Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique has confirmed that he was approached by Barcelona to interchange Xavi Hernandez simply months earlier than his former teammate ship a La Liga title.
The outspoken Spanish head coach loved three trophy-laden years as supervisor of a membership which he controversially left Actual Madrid to hitch throughout his personal profitable taking part in profession. Enrique went on to take cost of his nationwide workforce earlier than stepping down as soon as Spain had been dumped out of the 2022 World Cup by Morocco in a quarter-final penalty shootout.
By the point of that worldwide event, Xavi’s Barcelona had been two factors away from Actual Madrid on the summit of La Liga, however had endured a dire Champions League group stage marketing campaign, which included humbling defeats to Bayern Munich and Inter. Whereas Xavi’s inventory was low, Barcelona’s hierarchy reached out to Enrique – based on the person himself.
“Barca referred to as me through the 2022/23 season,” Enrique revealed within the Movistar documentary, No Teneis Ni P*** Concept (You Have No F***ing Concept) about his debut season accountable for PSG. “However then I requested them, ‘If Xavi wins La Liga and the Copa del Rey, would you continue to change him?’ They usually did not even reply. If I had waited, clearly I might have choices of managing them now.”
Xavi missed out on a cup triumph however did raise the La Liga title on the finish of that elongated marketing campaign. In September 2023, a matter of months after the casual method for Enrique, Xavi prolonged his contract at Barcelona till 2025. However, on the finish of an unsuccessful defence of their league crown, punctuated by Xavi’s repeated complaints that “Barcelona is probably the most tough membership to handle on the planet”, the previous membership captain was changed by Hansi Flick.
Enrique has made no secret of his need to return to Catalonia. The forthright supervisor instructed his Twitch stream (through El Mundo Deportivo) in March this yr: “I’ve at all times stated that I want to however actuality says that it is rather tough to cross our paths. Now they’ll want a coach however I’ve a rule of honouring my contracts and with the individuals who belief me. I can’t be the one to interrupt that contract, it isn’t my type and I’ll by no means do it.”
PSG tied Enrique right down to a two-year deal upon his arrival in 2023 and have reportedly explored the potential for extending his contract forward of its approaching expiration.
