always a great place to play hockey," said Shipperley."It's Wales' first time competing in the Nations Cup, alongside some very competitive teams. "We have a great blend of experience and youth amongst the squad and I am looking forward to seeing what we can achieve as a group." Wales squad John Bennett, Rhys Bradshaw, Alf Dinnie, Jacob Draper, Ben Francis (co-capt), Gareth Furlong, Gareth Griffiths, Dale Hutchinson, Hywel Jones, Daniel Kyriakides, Jolyon Morgan, Nic Morgan, Fred Newbold, Will Penrose, Rhys Payne, Jack Pritchard, Will Penrose, Toby Reynolds-Cotterill, Rupert Shipperley (co-capt), Owen Sutton, Sam Welsh. Wales' Nations League schedule Sunday, 15 June: Wales vs South Africa (09:00 BST)Monday, 16 June: Wales vs Korea (07:00 BST)Wednesday, 18 June: France vs Wales (09:00 BST)Friday, 20 June: Semi-finals/5th–8th place playoffs Saturday, 21 June: Finals/5th–8th place playoffs
Daily Mirror
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Chelsea's Conference League prize money shows cost of Villa and Forest failure
Chelsea were named Europa Conference League champions this season after dominating the competition, but the prize money they earned exposes the true profitability of the Champions League Chelsea's prize for winning the Europa Conference League has been exposed by the much more lucrative Champions League purse. The revelation rubs salt into the wounds of those who just missed out on qualifying for UEFA's elite club competition this campaign: Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. The final day of the Premier League season was defined by the battle for Champions League football, with Manchester City, Newcastle, Chelsea, Villa and Forest all in with a shout of nabbing one of three spots up for grabs. Pep Guardiola's side had the simplest job, only realistically needing a draw to stamp their ticket. They did just that after a 2-0 away win against Fulham. With both the Blues and Nuno Espirito Santo's men facing one another on the final day, the winner would be guaranteed Champions League football. A 50th-minute Levi Colwill tap-in meant that the visitors returned from their trip to the Midlands happy, and finish in fourth thanks to a 1-0 win, starving the home side of an elite European return. In light of the Villans' 2-0 loss to Manchester United, which came under controversial circumstances after the decision to disallow a Morgan Rogers strike saw a complaint written to the PGMOL, Newcastle took the final place despite losing to Everton. The lucrative prize money associated with playing in the Champions League, which both Forest and Villa narrowly missed out on, has now been highlighted via a statistic involving the Europa Conference League winners and Slovan Bratislava, the team that finished just one place above the bottom of the elite competition's table this time around. Chelsea were rewarded with a reported £18.5million for their European efforts this term. In contrast, the Slovakian champions, despite losing all eight of their Champions League group phase matches, astonishingly earned an almost similar amount. They bagged £15.5m just for qualifying for the competition, and additional sums were earned for finishing in a specific league position, and from broadcast revenue based on a ten-year club coefficient ranking. A total of £18.46m was amassed by the team who finished 35th in the Champions League table, a figure akin to that earned by the winners of the Conference League, reports Birmingham Live. The Villans and Nuno's Forest, still smarting from their losses, will feel this stark disparity in prize money, although they will be showcasing their skills in both the Europa League and Conference League next season, respectively. Elsewhere, Tottenham – this season's Europa League winners – pocketed £3.6m when they qualified for the competition and earned performance-related amounts and their coefficient share of broadcast revenue on their journey to the final. All told, for winning the tournament, Ange Postecoglou's Spurs raked in roughly £35m, plus an additional £3m for reaching the UEFA Super Cup. This is not even considering the amounts tied to subsequent Champions League qualification. However, this sum is still dwarfed by the earnings of eventual Champions League victors PSG, who pocketed approximately £130m for their success in Munich. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mirror
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Barcelona chief Deco drops hint on when Man Utd can expect Marcus Rashford bid
Marcus Rashford's agent was recently spotted in Barcelona for transfer talks but the Manchester United star will have to be patient if he wants to get his dream move Barcelona sporting director Deco says that his club will focus on the futures of their own players before making moves for targets such as Marcus Rashford. Barca are in the process of tying down a number of key players, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal recently putting pen to paper on new deals. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny also has an offer on the table while Barcelona are in negotiations with defenders Inigo Martinez and Eric Garcia to secure their long-term futures. But they still expect to make 'two, three or four signings', Deco has confirmed. One of those could be Rashford, whose agent and brother, Dwaine Maynard, was seen meeting with Deco in Catalunya last week. The England international has been put up for sale by Manchester United, who loaned him out to Aston Villa for the second half of the season. Villa negotiated the option to sign him permanently for £40million but they're now unlikely to trigger that clause. It leaves Rashford, who's set to lose his shirt number at United, searching for pastures new and Barcelona are understood to be his dream club. But the 27-year-old will have to be patient and hope that they pursue a move for him instead of Liverpool winger Luis Diaz, as Deco outlined Barca's priorities. "We have been focusing on renewing contracts, after that, we'll discuss players to come," the former midfielder told BBC Sport. "Of course, these two players, like you mentioned, they are good but have contracts in their clubs, so we won't speak because it's not fair. But when you decide to go to the market, for sure, we find some names. In my opinion, we don't need to bring many players. "When I speak with the agents of the players, everyone wants to come or stay. So this is important. The image of the club is still good. We are proud because Barcelona is still such a big club, and the way we are playing football makes players want to come." Should Barcelona sign Marcus Rashford? Have your say in the comments section. Deco also confirmed that Barca will 'not sell their best players', despite their precarious financial position. The newly-crowned La Liga champions dominated Spanish football in Hansi Flick's first season in charge and were minutes away from reaching the Champions League final. Flick described both Rashford and Diaz as a 'fantastic players' when asked about the attacking duo last month. "I don't want to talk about players who aren't part of my team, but they're both fantastic players and I like them," the German said. "We'll see what happens."
