The Spanish coach and the French player shared a season at PSG before the footballer moved to Real Madrid.
When Luis Enrique arrived at Paris Saint-Germain, he knew that Kylian Mbappé’s future at the club was hanging by a thread and that he was already considering a departure. The coach needed to appeal to a rallying call to re-engage him, despite his imminent exit.
Thus, he summoned Mbappé to a video room to watch footage apparently from the match where Barcelona defeated PSG 3-2 at the Parc des Princes last April, during the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals (the return leg ended 4-1, securing progression for the Parisians). Those images have now been leaked, showcasing the intense pep talk.
The video is part of Chapter 2 of the documentary series “No tenéis ni puta idea,” which chronicles Luis Enrique’s tenure as PSG’s coach, where he is heard motivating Mbappé by comparing him to another sports legend. “I read that you liked Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan would get in his teammates’ faces and defend like a madman,” he began his explanation.
“You need to set that example as a person and as a player, by pressing. You’re going to have Cubarsí (a youth defender from Barcelona), and you need to pressure Cubarsí and Ter Stegen. You will spend the whole game pressing Cubarsí so he can’t advance and pressing Ter Stegen to make him play quickly and then recover fast. Why? To be a leader,” he added.
Immediately, the Asturian pointed out why he considered it essential for Mbappé not to skip the pressing: “You’re a phenomenon, a world-class player, no doubt about it. But that’s not enough for me. A true leader is someone who, when they can’t help us with goals—for instance, the other day you had two high-level players to deal with—you help us in every defensive aspect.”
Furthermore, Luis Enrique also urged him to involve his teammates in the effort: “You need to say, ‘Guys, let’s hold our defensive line, stay there,’ you’ll bring your two teammates with you. Because if you only press, it’s fantastic, but if you also engage Ousmane or Kolo Muani, or Barcola or Gonzalo (Ramos) or Marco Asensio, and set the example for pressing, you know what we’ll have? A bloody winning machine of a team.”
Ultimately, the Spanish coach spoke directly to the player who months later would become a Real Madrid player and had already announced his departure, suggesting: “That’s what I want you to do as a leader here for the next two months. I want you to leave here through the front door. Kiki, no doubt about it. But you need to earn that, and you have to do it not by attacking. I know that when attacking, you’re God. But the day you don’t attack, you need to be the best defender in history. That’s what a leader is, that’s Michael Jordan.”
