La Vie en Paris Saint Germain
For much of the past few years, one man dominated the headlines for Paris Saint-Germain—Kylian Mbappé. When he left on a free transfer to join Los Blancos at the start of the 2024 season, few could have predicted that, in hindsight, his departure would prove to be the best thing that ever happened to the Parisians. By the end of that very season, they were lifting the elusive trophy they had chased for the entirety of the club's history.
When you think of PSG, you think of stars—Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr, Kylian Mbappé, Zlatan Ibrahimović. Yet none of them managed to lead the club to the pinnacle. Often shrouded in managerial disagreements, the collision of superstars, and a fractured hierarchy, PSG regularly dominated the headlines for all the wrong reasons. In the 14 years since Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) took over, seven elite coaches have come and gone, each failing to guide the club to European glory. Finally, in 2023, Luis Enrique arrived.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. At the time he took over, Messi had already departed for Inter Miami, Neymar was on his way out, and Mbappé had one year left on his contract. When asked about the trio, Enrique remained true to his philosophy—without collective effort, structure and sacrifice, any plan would fall apart. The idea was simple: collective effort over superstar indulgence. He reshaped PSG's strategic approach into one that nurtured young talent and fostered a team-first mentality. He strongly preferred pressing wingers, balanced midfields, and high defensive discipline. Fluidity, aggression, interchangeable roles, and vertical play became the core ethos of the team.
For a long time, PSG suffered with transitions. Lacklustre and overly reliant on their attacking stars, the team often resorted to hopeful long balls when trailing. Unai Emery's style came closest to the current structure, but defensively, the team remained vulnerable due to poor organisation exposed during transitions. Laurent Blanc's positional play was too slow; Thomas Tuchel's structured defence became predictable; and Mauricio Pochettino struggled to integrate superstars effectively. Under Enrique, however, PSG embraced unpredictability, cohesion, and a beautiful rendition of total football meeting modern pressing.
Like most teams in modern football, the goalkeeper plays an equally important role as an outfield player, initiating ball progression. Elite full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes step into midfield to occupy and overload key zones, or overlap wide, while the centre-backs split and the pivot drops deep to form a triangle structure. Highly technical midfielders Vitinha, Zaïre-Emery and João Neves create constant triangles for short passing to maintain the team's rhythm. Their pressing often lifts the heavy burden from the defence. Up front, Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola press forward, linking play, stretching opposition defences, and cutting inside as their full-backs provide width. Each zone operates within a system meticulously tailored to their strengths, with every player recognising their equal importance.
It is important to acknowledge that PSG's financial strength will always be a key part of their story. But that is simply how modern football operates, plagued by inflated transfer fees, soaring wages, and a flurry of miscellaneous payments. Yet, if Pep Guardiola's achievements with Manchester City are celebrated, Enrique's moments with PSG feel even more significant. Despite the abundance of superstars, this new era of PSG feels warmer and more pleasing to the eye than any of the club's previous incarnations.
Enrique's commitment to collective play is a refreshing change after years overshadowed by the limitations of individual egos. His personality is invigorating, and their dominant Champions League victory showed why the players so deeply bought into his vision. He demands accountability, is unafraid to make tough decisions, and firmly believes that without discipline, there is no path to success. This is a man who understands the pressure and gravity of the moment, yet also sees the humane side of his players—the part so often unexposed to the public eye.
However, football is always made up of tiny moments that lead to something bigger. For PSG, that moment came when they went two goals down to Manchester City in January 2025. Within three minutes, they fired back, and four minutes later they equalised. Since that day, PSG went on to defeat the eventual English champions—Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal—one after the other. A modern-day French revolution. Désiré Doué became a household name, Ousmane Dembélé rediscovered his $120 million spark, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has become a hero both in Naples and in Paris, Vitinha has come closest to becoming the new Xavi, and Achraf Hakimi, well, he will never have to pay for another drink in Paris. This is not just a long-awaited triumph but perhaps the beginning of an era that will soon be undeniable for Les Rouge et Bleu—a party that started all thanks to Luis Enrique.
As the final whistle blew, millions of Parisians took to the streets. The grand hall of the Parc des Princes celebrated their new kings in true style, with fireworks blazing across the sky. The iconic Eiffel Tower lit up in red and blue. Along the banks of the Seine, locals poured out tears for the club that runs through their veins.
But on the other side, in the moment of such euphoria, the ugly side of football hooliganism surfaced. In one quarter, celebrations descended into chaos and turmoil. Far from the joy the victory should have represented, it became a scene of horror—police deployed to handle the raucous crowds, some of whom were retaliating with fireworks and setting infrastructure on fire. It reminded the world that even in joy, there are those who wait to evoke violence driven by their emotions for sport. This resulted in the death of two and several others being severely injured.
It is important not to let such barbarous acts overshadow everyone's happiness, but it is equally important to remember how far we still have to go in dealing with the ugly side of sport, especially when young lives are lost in this manner.
Raiyan Binte Rafiq is a sports columnist for The Daily Star. She works in Sports Media in the UK and manages recruitment at Next Level Sports Management.
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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