The last time fans bought PSG tickets to a Champions League final was in 2020.
That was when the side had few of the best talents in the world, yet they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
PSG are en route to a historic final, in an all-new young team, and are set to face Inter Milan.
Two seasons ago, under Messi, Mbappe, and Neymar in their lineup, PSG lost in Europe’s main stage.
Fast forward to 2025, how did the side make this significant comeback? One man needs credit for all of this – Luis Enrique.
Ever since Enriuqe took the reins of the Parisian club, after successful years at FC Barcelona, PSG are on a redemption curve.
They’ve gotten their transfers right, brought in talent and are making it work.
When the side lost out on their star player, Kylian Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid last summer, fans with PSG tickets felt it. They wondered if their side could once again be as dominant as it had been in the last few years.
On the contrary, PSG improved after Mbappe’s exit. They are now showing an exceptional blend of football that the world has never seen.
So what happened?
Enrique & PSG
In a sport sometimes defined by individual brilliance and star power, Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique quietly reshapes the narrative as his side gears up for their Champions League final.
The Spanish coach, whose career has already seen success at Barcelona and with the Spanish national team, has introduced a distinct philosophy in the French capital, one where no individual rises above the collective.
The results have been telling. PSG is on the verge of a place in the Champions League title, and the chance of winning the treble.
Enrique arrived at PSG last season with a simple but firm mantra – No one’s head sticking out.
At a club historically synonymous with star players — from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Neymar to Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe — his refusal to build a side around individual talent raised eyebrows, particularly as the team struggled in the early stages of their Champions League campaign.
“You cannot understand,” he quipped as an interviewer asked about his tactics during the league phase.
A string of unconvincing performances in the opening phase made critics question whether Luis Enrique’s philosophy could succeed at a club where star power has so often overshadowed tactical cohesion.
Yet, months later, his approach appears vindicated. This season, PSG has evolved into one of the most cohesive and tactically disciplined sides in Europe.
Central to their resurgence has been emphasising pressing as a unit and maintaining balance between attack and defence. The transformation is most evident in the midfield, once seen as a relative weakness, now operating with precision and control against some of the continent’s elite.
A key figure in this evolution has been Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The Georgian international, whose versatility has seen him deployed in both attacking and defensive roles, embodies the flexibility Enrique demands from his squad. Kvara’s ability to shift seamlessly between positions and responsibilities has added an element of unpredictability to PSG’s game, contributing decisively to their progress in Europe’s premier competition.
Enrique’s commitment to the collective has also signalled a broader cultural shift within PSG. The club’s previous reliance on individual stardom, a hallmark of the Qatar Sports Investments era, has been replaced by a system in which every player’s role is clearly defined within a wider tactical framework.
Ibrahimovic, Neymar, and Messi may have delivered memorable moments in Paris, but under Luis Enrique’s stewardship, the days of tailoring a team around a single superstar appear to be over.
Notably, Enrique foreshadowed this evolution last year, revealing in post-match interviews that his focus was already on building a side for the following season. That long-term vision is now bearing fruit.
Ironically, from this resolutely collective approach, PSG may yet produce the next Ballon d’Or winner.
Can Enrique Make it a Treble?
Since his appointment in 2023, Enrique has transformed PSG from a star-studded squad full of egos to a structured and hard-working unit. Mbappe, Neymar, and Messi were all outstanding individual players who put up impressive attacking numbers in France, but they were often unwilling to contribute defensively, and PSG lacked cohesion.
Enrique won a domestic treble during his first season in Paris. Still, he’s just two wins away from winning the widely recognised ultimate treble – Champions League, domestic league and domestic cup.
Fans with PSG tickets know this is a clear possibility this season, seeing the results they have enjoyed. With a few games to go, the club already has the Ligue 1 title under wraps, and now they have two more finals to face.
PSG faces Reims in the Coupe de France final just one week before the Champions League showpiece against Inter. If PSG wins those two finals, Enrique will become only the second manager in history to win the treble on two separate occasions, joining Pep Guardiola.
Enrique previously won the treble with Barcelona during the 2014/15 season as the Catalan club lifted the Champions League, LaLiga and Copa del Rey. Guardiola also completed that achievement with Barcelona in 2008/09, and he made history by clinching his second career treble with Manchester City during the 2022/23 campaign.
Players Rested
Luis Enrique has revealed that several Paris Saint-Germain players will be rested for their final Ligue 1 games ahead of the finals in the Coupe de France and Champions League.
The Parisians are on the verge of their first-ever treble, having won the league title with six games to spare.
They are set to compete in the cup final against Reims on May 24, before their second Champions League final a week later, against Inter in Munich.
Luis Enrique’s men were close to achieving an unbeaten season in the league but fell to a 3-1 defeat at home to Nice two weeks ago. This means there is very little to play for in their final two league matches.
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha have been given time off.
Regarding the changes ahead of Saturday’s trip to Montpellier, Luis Enrique said: “We have a set plan which depends on playing time and travelling throughout the season.
“You have to balance all that out to arrive in the best possible condition for both finals.
“When the Champions League final is over, most will go to the national teams. Every player needs a personalised plan. We’ve managed that, but there are still the final matches to achieve our objectives.
“The players need to arrive mentally fresh. There are a lot of players, and we’re managing it individually.”
