No Mbappe, No Problem: How Luis Enrique's PSG conquered Europe without superstars

India Today

6 days ago

On a historic night in Munich, Paris Saint-Germain finally laid their ghosts to rest. A ruthless 5-0 dismantling of Inter Milan in the Champions League final on June 1 crowned PSG champions of Europe—a moment decades in the making. It was a victory that also sealed a sensational quadruple, but more than the silverware, it marked the rebirth of a club that had long chased glory the wrong way.advertisementThe man behind the transformation? Luis Enrique.Paris had always dreamed in gold. But for years, their reflection in Europe's most coveted trophy was nothing more than a glittering illusion. Superstars came and left, millions were spent, and every spring brought more questions than answers. Until one man walked in—not to bask in the spotlight, but to dismantle it.
On June 1 in Munich, Paris Saint-Germain didn't just win the Champions League. They tore through Inter Milan 5-0 in a final that felt more like an execution than a contest. It was the culmination of a season where football finally caught up with fantasy. And at the centre of it all stood Luis Enrique—a man who had once guided Barcelona to continental greatness, but this time did it with a team that had no Messi, no Neymar, no Mbapp. Just an idea.advertisementThe Architect arrivesWhen Luis Enrique took charge of PSG in July 2023, he wasn't stepping into a project. He was stepping into a paradox. A club rich in ambition, but poor in cohesion. A dressing room lined with stars, but haunted by collapses. The 'Remontada' in 2017? That was his work—from the other side.He came with a Champions League title under his belt, earned in 2015 with a Barcelona side that, yes, had its own galcticos—but also played with terrifying chemistry. Then came his time with Spain. Though he left before their eventual Euro 2024 triumph, it was his tactical groundwork, player integration, and unwavering belief in youth that lit the fuse. The man builds blueprints that last—even when he's no longer around to follow them.So when he arrived in Paris and said, 'Our game does not consist in letting Mbappe do what he wants,' it wasn't just a quote. It was a warning shot. The celebrity era was over.Goodbye Galaticos, hello grit
Luis Enrique's PSG beat Inter Milan. Courtesy: Reuters
By the time Kylian Mbappe packed his bags for Madrid in the summer of 2024, the last thread tying PSG to their poster-boy obsession had snapped. The world braced for another rebuilding year. Enrique, on the other hand, went to work.'I never imagined myself coaching PSG because their policy was to attract the biggest superstars. But now they want to change,' he said with characteristic candour. He made it clear: no more stars above the badge. No exceptions, no shortcuts.And he meant it. From gruelling training sessions that mirrored his own desert-marathon mentality, to a 'no passengers' rule—everyone pressed, everyone defended, or they sat.What he needed wasn't time. It was two transfer windows.In just a year, Enrique uprooted PSG's culture and replanted it with role players over reputation, workers over wonders. Desire Doue and Warren Zaire-Emery flourished.Khvicha Kvaratskhelia—his 70 million euros winter arrival—brought not just flair, but fire.'We all defend,' said Ousmane Dembele with a shrug, when asked what had changed in the club. The answer was simple. This wasn't a team that played for flair anymore. They played for each other.From Paris to Munich: WHAT AN EVENING! pic.twitter.com/UUA7BRsnUb— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) June 1, 2025advertisementRough start, ruthless finishIf the opening act of the 2024–25 season was scripted by skeptics, PSG played along. One win in five group-stage games. Ranked 26th out of 36 in the new Champions League-league phase. The usual whispers began—maybe Enrique had misjudged this squad. Maybe the Mbapp-sized hole was too deep.But that's the thing about a system built on structure: it takes time to breathe. When it finally did, it suffocated everything in its path.Dsir Dou, just 19, blossomed into a ruthless attacking force, scoring twice in the final. Kvaratskhelia became the heartbeat of Enrique's multi-positional chaos—dribbling, defending, dictating.By the time they met Inter Milan in the final, PSG weren't hopeful—they were favourites.A final that buried the past
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Paris Saint Germain. Courtesy: Reuters
Munich didn't just crown PSG. It baptised them. Five goals, no reply. Every pass, every press, every duel felt like the result of months spent grinding in the background while the football world waited for them to implode.advertisementThe irony? PSG are still one of the richest clubs in the world. But they no longer feel like the most expensive science experiment in football. That tag died with the old era—the one where Mbappe, Neymar, Messi, Ramos, and Donnarumma were supposed to conquer Europe with charisma alone.Enrique proved charisma doesn't press in the 93rd minute. A system does.Legacy beyond trophiesThis title wasn't just about lifting a cup. It was about lifting a curse. Fourteen years after Qatar Sports Investments bought PSG with the stated goal of European domination, they finally got it. But not by buying brilliance. By building it.Enrique has now won the Champions League with two different teams, a decade apart. He has resurrected PSG not by rewriting their past, but by erasing the worst parts of it. He didn't just banish ghosts—he burned the blueprint that invited them in.He walks away from this season not just as a winner, but as a vindicated prophet. In early 2024, when he claimed PSG would be better without Mbapp, most saw arrogance. Today, it reads like the gospel.Luis Enrique didn't save PSG.He reinvented them.