I represent the Barca way - Enrique
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique has added spice to Wednesday's huge Champions League clash against Barcelona by insisting he represents more closely the values of the Catalan club than his opposite number Xavi Hernandez.
"I do, without doubt," Luis Enrique said when asked at a press conference on Tuesday, on the eve of the quarterfinal first leg in the French capital.
"Just look at all the stats and the trophies won, and without any doubt I represent the Barca way better, although others may have different opinions."
Luis Enrique, 53, spent the last eight years of his playing career at Barcelona, notably starring under Bobby Robson in the team that beat PSG in the 1997 Cup Winners' Cup final and winning two LaLiga titles under Louis van Gaal.
He later coached Barca from 2014 to 2017, leading them to Champions League glory in his first campaign and overseeing two Spanish title triumphs.
Xavi played under Luis Enrique in that side. The pair were earlier teammates at the Camp Nou.
Now 44, Xavi played over 500 games for Barca and returned as coach in late 2021. He led Barca to the Spanish title last season, but recently announced he would leave the club at the end of this campaign.
"I have to say that I don't know Xavi at all as a coach, only as a teammate and as a player because I worked with him," added Luis Enrique, who took over at PSG ahead of this season.
"I know Barca very well and I know their players but I don't know if that is an advantage or not.
"Emotionally this means a lot to me because of my experiences there."
Luis Enrique was the coach of Barcelona in the notorious Champions League last-16 tie between the clubs in 2017, when the Catalans lost 4-0 in the first leg in Paris before recovering to win 6-1 in the
Read on supersport.com
