From Galacticos to glory: How Luis Enrique transformed PSG into Champions League winners

PARIS (AP) — Luis Enrique got rid of the Galacticos at Paris Saint-Germain and then became one himself.

The Spanish coach, or perhaps he should be called an architect or a visionary, orchestrated a 5-0 destruction of Inter Milan in Saturday's Champions League final.

The match was so clinically one-sided that it resembled a training session against an amateur team, rather than a three-time European Cup winner.

Passing, movement, energy.

Tireless pressing, forwards dropping back to defend, wingers protecting fullbacks.

Was this really PSG?

Yes.

All of these attributes were on display in Munich as Luis Enrique joined an elite list of coaches to win the Champions League with multiple clubs. His other success was with Barcelona in 2015 — a 3-1 win against Juventus — but Saturday was sweeter.

“This is the time for a great party and to make the most of this moment," Luis Enrique said. "I felt this connection with the players and the fans, I think it was a very strong connection throughout the season. ”

Before Luis Enrique's arrival at the start of last season, such teamwork and unselfishness were not the hallmarks of PSG.

Far from it.

PSG had become increasingly complacent with star names like Neymar, Thiago Silva, Lionel Messi, Edinson Cavani, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kylian Mbappé.

All fine players, some even great, yet all came and went without winning Europe's biggest club prize. Consequentially, the impatience of the club's Qatari owners led to a merry-go-round of coaches.

When Luis Enrique took charge he boldly went against what PSG's owners had done since taking charge 14 years ago.

It was no longer about pandering to star power and, even more importantly, it wasn't about who the new coach signed but rather who he sold.

Out went Neymar and midfielder Marco Verratti, who made too many headlines off the field amid regular reports about their lifestyle and a penchant for partying. Then, during the offseason, came the biggest jolt of all as Mbappé — the club's record scorer — joined Real Madrid.

How would PSG cope in the French league, let alone the Champions League, without a player they had overly relied on for so long?

Rather well it turns out, although it took time and courage.

On a rainy autumn night in London, Ousmane Dembélé was dropped by Luis Enrique and PSG lost to Arsenal 2-0 in a dismally poor performance.

Luis Enrique made it clear he was looking for dedication in his squad and this was non-negotiable, which is why he dropped Dembélé.

Critics lambasted his decision and doubts continued as PSG struggled in the new-look Champions League, losing to Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich.

As baffling a decision it was to some, it nevertheless showed that Luis Enrique was not going to give in to player power, like so many of his predecessors.

Instead of demanding a transfer or moaning, Dembélé said nothing. A few months later, he was transformed into a prolific scorer and is now a potential Ballon d'Or winner.

The other turning point came on Jan. 22.

PSG faced possible elimination from the Champions League group stage if it lost at home to Manchester City, the 2023 champion. The nightmare scenario saw PSG trailing 2-0, with no Mbappé to bail the team out.

What happened next ultimately defined their season, as the club's young players took the initiative and turned an inevitable-looking defeat into a 4-2 win.

Noticeably, PSG’s redesigned attack clicked with four different scorers rather than relying too heavily on one.

The young guns carried on as a resurgent PSG added to its domestic double with the Champions League title for a remarkable treble — which Luis Enrique first achieved with Barcelona 10 years ago.

It was deeply symbolic that PSG's best player against Inter was 19-year-old Désiré Doué, who set up the first goal and then scored twice.

Also, there were four different scorers on the night — just like against City.

The last PSG goal was scored by Senny Mayulu, a 19-year-old talent who grew up in the northeastern Parisian suburb of Le Blanc-Mesnil.

Luis Enrique's daughter, Xana, died six years ago at the age of nine.

When he was asked about his daughter by broadcaster Canal Plus after the match, Luis Enrique pointed to his heart and said: "It’s here every day of my life, whether we win or lose.”

PSG fans held up a banner with Xana's name after the match, and Luis Enrique changed his clothing to put on a T-shirt of the foundation he started in her memory.

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PSG's head coach Luis Enrique touches the trophy after winning the Champions League final soccer match against Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

PSG's head coach Luis Enrique and players Vitinha, left, and Ousmane Dembele look at the trophy at the end of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno

PSG's coach Luis Enrique is thrown into the air by his players as they celebrate winning the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Inter Milan, at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)

PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma, Vitinha, Ousmane Dembele and coach Luis Enrique celebrate after winning the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Inter Milan, at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (Peter Kneffel/dpa via AP)

PSG's head coach Luis Enrique celebrates with the trophy after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to foreign diplomats in Tehran, insisted “the situation has come under total control” in fiery remarks that blamed Israel and the U.S. for the violence, without offering evidence.

“That’s why the demonstrations turned violent and bloody to give an excuse to the American president to intervene,” Araghchi said, in comments carried by the Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network. Al Jazeera has been allowed to report from inside the country live despite the internet being shut off.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)