Luis Enrique, the architect of PSG's transformation
Borja Cortina, the owner of the Varsovia bar in Gijon, Spain, has devotedly kept a jersey from the Spanish national team from 1994, almost like a religious relic. The shirt, emblazoned with the number 21, was worn that day by a native son of the city: Luis Enrique Martinez Garcia, better known as Luis Enrique, the ill-fortuned hero of a World Cup quarterfinal lost to Italy, in which he fell victim to an unpunished elbow to the face. "Here, everyone knows the story of that jersey. We all remember the image of Luis Enrique going to the referee in tears and covered in blood, asking him, unsuccessfully, to call the foul…" recalled Cortina.
The bar owner now praises the "wholehearted" character of the local hero, who has been the coach of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) since the summer of 2023. "He says what he thinks. Not everyone likes that, but if you want someone pleasant, you might as well hire a comedian. Here, in his hometown of Gijon, people work hard and that's what Enrique demands of his players: work, work, and more work."
PSG's transformation has been Enrique's doing. The club's qualification for the Champions League final against Inter Milan on Saturday, May 31, has been his victory. In two years, he transformed the Paris club from a collection of international stars, often seeking personal glory, into a true team, united, where everyone works for the collective. Even before the final, the former coach of Spain's national team had already succeeded in the challenge he set at the end of last season: "to help the Parisian team progress," despite the departure of its star player, Kylian Mbappé.
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