Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique has confirmed that he was approached by Barcelona to replace Xavi Hernandez just months before his former teammate deliver a La Liga title.
The outspoken Spanish head coach enjoyed three trophy-laden years as manager of a club which he controversially left Real Madrid to join during his own successful playing career. Enrique went on to take charge of his national team before stepping down once Spain were dumped out of the 2022 World Cup by Morocco in a quarter-final penalty shootout.
By the time of that international tournament, Xavi’s Barcelona were two points clear of Real Madrid at the summit of La Liga, but had endured a dire Champions League group stage campaign, which included humbling defeats to Bayern Munich and Inter. While Xavi’s stock was low, Barcelona’s hierarchy reached out to Enrique – according to the man himself.
“Barca called me during the 2022/23 season,” Enrique revealed in the Movistar documentary, No Teneis Ni P*** Idea (You Have No F***ing Idea) about his debut season in charge of PSG. “But then I asked them, ‘If Xavi wins La Liga and the Copa del Rey, would you still change him?’ And they didn’t even reply. If I had waited, clearly I would have options of managing them now.”
Xavi missed out on a cup triumph but did lift the La Liga title at the end of that elongated campaign. In September 2023, a matter of months after the informal approach for Enrique, Xavi extended his contract at Barcelona until 2025. But, at the end of an unsuccessful defence of their league crown, punctuated by Xavi’s repeated complaints that “Barcelona is the most difficult club to manage in the world”, the former club captain was replaced by Hansi Flick.
Enrique has made no secret of his desire to return to Catalonia. The forthright manager told his Twitch stream (via El Mundo Deportivo) in March this year: “I have always said that I would like to but reality says that it is very difficult to cross our paths. Now they will need a coach but I have a rule of honouring my contracts and with the people who trust me. I will not be the one to break that contract, it is not my style and I will never do it.”
PSG tied Enrique down to a two-year deal upon his arrival in 2023 and have reportedly explored the possibility of extending his contract ahead of its approaching expiration.
