Luis Enrique interview: Paris coach on 'unique challenge', desire to keep winning and his summer break

After winning a total of nine trophies in the last two seasons, including back-to-back Champions League titles, Paris coach Luis Enrique could be forgiven for allowing himself some time to relax and get away from it all over the summer.

But sitting down with UEFA, the Spanish tactician admits that he was unable to ever fully switch off as attentions begin to turn to the new season, starting with a Super Cup encounter with Aston Villa in Salzburg on Wednesday.

"I didn't stay in Paris, and I went away with my family for seven weeks, which is quite an unusual amount of time to rest in football," he says. "During that time, you try to disconnect as much as possible, but you are always connected because everyone talks to you about the season, people congratulate you on the titles you won.

"This sounds beautiful, but in the end it shows how a coach never disconnects. We have to make many decisions during the summer. You disconnect because you don't go to your workplace, but you are always connected to the club."

Luis Enrique providing instructions to Vitinha during the Champions League finalUEFA via Getty Images

It is perhaps this kind of mentality which has helped Luis Enrique achieve such success, and the former Real Madrid and Barcelona midfielder insists the only secret behind his sporting glory is hard work and a competitive nature.

"I'm not a genius and I don't want to be," he continues. "I believe I was born to compete, because that's where I feel most comfortable. Whether it's playing Parchís (a Spanish board game), tennis, padel or football or training, that's what I love.

"Then I have a constant obsession with trying to improve performances, my connection with the players, with the team, the demands placed on me, having empathy with the players, and getting more out of them.

"But I like to do it by convincing them, not just because I'm the coach and I tell you to do something. I like to try to understand the game and explain it to the players in the simplest way possible. I think that's what motivates me to keep improving. Now, when people tell me 'You have won many titles', that's irrelevant; it belongs to the past, it's history."

In the upcoming campaign, Paris have the opportunity to become only the second team in the Champions League era to win the competition three times in a row after Real Madrid between 2016 and 2018. It is, unsurprisingly, a challenge which has not escaped the attentions of Luis Enrique.

"I focus on renewing that desire to win again. It is difficult to keep winning. Right now, we have a unique challenge – something that is practically unprecedented in the history of European football, which is to draw level with Real Madrid if we can win a third consecutive Champions League.

"Wow! That is something on a whole other level. No one in history has won three in a row, only Real Madrid. We can equal them. But I don't think there is any team in Europe more motivated than us.

"No one rules out Paris Saint-Germain any more. Two years ago, it was impossible to put us among the favourites – not impossible, but we were not one of the favourites. Now, no one would say that Paris Saint-Germain aren't the favourites. That's something we have earned, but if we're going to maintain that position, we have to work even harder."

Lifting a second consecutive Super Cup would be the perfect way to kick off the new season, and Luis Enrique is clearly looking forward to facing his Spanish compatriot Unai Emery.

Luis Enrique with the Super Cup trophy last seasonGetty Images

He adds: "There are no doubts in my mind that it's [the Super Cup] a really important trophy and Villa will be really competitive. If we look at the Premier League, there are five or maybe six Spanish coaches at the best teams.

"I think that Spanish football is at the top of world football in every regard, be it players, coaches or directors. Our game stands for a fun way of playing football, in that we seek out the ball, having it is our priority, and we adapt through possession to being solid defensively. I think it's a great moment for Spanish football in a worldwide context, and we should be proud of that."

Now 56, Luis Enrique seems just as motivated and hungry as ever as he prepares to begin his fourth campaign at Parc des Princes, and he concludes by reflecting on how it all started in summer 2023.

"I'll never forget the day that [football advisor] Luis Campos came to my house and it took only 15 minutes to realise we were on the same page. There's no doubt that the project here is the one I've been most into as a coach. I hope that I'm here for many more years.

"It's fantastic to start every season with the support of the club, the fans and the board. I expect to give my all. It'll be really hard to keep on winning, but we won't leave anything to chance."

This interview was conducted on 3 August 2026