Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique has vaulted himself to the top of the global coaching rankings having led the French club to its first UEFA Champions League title — a summit the club had long craved to reach.
The Spaniard took control of the club at a time when they were navigating Kylian Mbappe’s departure, and he made them better by subtraction, deploying the world’s best midfield while orchestrating their European triumph.
Now, with PSG looking to underline their European achievement at the summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, they will take on Mbappe’s new club, Spanish giants Real Madrid, in the semifinals.
It also just so happens to be a club that Luis Enrique himself has history with, both as a player in the Spanish capital and later for their biggest rivals.
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Did Luis Enrique play for Real Madrid?
Luis Enrique is one of the few former players to have enjoyed a prolific career for both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
He played for Real Madrid first, from 1991 to 1995, appearing 213 times and scoring 18 goals. He won three domestic trophies with Los Blancos, but he stated in 2014 that he “rarely felt appreciated by the Real Madrid supporters and didn’t have good memories there”.
Thus, at the end of his contract, Luis Enrique moved to Madrid’s arch rivals Barcelona, where he would flourish, appearing 300 times and scoring 109 goals, including multiple in Clasico matches against his former employers.
The Spaniard would become captain at Barcelona, while earning 62 caps for his national team. He was a versatile player who could play in midfield or up front, gaining more of an attacking role as his career progressed.
Luis Enrique trophies won, honours with Real Madrid
All together, Luis Enrique won three La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey crowns, and two Supercopa de Espana trophies in his playing career. He won one of each trophy with Real Madrid, and the rest with Barcelona.
With Barcelona, he would also find some European success he failed to capture with Real Madrid, winning the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1996/97 and the ensuing UEFA Super Cup in 1997 in which he scored.
He also won the La Liga Breakthrough Player award in 1990/91, his first season in the Spanish top flight while playing for Sporting Gijon, his boyhood club.
