‘Always in my heart': Luis Enrique pays tribute to late daughter after PSG triumph
As Paris Saint-Germain clinched their first Champions League title, Luis Enrique's thoughts turned to his late daughter. Six years ago Xana died of osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. She was nine. And at the moment when he scaled the peak of his coaching career, Luis Enrique paid tribute to the child who he said was 'always in my heart'.
At full-time the Paris fans unveiled a tifo depicting Luis and Xana, recreating the moment when he planted a flag in the pitch alongside her after winning the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015. 'It was very emotional with the banner from the fans for my family,' Luis Enrique said. 'But I always think about my daughter.'
Advertisement
Related: Désiré Doué joins the global A-list to lead PSG's coronation as kings of Europe | Barney Ronay
As for his history-making side, Luis Enrique could reflect on a mission spectacularly accomplished, after a 5-0 win over Inter that PSG dominated from start to finish. 'Since day one, I said I wanted to win important trophies,' he said. 'Paris had never won the Champions League. We did it for the first time. It's a great feeling to make many people happy.'
PSG scored two goals inside 20 minutes and completed the rout in the second half, with the winger Désiré Doué scoring the first and third. 'We had a great start to the game, dominating from the beginning,' said Luis Enrique. 'But I wanted them to keep pushing, scoring, to ensure we won the game.'
Doué, 19, was still processing a game that has elevated him into the very elite of world football. 'I can't believe what happened tonight,' he said. 'We made history for the club, in French football, in European football. We're a great team, and we showed it.'
Inter's manager, Simone Inzaghi, tried to put a brave face on his side's humiliation. 'This hurts,' he said. 'Of course the game wasn't good enough on our part.' But he also insisted: 'We can come out stronger from this defeat, like we did in 2023 [after losing the final to Manchester City] and then won the league the following season.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
28 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
79 detained in Paris as more violence disrupts PSG's Champions League celebrations
PARIS — French authorities detained an additional 79 people as violence continued to disrupt Paris Saint-Germain's celebrations of its historic Champions League title, the Paris police chief said on Monday. After more than 100,000 people welcomed the return of PSG players to the French capital following their 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan in the Champions League final on Saturday, a second night of scattered incidents ensued. Laurent Nunez, the Paris police prefect, told RTL radio that groups of individuals gathered close to PSG stadium and on the Champs-Elysees avenue after midnight, causing trouble. Nunez said some using barriers blocked the main ring road surrounding Paris for a while, and that other troublemakers set off fireworks and tried to vandalize shops. Nunez said calm was restored at 3:30 a.m. on Monday. PSG had earlier put on an open-top bus parade in the city for its fans. The winners of European club soccer's biggest prize arrived in Paris on Sunday afternoon and headed to France's most famous avenue, the Champs-Élysées, which overnight Saturday saw acts of violence and clashes with riot police. Police had made more than 500 arrests across France on Saturday night. 'The overall number of arrests is very high, it is completely unprecedented,' Nunez said. Celebrations were largely peaceful but degenerated into violence in some areas. A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in the western city of Dax during a PSG street party after the final, the national police service said. In Paris, a man in his 20s was killed in Paris when his scooter was hit by a car during PSG celebrations.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Napoli Targeting €45M Rated Inter Milan Star To Strengthen For Serie A Title Defense & Champions League
Napoli are targeting Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi to strengthen for their Serie A title defense and the Champions League. This according to today's print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews. Advertisement There is no doubt that this is a decisive juncture for Davide Frattesi at Inter Milan. Reportedly, the 25-year-old had a blowup with Simone Inzaghi during the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain. He was furious that the Inter coach didn't use him as a substitute. And this has brought to a head Frattesi's persistent frustrations about his playing time at Inter. The Italian international may not have left the Nerazzurri in January. However, he could certainly be on his way this summer. Napoli Target Inter Midfielder Davide Frattesi To Strengthen For Serie A Title Defense VENICE, ITALY – JANUARY 12: Davide Frattesi of FC Internazionale during the warm up before the Serie A match between Venezia and FC Internazionale at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo on January 12, 2025 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by) If Frattesi is to leave Inter this summer, he would not be short of suitors. Advertisement And according to the Corriere, Napoli may be the club ready to push the hardest to sign Frattesi. The Partenopei are fresh off the back of their second Serie A title win in three seasons. And after having had no European football last season, a key factor in their consistent form in the league, they'll have to bolster their squad depth now that they have Champions League football. According to the Corriere, Davide Frattesi would be one of Napoli's priority targets to bolster their midfield. However, the newspaper notes, Inter still won't let Frattesi go for cheap. Even in spite of his desire to leave. The Corriere anticipate that Inter want a fee of around €45 million for Frattesi.
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
RB Leipzig ‘optimistic' in finalising Cristhian Mosquera transfer
RB Leipzig are in discussions with Valencia to find an agreement to sign Cristhian Mosquera, according to Philipp Hinze. Even without European football, the Bundesliga side are ready to invest over €20m to sign the defender and are 'optimistic' in finalising a deal. There's already a verbal agreement between Leipzig and Mosquera, who has attracted interest from other clubs. The 20-year-old remains high on the priority list for the Saxons as they seek to rebuild this summer and get back into the Champions League. Advertisement Mosquera played in all but one La Liga game for Valencia last season and would join Leipzig with plenty of experience having featured 90 times for the Spanish side at such a young age. Signing Mosquera should have no affect on Castello Lukeba's situation at Leipzig with the French defender attracting interest from Liverpool despite only extending his contract in October 2024. If the Lyon native is sold in the summer, he will be the joint most expensive transfer in Leipzig's history equalling the fee Leipzig received for Joško Gvardiol when he joined Manchester City in 2023. GGFN | Daniel Pinder
