David Beckham said Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi told him Luis Enrique was so committed to the job that he “virtually slept every night” at the club’s training facility during his first year, Beckham said on CBS’ Beckham and Friends Live, the report says.
The comments came after PSG booked a place in a second consecutive Champions League final with a composed away performance against Bayern Munich, the report says. PSG scored after three minutes through Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, then protected their lead as Bayern laboured to find their usual rhythm. Harry Kane’s goal four minutes into stoppage time proved too late as PSG prevailed 6-5 on aggregate, per the report.
The report says that reaching a second straight final is being credited to the manager and the commitment he has brought since his 2023 appointment. The story notes PSG previously tried a ‘Galacticos’ approach, at one point fielding a front three of Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, but that configuration delivered only a round-of-16 exit at best.
Beckham, who spent his final half-season as a player with PSG, told the CBS show the president had told him Enrique “virtually slept every night at the new training facility, working on how he wants the team to look, how he wants the team to play, who he wants, where are we going to go, what the future looks like,” the report says. Beckham added that Enrique’s work ethic has produced a side that is together, integrates young players and demands running and relentless effort from its squad, per the report.
PSG finally won the Champions League comfortably against Inter last year, the report says, and now have just over three weeks to prepare to defend the title. The report notes that only Real Madrid have ever defended the European crown, and with Enrique and his described work ethic at the helm, PSG have the opportunity to attempt to make history.
