Luis Enrique has confirmed his status as one of the best managers of all time

Only six managers had won the Champions League with two different clubs before Luis Enrique added his name to the list on Saturday. The 55-year-old is now a two-time European champion as a coach, having guided Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain to continental glory. PSG’s triumph over Inter Milan will live long in the memory.

Indeed, the French giants were utterly dominant as they claimed a 5-0 win. They were in control from start to finish. Inter couldn’t live with the energy and intensity of a PSG team that grew over the course of the 2024/25 season to become the most fearsome outfit in European soccer by Saturday’s final in Munich.

PSG are a true reflection of Luis Enrique in the way the 55-year-old wants his teams to play. They are energetic out of possession, working hard to win the ball back as quickly as possible. In possession, PSG are fluid and almost impossible to defend against such is the number of dribblers they have in the forward line.

It’s a team that is reminiscent of the Barcelona team that won the Champions League under Lucho back in 2016, when the Catalans boasted a frontline of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. There is a common thread that links that great Barca team with the PSG outfit that became European champions on Saturday.

Saturday’s result, and the manner of PSG’s performance, secured Luis Enrique’s place as one of the all-time great managers. The Spaniard now has two Champions League titles to his name, but his success goes beyond the trophies he has lifted. Lucho is now up there alongside Pep Guardiola as one of the most influential coaches of his generation.

As Spain manager, Luis Enrique was criticised for being too pure as a possession-orientated coach. He set up Spain to control the ball, but too often they were limited against opponents content to sit deep and absorb pressure. This is what happened at Euro 2024 and the 2022 World Cup when many expected Spain to go further.

It was somewhat unfortunate that Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams emerged as difference-makers for Spain almost as soon as Lucho handed over the reins to Luis de la Fuente, but the point stands that he had become too much of an ideologue. At PSG, though, he has reverted to the type of soccer that made him so successful at Barcelona.

The deployment of Ousmane Dembele as a centre forward midway through the season was key to PSG’s development. This was the move that opened up the forward line and got the most out of other players like Desire Doue and Vitinha, both of whom shone for PSG in Saturday’s Champions League thrashing of Inter.

Many had written off Dembele, perhaps Lucho himself after he banished the Frenchman from first team training earlier in the season. Dembele had his commitment levels publicly questioned throughout his career. He’s struggled badly for consistency, not just at PSG, but as a Barcelona player before that.

As a centre forward, though, Lucho unlocked something new in Dembele. It put him in an area of the pitch where he could use his ability with both feet to go either way. It also created space for others around him, particularly after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia joined from Napoli in the January transfer window.

Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes also grew in importance over the course of the campaign with Lucho emboldening both full backs to get forward, even into the opposition penalty area. This made PSG an even more threatening attacking outfit with Hakimi a particular danger in the final third of the pitch.

Alongside the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti, Luis Enrique is now on the managerial Mount Rushmore. His PSG team could go on to become a generational force at the top of the European game for a number of years to come. Lucho shaped them in his own image.