Luis Campos gave a lengthy interview to TF1, which aired throughout the week. The Paris Saint-Germain football advisor, who has been with the club since 2022, discussed the club’s collective project, emphasizing the importance of developing young players from the academy, and his energy for the future, given that his contract with PSG expires in 2030.
Luis Campos: “What makes a club viable or not isn’t the number of shirts you sell.”
“Today, meritocracy is at the very heart of the project. Only performance counts. The more a player plays…
(He interrupts) The more he plays, the more he earns. It’s simple. This philosophy is linked to internal competitiveness, the building of our squad, and Financial Fair Play. What makes a club viable or not isn’t the number of jerseys you sell. It’s the number of points you have at the end of a season. If you accumulate enough, the rest follows naturally: marketing, sponsorship, etc. To rack up points, there’s no secret: only the best players should play. Luckily, Luis Enrique only plays the best. He only looks at hard work, and nothing else. With him, the players know they have to fight every day in training to earn their place.
Luis Campos: “He’s also very good at helping players achieve their goals.” individual players.”
It’s clear that the long-term goal is to make PSG an essential stepping stone for young talents…
Luis Enrique is an exceptional coach. He’s not only skilled at creating his playing style, which he manages to perfectly integrate into the club’s collective project. He’s also very good at helping players achieve their individual goals. Every time Luis works with a young player, he helps them become stronger. A young player who arrives at PSG will undoubtedly leave a better footballer thanks to him.
Luis Campos: “I think PSG will be my last project in football.”
Will PSG be your last project?
In 2030, at the end of my contract, I’ll be 66 years old. I think PSG will be my last project in football. My health, my energy, and the enjoyment I get from it every day will dictate when it’s time to stop. You know, when you work this hard, it demands a lot of energy and inner strength. And physically. At 40, I’m still going, but at 60, it’s harder to plan for the future. Today, I still have the same strength and the same drive. But if I see that I can’t keep going anymore, I’ll be the first to say, “I’m out of gas, it’s time to put the car in the garage.” (laughs)
When I’m done, I’ll be able to tell my grandson that I was the only one in the world to have worked with Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and the future greats who are about to emerge. At PSG, we have young players who are going to make history.”
The philosophy is clear: a player plays because he deserves it. There are no promises, no “status.” Fierce competition that can make fans and coaches dream, as well as some players, but which can be very difficult to establish. Some believe they need to be “protected” given their past achievements. There are also players who won’t want to come, fearing a loss of playing time.
At least PSG can be sure that its new signings are coming for the right reasons. Especially with its change in salary policy. There’s no bidding war or star-making. A player must sign with the desire to help the team and work hard to earn playing time. It’s also a way to have better backup players and fewer players who are somewhat “out of touch.” Opportunities are available, the door can open.
Luis Campos has done a great job building this, along with coach Luis Enrique, of course. It’s interesting to see that there’s no sign of weariness or a sense of mission already accomplished. There’s still work to be done in Paris, a squad that needs fine-tuning, and a building process still underway for the future. That’s football and top-level sport for you; it never truly ends. Part of the challenge will be ensuring continuity when Luis Campos leaves, as well as when coach Luis Enrique departs.
