Luis Enrique claims he wouldn't have taken up PSG coaching role if Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe were at the club
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) took the world by surprise after they assembled a frontline of Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe back in 2021. However, current PSG manager Luis Enrique has claimed that he wouldn't have taken up the hot seat at the club if the trio were still at the club.
Luis Enrique made this claim in the preview of a series named 'No teneis ni p*ta idea' (English: You have no f*cking idea) which will premiere on September 30 by Movistar.
In the very first chapter, Luis Enrique speaks of his arrival in the French capital and boldly states:
"I wouldn't have coached Messi, Neymar and Mbappe's PSG."
The 54-year-old also explained the reason behind such a statement and said:
"If only the team with the best player in the world won titles, PSG would have eight Champions League titles, and they have zero."
Despite acquiring top-notch sides in the past six to seven years, the French giants are yet to win a Champions League title. However, since the 2012-13 season, following the takeover from Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), they have won the trophy on most occasions barring the 2016-17 and 2020-21 seasons, when Marseille and Lille grabbed the silverware, respectively.
A look at Lionel Messi, Neymar and Mbappe's time at PSG
The revolution started at PSG after the Qatari takeover in 2011. In the inaugural years following the takeover, the owners had managed to attract talents like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and managers like Carlo Ancelotti.
However, the star-studded team building started just in 2017, with the acquisition of Neymar, whose transfer was a reported world record fee of €222 million.
The same year saw the club's scouts rope in a wonderkid from AS Monaco - Kylian Mbappe in a deal reported to be worth €180 million. The duo gelled well and won consecutive Ligue 1 titles but Champions League glory still eluded the club.
In the summer of 2021, after FC Barcelona failed to offer Lionel Messi a new contract, the now World Cup winner joined the outfit as a free agent. The trio made headlines and won the Ligue 1 as well.
Messi during this tenure also won the FIFA World Cup, defeating France, whose attack was spearheaded by his clubmate Mbappe.
Neymar eventually left the club last season to join Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia. Lionel Messi chose Inter Miami as his new destination. Kylian Mbappe on the other hand signed for Real Madrid ahead of the 2024-25 season.