Luis Enrique emotional as PSG fans pay tribute to daughter Xana after Champions League triumph

PSG's fans unfurled a tifo in honour of Luis Enrique's daughter after their triumph in the Champions League final.

X
Facebook
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Telegram
Luis Enrique lifts the Champions League trophy

Paris Saint-Germain’s fans paid tribute to Luis Enrique’s daughter with a tifo after finally seeing their team’s wait for Champions League glory come to an end.

A 5-0 win over Inter Milan in Munich on Saturday saw Luis Enrique deliver the trophy PSG have long since craved, the club becoming the first French side to complete the trebleΒ after winning Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France.

For Luis Enrique, it marked the second treble of his career, the Spanish coach having achieved the same feat with Barcelona in 2014-15.

A 3-1 win over Juventus in the Champions League final saw Barca complete the treble that year, with Luis Enrique’s daughter Xana planting a flag in the centre circle of Berlin’s Olympiastadion following that triumph.

Xana died of bone cancer at the age of nine in 2019 and, following the full-time whistle at the Allianz Arena, PSG’s fans unfurled a tifo illustrating her planting the flag, but with the colours changed to represent the French side’s victory.

Asked about that gesture, Luis Enrique replied: “It was emotional. It’s beautiful that the supporters thought about me and my family.

“But I don’t need to win the Champions League or even a game to think about my daughter.

“She’s always with me. She’s supporting me, and our family, and I feel her presence.”

Achraf Hakimi opened the scoring for PSG in the 12th minute before Desire Doue’s brace ended the game as a contest.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia made it 4-0 and teenager Senny Mayulu scored late on to make it a record-breaking win, with PSG’s margin of victory the highest in a European Cup or Champions League final.

“On my first day at the PSG campus, my French was even worse than it is today. But I said the ultimate goal for me as a coach was to fill the trophy cabinet,” Luis Enrique said.

“The only trophy missing was Champions League. And we’ve ticked that box. We were ambitious, and we did it.

“It’s in the bag and it’s coming home with us tomorrow.”

X
Facebook
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Telegram
Picture of Nicholas McGee

Nicholas McGee

Nicholas is a freelance sports journalist with significant experience covering a wide variety of sports. He has previously worked for Stats Perform and was most recently employed as San Francisco 49ers beat writer for A to Z Sports. He regularly contributes to Gridiron magazine and has also had NFL work featured in The Times and The Mirror.

101GreatGoals.com