Soccer No Mbappe no problem as Luis Enrique completes PSG transformation with a bang

PARIS - When Luis Enrique claimed in early 2024 that Paris St Germain would be better without Kylian Mbappe, many dismissed it as arrogance or deflection.

Fifteen months later, after PSG’s first Champions League triumph - a jaw-dropping 5-0 steamrolling of Inter Milan in Saturday’s final in Munich - the Spanish coach’s bold prediction looks less like provocation and more like prophecy.

The victory marked the culmination of a profound transformation, from a club defined by star power to one shaped by structure, tactical clarity and collective belief.

Luis Enrique’s second season at the helm has delivered what eluded his predecessors - not just a European title, but a new identity for PSG with the youngest squad in the last 16 of the competition, featuring French teenager Desire Doue, who made a decisive impact in Saturdays final.

Mbappe’s departure to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 was expected to leave a void as the striker had been the club’s leading scorer for six consecutive seasons and a global face of their ambition.

Without him, pundits questioned whether PSG could remain relevant at the highest level of European competition. They eventually became the second French club to win the European Cup after Olympique de Marseille in 1993.

Early results this season seemed to confirm those doubts. The team managed only one win in their first five Champions League group-stage matches, falling to 26th place out of 36 in the league-phase standings.

KEY MEETING

A 1-0 loss at Bayern Munich in November left the team on the brink of early elimination and Luis Enrique facing intense criticism for his tactical decisions and squad selections.

You cannot understand, he then quipped at a reporter questioning his tactics and method.

Behind the scenes, Luis Enrique stayed resolute. He said he had gathered the