We Want To Conquer The World – Enrique Reacts After PSG Champions League Victory
PSG coach Luis Enrique has set his sights on conquering the football world after leading the club to their first-ever Champions League trophy on Saturday.
PSG produced a sensational performance to blow Inter Milan away in the Champions League, recording a 5-0 victory, the biggest victory in the competition’s history.
PSG will be participating in the World Club Cup which kicks off in June in America in a bid to add to their collection this season.
Enrique is now targeting the trophy after becoming the sixth coach to win the Champions League with two different clubs.
He said: “On my first day at PSG, when my French was even worse than it is now, I said my ultimate goal was to fill the trophy cabinet. The only trophy that was missing was the Champions League, and here we are.
“We ticked that box, we were ambitious and we will continue to try to conquer the footballing world. It’s great when you can make people you don’t know happy.
“Our fans were 12th man on the pitch, the team reflects the supporters we have. I’m so happy, don’t know what else to say.”
PSG fans paid tribute to Luis Enrique’s late daughter, Xana, who died in 2019, a gesture which made the former Barcelona emotional.
He said: “I’m very happy. It was very emotional at the end with the banner from the fans for my family. But I always think about my daughter.
“It means a lot. It’s so nice but I don’t need to win the Champions league to remember my daughter.
“My daughter is always with us, especially when we lost.
“With my family, enjoying everything and trying to get the positives, even in the bad moments.
Enrique also opened up on his approach to the game which made his players thrive, to make life difficult for Inter Milan.
He said: “I tried to keep the pressure down for a club that had never won the competition. Inter are a great side but we were fantastic in our pressing. Every player improved this season and so did the team.
“We prepared very well for this game to be at that level. The team was excellent; we pressed with high intensity. Ousmane Dembele pressured their defenders and goalkeepers constantly.
“Since day one, I said I wanted to win important trophies and Paris had never won the Champions League. We did it for the first time. It’s a great feeling to make many people happy.”
Meanwhile, Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi is confident that his side will bounce back from the heavy defeat to PSG in the Champions League final.
He said: “We need to learn from defeats and come out stronger. This hurts like the Istanbul final (2023 defeat to Manchester City).
“It’s a heavy defeat because it comes in a final. We can come out stronger from this defeat, like we did in 2023 and then won the league the following season.
“Paris deserved to win this game and the trophy. We’re disappointed, but the path to this point was great. The game, of course, wasn’t good enough on our part.
“I thanked my players for what they did this season. We didn’t win a trophy, but I am proud to be their coach.”
Desire Doue was the star of the show for PSG with a record-setting impressive performance in the final, scoring two goals and one assist.
The 19-year-old is only the third teenager to score in a Champions League final, after Patrick Kluivert for Ajax in 1995 and Carlos Alberto for Porto in 2004.
At the age of 19 years and 362 days, Doue became the youngest player to score two goals in a European Cup or Champions League final, overtaking Eusebio who was 20 years and 97 days old when he scored a brace for Benfica against Real Madrid in 1962.
PSG will return to action in the World Club Cup in the summer where they will take on the likes of Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, and Seattle Sounders.
The European Champions will begin their campaign in America against Atletico Madrid on June 15 before taking on Botafogo five days later, and Seattle Sounders three days later in the group stage.
We Want To Conquer The World – Enrique Reacts After PSG Champions League Victory is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
