1 year ago
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Mark OgdenJul 11, 2025, 07:53 PM ET
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Luis Enrique said Paris Saint-Germain's "team of stars" tin present the "icing connected the cake" for their unthinkable play successful the FIFA Club World Cup last aft seeing the nine flooded the exits of Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Neymar to go the champion squad successful the world.
PSG look Chelsea successful Sunday's last astatine the MetLife Stadium successful New Jersey arsenic beardown favourites to adhd the Club World Cup to the Champions League, Ligue 1 and Coupe de France titles already won during the 2024-25 season.
Enrique's squad are present wide recognised arsenic the fig 1 nine broadside successful the satellite and a triumph connected Sunday would corroborate that status.
But aft rebuilding PSG pursuing the departures of their superstar players, erstwhile Barcelona manager Luis Enrique says the cardinal to the team's occurrence has been their squad of stars alternatively than 1 individual.
"We person 11 stars -- that's football," Luis Enrique told reporters connected Friday. "We don't conscionable privation 1 main player.
"We privation 11 stars, possibly 14-15 successful our squad, and that's the committedness we person from our directors and president.
"We privation a squad of stars. There isn't a azygous PSG instrumentality acting arsenic the star, the full of the Parc des Princes is the star, and that's what we privation connected the pitch.
"This squad is supra idiosyncratic players and we are leaders due to the fact that of this. We volition suffer astatine immoderate point, that's the mode it goes, and we bash privation stars -- but lone arsenic a team."
PSG booked their spot successful the last with a 4-0 semifinal triumph against Real Madrid having already beaten chap European heavyweights Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid en way to the final.
A 5-0 Champions League last triumph against Inter Milan, aft beating 4 Premier League squad antecedently successful this season's competition, underlined PSG's dominance, but Luis Enrique says that his broadside request to bushed Chelsea to person a cleanable extremity to the season.
"This is the past crippled successful the play and we've been feeling good," Luis Enrique said. "We've had a precise bully twelvemonth and for america it's precise important to decorativeness this historical play successful the champion imaginable way.
"We person been perfectly incredible, we person written past and we privation to support going and triumph Sunday's game. We request to triumph to enactment the icing connected the cake.
"But if you deliberation this crippled volition beryllium a locomotion successful the park, you truly don't cognize what shot is about
"Chelsea won the Conference League, they are a increasing team. I emotion Enzo Maresca arsenic a manager due to the fact that his team, they ever spell to onslaught and they property truly well. This won't conscionable beryllium immoderate aged game.
"It's precise important for america to beryllium alert of however hard this crippled is going to be. Chelsea person talented individuals and they tin support nether pressure. Their squad is connected par with us."
PSG skipper Marquinhos has urged his teammates to instrumentality vantage of the accidental to go satellite champions by saying it is simply a uncommon accidental for the club.
"We are alert of the value of this match," helium said. "It's a aureate accidental successful a contention that happens each 4 years.
"Every lucifer has its ain story. The nine is acceptable to spell for this rubric and the manager has prepared america precise well."
"In a final, it's a 50-50 bet, but we truly privation this rubric and that's our mindset astatine the moment."
Marquinhos, 31, has been with PSG since arriving from Roma successful 2013 and helium has seen the nine germinate from a squad of superstars to the modern-day mentation of Luis Enrique's side.
And contempt the endowment helium has played alongside including Mbappé, Neymar, Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marquinhos says that today's squad is the champion of the lot.
"Over the past fewer months, we person been playing an exceptional level," helium said. "It's a existent honour to beryllium portion of this team, it's a precise beardown team.
"In presumption of results, this is decidedly the champion squad I person been successful astatine PSG, but I person played with immoderate astonishing players who person achieved unthinkable things successful shot -- players who person won much than these players close now.
"But taking it each into consideration, this is the squad that has done astir collectively.
"When I joined, played with players who were idols of excavation and I person lived fantastic times present alongside fantastic players. But successful presumption of results and titles, this is astir apt the champion squad truthful far."
