PSG: Luis Enrique issues apology after Champions League victory
PSG head coach Luis Enrique issued an apology to Warren Zaire-Emery in his post-match press conference after the UCL final against Arsenal.
PSG lifted their second consecutive UEFA Champions League trophy after beating Premier League club Arsenal on penalties in Budapest. The score remained level at 1-1 at the end of extra time, courtesy of goals by Kai Havertz and Ousmane Dembélé for Arsenal and PSG, respectively. During the penalty shootout, Arsenal defender Gabriel missed a spot kick to hand PSG their second, and manager Luis Enrique his third, Champions League title.
As reported by Foot Mercato, in the post-match interview, the 56-year-old manager issued an apology to midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery. He said, “He deserved to play in this final. He gave everything. He showed his character; he accepted my decision.”
The two-time treble-winning manager further praised Zaïre-Emery’s professionalism, saying, “He showed in the minutes he was given that he is a true professional and a very special person.”
It is to be noted that, although a midfielder, Warren Zaïre-Emery put in excellent performances at the right-back position this season, the youngster was forced to play out of position by Luis Enrique due to the absence of regular right-back Achraf Hakimi, who was out due to injury. However, Hakimi came back to the squad before the final, and as expected, started the game, limiting game time for the young midfielder.
The 20-year-old French international now has two Champions League titles in his trophy cabinet. He will now join the French national team on World Cup duty, due to be held in the United States. He will surely be hoping to replicate his club form at the international level as well and get more game time than he did this season for PSG.
