After years on the cusp of a European Cup, Paris Saint-Germain finally got over the hump with a 5-0 shellacking over Inter Milan during Saturday’s Champions League final.
The match pitted a youthful PSG bunch, led by famed manager Luis Enrique, taking on a wily Inter squad. In the end, the youth won; Desire Doue, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Vitinha starred as the Parisians finally downed Leviathan and hoisted the Champions League title it so desperately craved.
Enrique was at the heart of the theatrics. Not only did he author up an impressive tactical setup — Achraf Hakimi was deployed as a swash-buckling wingback, while the midfield trio of Vitinha, Joao Neves, and Fabian Ruiz were tasked with keeping the shape and diverting Inter’s attacking threat — but Enrique also celebrated in style, rocking threads that proved as sentimental as they were stylish.
MORE: All you need to know about Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique
With that, here’s what you need to know about Enrique’s Champions League final outfit, namely a t-shirt choice that took the football world by storm.
Luis Enrique shirt, explained
In 2015, Enrique secured his Champions League trophy as a manager, leading Barcelona to a 3-1 triumph over Juventus.
The moment was marked by a series of notable images. La Blaugrana‘s famed attacking trident — Luis Suarez, Neymar Jr., and Lionel Messi — overpowered an aging Juve defense, while Andres Iniesta conjured all sorts of spells and spirits from his usual No. 8 role.
Then, there was Enrique, who celebrated the win with his young daughter, Xana. Of all the photos to emerge from the famous day, it was the one of Xana dancing underneath a Barcelona flag that proved the most memorable.
Luis Enrique ❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/TXYOZFHlsg
— Fran (@frabigol) May 31, 2025
Ten years on, the image takes on an entirely new significance. In August 2019, Xana died after a five-month battle with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. She was 9.
Enrique won admiration for the way he handled his daughter’s untimely passing. He remains grateful as ever for the years he spent frolicking with her.
“The most negative experiences of your life are the ones that teach you the most,” Enrique said in a 2024 documentary charting his career. “[People think] ‘But your little girl, your daughter, died aged 9…’. My daughter came to live with us for nine wonderful years. We have a thousand memories of her. You may ask whether I consider myself fortunate or unfortunate. I consider myself to have been fortunate. Very fortunate.”
So, having returned to the mountaintop of European club football on Saturday, Enrique felt compelled to pay tribute to “Xanita.”
Enrique donned a shirt with a drawing of a “dreamer” with “big chestnut eyes”, woolly hair, a “tender smile” and a pink shirt with an X scrawled across its surface. The image, drawn by Spanish artist Edgar Plans, is inspired by Xana. It’s also the logo of the foundation Enrique started in her honor, aptly titled Xana Foundation.
The T-shirt shows two figures, presumably Xana and Enrique, celebrating beneath a PSG banner.
Luis Enrique’s daughter Xana passed away in 2019 from cancer.
Ahead of the 2025 UCL final, he recalled a moment from 2015 when he first won the UCL:
“I have an amazing photo of her, planting a Barcelona flag into the turf. … My daughter won’t be there in the physical sense but… pic.twitter.com/gygPfwiUw1
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 31, 2025
PSG fans unfurl tifo paying tribute to Luis Enrique’s late daughter
Enrique wasn’t the only one who honored his late daughter with a moving gesture. So too did his fans, who revealed a tifo of the same image — Enrique and Xana delighting in another PSG victory underneath the team’s famous colors.
I’m not crying, you’re crying 🥹
PSG fans’ tifo in honor of Luis Enrique’s late daughter, Xana ❤️ pic.twitter.com/FDvSkLdxWx
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) May 31, 2025
The design took social media by storm. It’s easy to see why, as Enrique is already one of the sport’s most beloved figures. On Saturday, he reaffirmed that notion, leading his team to the most eye-catching of victories while showcasing the sort of grace and elegance he’s come to be known for.
PSG fans were more than grateful.
