On Sunday, in the final of the 2025 Club World Cup, Paris Saint-Germain will take on Chelsea at New York’s MetLife Stadium (kick-off 9pm CET, broadcast on DAZN). On the eve of the match, Paris coach Luis Enrique answered a number of questions at a press conference.
Enrique “it’s important to finish this historic season in the best possible way.”
We’ve talked a lot about your players, can you tell us what state of mind you’re in?
“I don’t know how to answer that question. I think we’re going into the last game of the season with a very good feeling. We’ve had a very good year and it’s important to finish this historic season in the best possible way.”
How would you sum up this month-long human adventure?
“On the part of my players, it was sensational. Throughout the year we were very effective, we made history and we want to continue to do so. But if I have to analyze the whole season, it was really extraordinary..»
Enrique “today, he’s an indisputable player.”
We saw you after the match against Real Madrid congratulating Fabian Ruiz, can you explain his importance?
“I think we can say that about all the PSG players, everyone is key, even those who don’t play much provide solutions. Fabian Ruiz is a special case who had more problems two years ago. But today, he’s an indisputable player.”
Enrique “The difficult moments are the ones I enjoy the most”.
Everyone agrees that your team is wonderful, do you feel like the star of this competition and final?
“I don’t know. I’m not a star. I wasn’t a star as a player, I’m not a star as a coach. I love my job. The difficult moments are the ones I like the most, because that’s when I have to do my job.
And the moments of joy are very good too, because that’s when we bring joy to the fans. The best season of my life as a coach? Maybe, we have to win tomorrow before I can answer that question.”
Enrique “No superstars, only eleven stars. That’s football.”
They’re PSG’s best team, but also the team with the fewest stars – do you think that’s the reason?
“You ended the question in the best possible way. No superstars, only eleven stars. That’s soccer. We don’t want just one we want eleven, and even thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. And it’s our role with the sporting director to find those other stars.
As there isn’t just one star in the stands, there’s a whole group of supporters, a whole stadium, and it’s the same thing on the pitch. I think it’s something that represents us well. Obviously we’re going to lose at some point, that’s the high level, but we’re on the path we want.”
Enrique: “It’s going to be a tough match because they’re physically very strong.”
Chelsea are in the early stages of their development, how much do you fear them?
“It’s important to be aware of the difficulty of the match. For me, Maresca is a coach I like because I love his way and his philosophy of play. They all defend and attack together. They’re just like us. Tomorrow will be a difficult match because they are physically very strong.”
