Only Luis Enrique will know if he really believed his words when he said PSG was better without Killian Mbapee.
The French captain, the club’s record scorer, made public his decision to leave both offensive and defense in May 2024 when Louis Enrique said his side was better.
“PSG continues to be a great team and we’ll get even better. We invite strong mentality and players who identify with the club — that’s how life works,” said Luis Enrique.
Fast forward 12 months, and few people opposed Luis Enrique’s predictions.
The ease with which they won a domestic title, and the lack of harsh opposition — may have been seen as a negative building for their success in Europe.
In 1993, Marseille remained the sole winner of the Champions League in France.
After finishing the runner-up in the 2020 Champions League, PSG has reached the semi-finals twice and the quarter-finals twice in the next four years.
However, following the appointment of Luis Enrique in 2023, there was the acceptance that something had to change if they were to get past the line.
That summer forward Lionel Messi left to join Intermiami and Neymar.
It marked the beginning of the end of the “Galactico” era, and 12 months later the departure of Mbappe ended.
In their absence, Luis Enrique constructed a high and overwhelming aspect of all actions in his image, based on a group rather than an individual.
In Europe, PSG started inadequately this season, finishing the group stage in 15th place.
However, inspired by his signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in January, PSG defeated four English clubs, Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal, in the knockout phase.
