PSG a far cry from Messi, Mbappe and Neymar days – Enrique has built a real team

Paris Saint Germain take a 1-0 lead over Arsenal back to the French capital for their Champions League semi-final second leg

Luis Enrique helped ditch Paris Saint Germain’s superstar bling culture and now cycles into work every day. PSG boss Enrique has built a team ethic far removed from the days of mega stars like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr who failed to deliver European glory for the French giants.

But PSG are now on course to deliver the Holy Grail of the Champions League with a new togetherness in the dressing room and a more down-to-earth mentality off the pitch. Former Barcelona star Enrique also sets his own example by getting on his bike every day and riding the 9km into the club’s training ground on the outskirts of Paris.

Enrique said: “Coming cycling it’s just 9km, it’s not really too much to do that but last year we had a lot of comments about how we behave in the competition. It’s something that is very positive because in sport the most important thing is the values.

“The supporters want to enjoy themselves, enjoy the occasion just like they go to the cinema to be entertained. We want to deliver for them.”

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That was echoed by Achraf Hakimi who has seen the big names and is now relishing in a team more about the togetherness at the Parc des Princes. The only really big name is Ousmane Dembele who has declared himself fit after a hamstring issue because he is desperate to be part of it.

Hakimi added: “The president, sporting director and the coach, they tried to build a team rather than star players and that’s the key of this new Paris Saint Germain. The collective is more important than the individuals and that’s why we are so strong.

“For example, Dembele in the past, if he was not 100 per cent fit then maybe he would not play but now everyone wants to be there.”

Hakimi says Dembele’s quality brings an X factor but the players are also enjoying the ride. He added: “I think there are small things that you can say, Dembele is a very different player, he’s a player who makes you want to go to the stadium and watch the game. He is a genius with the ball and we are very happy to have him.

“It’s a positive pressure, a good pressure because these are the types of games players want to play and we will not change our approach and the way we want to play.”

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