With an unexpected development after the 2025 Clubs World Cup final, Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique showed Real Madrid as one of the responsible for the shock defeat against Chelsea, who won the championship with an overwhelming 3-0 win. The defeat at the Metlife Stadium in New Jersey on July 13 was the bitter end of a season full of champions league and many national championships, which was almost perfect for the PSG. However, Luis Enrique’s controversial statements led to a great confusion in the football world due to the reference to Real Madrid, which PSG crushed with a defeat of 4-0 in the semi-finals.
Chelsea match was a heavy blow for PSG. According to Infobae, the British team, led by the inspiring Cole Palmer and João Pedro, who scored two goals, completely neutralized the Paris team with a flawless tactical approach. From the beginning of the match, Chelsea applied the man man with markaj, suffocating printing and deadly counter attacks that distribute Luis Enrique’s team. Although PSG could not create a real danger despite having the ball, Palmer and João Pedro’s first half brought the French team to the brink of collapse. In the second half, the Paris people could not find a solution and disappointment, according to Sport.es, succumbed to Luis Enrique’s anger and attacked João Pedro with a fight after the match. This could have led to heavy sanctions from FIFA.
At a press conference after the match, Luis Enrique surprised everyone by holding Real Madrid responsible for his team’s performance. According to the Asturias coach, the 4-0 overwhelming win against Real Madrid in the semifinals has created extreme self-confidence in its players, which led to their underestimation of Chelsea. “After crushing Real Madrid, which everyone sees as the best in the world, my players believed that the final would be easier. That match gave us a fake invincibility, and it cost us costly,” he said. According to the newspaper El Confencial, this statement, especially Barcelona player and coach Luis Enrique, known for his past, has led to criticism and controversy because he did not miss the opportunity to talk to his arch rivals.
After a magnificent season, PSG had reached the Club World Cup final. According to Infobae, the team led by Luis Enrique won the 2024-2025 Champions League by defeating Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich. They also sweep the Ligue 1 and other local tournaments, proved themselves as an offensive football machine under the leadership of players such as Ousmane Dembélé and Fabián Ruiz. According to Flashscore.es, the semi -finals against Real Madrid was a football masterpiece that PSG had dominated every aspect of the game, and scored two goals in the first nine minutes by taking advantage of Raúl Asencio and Antonio Rüdiger’s defense errors. However, according to Luis Enrique, the same superiority may have weak points in the final.
The international press immediately reacted to Luis Enrique’s words. According to ESPN, Barcelona, considered a legend, was full of messages that mocked Real Madrid as well as social media support messages. Meanwhile, these statements in Madrid were seen as an unnecessary provocation. José Félix Díaz of Marca.com described Luis Enrique’s words as an inadequate excuse to justify a defeat that reveals tactical deficiencies against the PSG’s better Chelsea team ”. Moreover, the attack on João Pedro, which is reflected in the cameras and emphasized by El Heraldo, has further damaged the image of the coach and may be confronted with a punishment that will temporarily cause him to stay away from the bench.
The context of defeat also reveals the difficulties of Luis Enrique. Despite his success in the Champions League and Ligue 1, a pure centrifugal lack of centrifugal after Kylian Mbappé went to Real Madrid was a recurrent problem. As Sport.ES points out, PSG creates many goals, but it is difficult to score; This deficiency was clearly seen in Chelsea match. According to Le Parisien, the French press began to question whether Luis Enrique’s common play -based strategy, without a clear offensive focus, was enough to fight at the highest level in critical moments.
Despite the defeat, Luis Enrique remained optimistic about the future of his project. In the statements of TYC Sports, the coach emphasized the team’s ability to learn from failure: “This year we have won almost everything, but this defeat will strengthen us even more. Chelsea was superior, but we will come back.” However, the decision to blame Real Madrid, especially because the PSG could not repeat his performance in the previous matches in the final, was more controversial than empathy.
According to El Heraldo, who participated in the event at the Metlife Stadium, the clubs made their mark with the presence of names such as Donald Trump, J Balvin and Doja Cat, the Clubs World Cup Final, and this added some magnificence to the night ended with the disappointment for the PSG. While Chelsea celebrated its first championship in this tournament, PSG and Luis Enrique returned from Paris empty -handed, and according to the coach, this lesson can be a turning point of a new period of success. However, the shadow of discussions with Real Madrid and the attacks against João Pedro will continue to leave the Asturias coach in the coming days.
