Allianz Arena, Munich
CNN
–
Without a doubt, the most memorable moment in Saturday’s Champions League final had nothing to do with football.
That’s not to say that the action on the pitch didn’t live up to expectations. Paris Saint-Germain made history with a record 5-0 victory over Inter Milan, claiming the club’s first European Cup.
There were particularly great moments and magical performances from teenager Desire Doo.
But when PSG fans spread the banner behind their goals, all of that wasn’t important.
The banner image sent goosebumps around Munich’s Allianz Arena, which undoubtedly paused for a moment by millions of viewers around the world.
The banner photo was of PSG manager Luis Enrique and his daughter Zana. He passed away in 2019 when he was just nine years old.
The scene depicted was in 2015 after Enrique won the Champions League as Barcelona’s manager.
Together, the pair were celebrated by planting the Barcelona flag in the middle of the pitch. This is a moment and image that has taken on even more importance since Xana’s death six years ago.
Earlier this year, the Finals were still a long way to go, and Enrique told reporters he wanted to recreate the moment after he won the Champions League trophy in honor of his daughter.
In the end, he didn’t have to. His fans did it for him.
“It was very emotional,” the highly composed Enrique told reporters after Saturday’s victory.
“It was beautiful to think that supporters were thinking about me and my family.”
In the full-time whistle, all of the emotions were clear as they were visible on Enrique’s face.
He stumbled on the pitch with a glorious smile and seemed to be overcome by the feelings of winning the Champions League trophy twice.
During the celebration, Enrique also wore a black T-shirt with an image of him and his daughter.
His other daughter, Cilla Martinez, posted a photo of a fan with Xana’s name wearing a PSG shirt on her back on her Instagram story.
Six years ago, the family tragedy occurred when Enrique was the Spanish manager. In June 2019, he left his role in spending more time with his family. That August he announced that Xana had died.
But speaking with reporters after the game, Enrique said he doesn’t need a football match or a trophy to make him think about his daughter.
“My daughter has always been with me. She’s here. She supports our family and I feel her presence even when we lose,” he added.
“It’s about grouping everything we went through together and removing the positives from the negative situation.
“That’s what we think about it. That’s what I think about it. It’s my family mentality and I was happy about it, but I don’t need a trophy to think about my daughter. She’s always with me.”
Regardless of his personal circumstances, it was nothing but surprising what Enrique did on this PSG side.
When he took over last season, the club was still bloated and left it to deal with the consequences from the club’s previous tactics of spending money on superstar players.
And he was hit by another blow.
But in many ways, those difficulties proved to be a blessing of disguise. Instead of managing personality and transferring sagas, Enrique was allowed to focus purely on the pitch.
That allowed him to develop a young team and establish a unity that has been tested several times in this Champions League campaign.
Again and again, players responded to anything he asked, and it was clear that they would see the deep respect for their manager after the club made history on Saturday.
“Luis Enrique is the guy who changed everything about PSG. He made it. This team watches football in a different way.”
“He is a loyal man and after everything that happened to him. One of the few left in this world. He deserves it more than anyone else.”
This was a similar message from Doué, the player from Saturday’s match. He praised the manager for connecting on a more human level.
“He’s been here for two years and made history for the club,” said Reuters, 19.
“Tactically and mentally, he’s a truly excellent coach and incredibly human.
So, a few years from now, when we all look back at this year’s Champions League final, it will likely be the most memorable image of Enrique and his daughter.