Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique has taken motivation from tennis legend Rafael Nadal as his side prepare to face Bayern Munich in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday.
The Parisians hold a slender lead after last week’s 5-4 win in the French capital, and Enrique is looking up to his Spanish compatriot Nadal, who had an illustrious career that saw him win 22 Grand Slam titles, including a record 14 crowns on the courts of Rolland Garros in Paris.
The now-retired star had memorable match-ups against his biggest rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic during his career, which Enrique wants his team to channel in the Bavarian capital.
“We’re going to play with the aim of being more competitive than ever,” he said.
“Rafael Nadal once said that at a certain point in his career, his match-ups with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic became a motivation for him.
“That’s what we want. We admire Bayern, but that admiration drives us to be better. We’ll look to overcome a team that plays sensational football.”
The former Barcelona coach added: “When you play this kind of match, against this kind of opposition, who are without doubt the strongest team we have played against, the first thing I want to transmit to the players is that we have a one goal advantage, but that is nothing in football.
“We have the experience from last year. We are always striving to be at our best for our supporters.”
PSG are all about goals
Enrique’s men have scored at least once in their last 23 competitive games, their longest run since they achieved it in 26 straight matches during the 2023-24 season.
They have also scored 43 goals in the UEFA Champions League this term , beating their record of 38 goals in the previous campaign.
