After Paris Saint-Germain’s offensive festival against Slovan Bratislava (6-1) in the Champions League, Luis Enrique appeared in front of journalists all smiles. But when he was questioned about his team composition choices – marked by the absences at kick-off of Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – the Spanish coach took everyone by surprise by himself directing the discussion towards a hot topic: the Golden Ball ceremony, scheduled for October 26 in London.
Firstly firmly recalling his sovereignty in the management of his locker room – “There is only one person who must choose the players to play the matches. I tried to find the best players for this match” —, the Parisian technician immediately wanted to reassure about the esteem he has for his two usual starters left on the bench: “Kvara and Doué are incredible players”.
Such esteem that for the former midfielder, the Georgian has the good looks of a Ballon d’Or winner. “For me, Kvara is a player who can win the current Ballon d’Or. Also Ousmane Dembélé, also Vitinha, also Fabian. That’s very nice for me as a coach and very nice for our supporters. »
Kvaratskhelia’s turn?
Evoking the famous refrain chanted by the stands of the Parc des Princes during Ousmane Dembélé’s brilliant performances, Luis Enrique saw it as the symbol of a collective at the top. “Today, when they sing to Ousmane Dembélé: “and Ousmane Ballon d’or”, it is a song which in the future can be sung again about another player. »
With nine players selected among the 30 nominated (Kvaratskhelia, Dembélé, Vitinha, Ruiz, but also Hakimi, Pacho, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes and João Neves), PSG is the most represented club this year. Huge pride for the coach: “Being the team that has the most players in the list of 30 is motivation for us and that’s what PSG represents. »
This speech comes as the debate rages, fueled by the recent declaration of Kylian Mbappé who would see himself winning, and by Ousmane Dembélé himself, convinced that the trophy must return to the capital. For his part, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia received his trophy for best player of the last Champions League before kick-off, confirming that he will have to be counted on.
