In a light-hearted response to recent rumours of tense relations between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Luis Enrique and star player Kylian Mbappé, the Spanish manager has dismissed the speculation. This information has been shared by French newspapers in the past few days.
Enrique addressed these rumours during a press conference and humorously denied them. He said, “Our relationship is always the same: perfect. We’re not engaged, but almost. Especially because he’s the one who doesn’t want to (laughs). I don’t know why you keep asking me this question. I have a strong bond with my players and Kylian, he’s always joking. I’m very happy. He’s just 25, very young, the same age as my son. I hope he continues to achieve many successes, both individually and with the team. I hope he will get them at PSG and we can assist him in his journey. His level is fantastic. It’s great having him in this team, with all he brings. He’s at the top of world football.”
Discussing Real Sociedad, the next opponent in his team’s journey, Enrique shared his anticipation of the matchup and expressed his joy over returning to Spain. According to him, “I’m very happy because we’re going back to Spain, to a place I love. They came top in the group ahead of Inter Milan, they have good players, and we’ll need to be careful. I’m pleased with the draw because I was eager to return to Spain. We knew we would face a top-level team: we know them very well, there are many players who I’ve had in the national team. They play excellent football, they have clear ideas so it will be a very difficult match for us.”
The combination of humorous self-awareness and professional analysis offered by Enrique in the face of allegedly strained team dynamics should be welcomed by fans of the French football giants.