Now playing in Qatar, 30-year-old defender Presnel Kimpembe spent over 20 years at Paris Saint-Germain, where he came through the youth ranks. In a video posted on YouTube alongside Just Riadh, the former PSG player spoke about Luis Enrique and the Parisian youth academy.
Kimpembe: “You feel like you owe him, in a way.”
“I call him the psychologist. He’s incredibly good at it. When he talks to you, he gets inside your head. He knows exactly what he wants to do with you, and you don’t. The way he talks to you, he starts managing you, encouraging you. The training sessions he makes you do, the way he’s always looking over your shoulder. He creates something you can’t escape. You feel like you owe him, in a way.”
Kimpembe: “It’s a source of pride to see academy players playing with the first team.”
“You have to give him opportunities because he’s so good with you. He’s managed to do that with all the players, especially the young ones. When young players arrive, they’re more casual, still learning. But the youngsters coming in today, they manage to reach the same level as players who have been established for so many years.
It’s a source of pride to see academy players playing with the first team. The team itself is incredibly young. Warren is playing, you have players like Beraldo and Kvaratskhelia, they’re all young, Joao Neves too. They’re all 19, 20, or 22 years old.”
Luis Enrique breathed new life into the club when he took over. The changes were visible from his very first season. This was further confirmed in 2025 with the European campaign, in particular. What he brought to the team, his way of managing young players, all of this allowed the capital club to take a huge leap forward.
Luis Enrique is a coach with whom PSG can build for the long term. While the first two seasons were spectacular, there will undoubtedly be a decline in intensity and results. But a difficult period shouldn’t erase everything, and Luis Enrique still seems to be the right man for the job, given the project and his relationship with the various players in the squad.
