Nasser al-Khelaifi, President of Paris Saint-Germain, praised his side’s collective approach after they secured a place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Liverpool FC at Anfield on Tuesday evening, sealing a 4-0 aggregate victory.
PSG are the defending champions and have strong hopes of winning the title again this year.
“We tried everything in the past 13-15 years. Three years ago, with Luis Enrique and the new project, we are trying to build something with a very young team. That is what we tried,” al-Khelaïfi said in a post-match interview.
“We tried everything in the past 13-15 years. Three years ago, with Luis Enrique and the new project, we are trying to build something with a very young team. That is what we tried,” he added, reflecting on the club’s long-term direction under head coach Luis Enrique.
“Of course, results are really important, but the most important for us was how we played football, to have a team, not players only. The star is the team, there are no stars in our team. Even today, we have the Ballon d’Or [winner], our players are huge, but the biggest star is the team.
“They work for each other, the team, the club, the logo. We can probably have the best players in the world last year and this year but they work together as a team. Your fault is my fault, they run together, that is the mentality we want to have. We have the best coach in the world, he is an amazing coach, person and motivator.”
PSG president’s first reaction after the win also included a tribute to the 97 Liverpool fans who lost their lives in the Hillsborough disaster.
“We really think about the 97 people who lost their lives for football, and that’s something much bigger than any football, any sport. So, our thoughts are with them and their family,” he said.
He also showed support for Hugo Ekitike, who picked up an injury during the match, saying he hopes the injury is not too serious.
Al-Khelaïfi said the team would stay grounded despite the result.
“We are here, of course, very proud, very happy with both the result and qualifying for the semi-final. To come here and show respect for the amazing fans, and to beat them 2-0 again, that’s an amazing achievement.”
“But we need to be humble, we need to stay grounded and think about the next step, the next match. We shouldn’t go over the moon, but we’re very, very happy.”
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