Real Madrid is still very much on the mind of Luis Enrique, currently coach of Paris Saint-Germain. The Catalan tactician had some fun contemplating a return to the Bernabéu, with the sole aim of achieving a unique record.
Luis Enrique has had a successful coaching career. Having won everything with FC Barcelona, where he even won the 2015 Champions League, the Blaugrana club’s last, the Catalan coach has not really enjoyed any more success. He became Spain coach and was sacked after a disastrous 2022 World Cup, where La Roja were knocked out by Morocco in the Round of 16. Despite all the criticism, Luis Enrique continued doing what he does best: coaching.
He became head coach of Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023, and although results have been mixed so far, the former Real Madrid and Barcelona striker remains determined to restore the club’s reputation in the French capital. Despite preferring Barcelona to Real Madrid, Luis Enrique still has fond memories of his time at the Bernabeu. In fact, he imagines himself on the Casa Blanca bench as coach of the best team in the world.
Luis Enrique and the unexpected Real Madrid joke
Now coach of PSG, Luis Enrique remains attached to Barcelona, to the point of rejecting any possibility of a future on the Real Madrid bench. However, in an interview with 3Cat, the Spanish coach could not resist joking about the possibility of one day coaching Real Madrid. He dreams of a unique record after having played for Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
‘I don’t think there’s anyone in history who’s played for and coached Barça and Real Madrid… I could break a record. But I’m not going to do it. That would be fun. I’m joking, I’m joking,’ he said, in his customary light-hearted tone.
Luis Enrique also shared a memorable moment from his time at Barça. It was Luis Figo’s return to the Camp Nou after his controversial transfer to Real Madrid in 2000. The transfer was seen as a real betrayal by Catalan fans.
‘Figo was like a brother to us. He was our best player and he went to Real Madrid. […] The match with the most intense atmosphere I’ve ever experienced at the Camp Nou was when he came back. The stadium was like a pressure cooker almost an hour before kick-off,’ he recalls.
Avui, al cinquè capítol del #NouClam3Cat, aprofundim en la rivalitat Barça-Madrid, parlem del Barça de les Cinc Copes, entrevistem J.M. Serrat i parlem de la Masia amb Marc Casadó i Héctor Fort.
— 3Cat (@som3cat) November 21, 2024
▶️ https://t.co/Mi9ei3jhXz@FCBarcelona_cat @LUISENRIQUE21 @esport3 pic.twitter.com/uko7VzFR95
That night, the electric atmosphere transcended the players and fans alike. According to Luis Enrique, the energy released by the stadium was such that defeat was inconceivable. ‘Figo was put in charge of a very young Puyol, who was a real beast. Figo was Real Madrid’s best player that day, despite the incredible pressure. We won because it was simply impossible to lose,’ recalled the PSG coach.
A former Real Madrid player (1991-1996) before going on to shine at Barça (1996-2004), Luis Enrique has often epitomised the rivalry between the two Spanish giants. While his joke about a future with Los Merengues reflects his sense of humour, it also serves as a reminder of the extent to which he is deeply attached to the Blaugrana DNA, an attachment that makes such a hypothesis almost unrealistic.
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