Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain have decided to part ways with their manager, Christophe Galtier, as they announced the sacking of the 56-year-old French manager on Wednesday. Former FC Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has been appointed as Galtier’s successor at PSG.
The former LOSC Lille and OGC Nice coach took over the Parisian club following the sacking of Argentinian manager Mauricio Pochettino in July 2022. Galtier initially had a 2-year-contract with the 2022–23 Ligue 1 Champions, something that was prematurely terminated by the PSG hierarchy.
Luis Enrique joins PSG
To fill Galtier’s shoes, PSG has announced former FC Barcelona and Spain national team coach Luis Enrique as their next manager, who has been handed a contract until 2025. The 53-year-old Spaniard managed Barcelona to a treble in 2014–15 and took his country to the semifinals of the 2020 EURO.
The Spanish National Team fired him following their elimination from the 2022 World Cup in the round of 16.
🆕🔴🔵 #WelcomeToParisLuisEnrique pic.twitter.com/APacVqmNVB
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) July 5, 2023
Following this announcement, Luis Enrique spoke about his enthusiasm for managing PSG: “I am delighted to be here… I do not speak French, but I have started to learn it.”
He then expressed the pressure he has as the PSG manager to bring the Champions League to Paris: “I love this pressure. Dozens of teams have this same dream, sometimes teams that have more experience than us. The Champions League is almost unfair because one bad match and you exit the competition, but that’s no excuse for us.”
Why was Christophe Galtier sacked?
Despite winning the Ligue 1 title in his one season with Les Parisiens, Christophe Galtier failed to win the French Cup and had to exit the UEFA Champions League in the round of 16 as PSG failed to defeat Bayern Munich.
On top of that, PSG had a rocky finish to the season, winning just three of their last six games. Fans even showed how upset they were when PSG lost at home to Clermont on the last day of the season, where Galtier and Lionel Messi were booed.
The club’s official statement regarding Galtier’s sacking reads:
“At the end of the 2022-2023 financial year, Paris Saint-Germain and Christophe Galtier have decided to terminate his contract as coach of the first team. The Club wishes to highlight his professionalism and commitment, which allowed the Rouge & Bleu to win a historic eleventh France Championship title as well as a Trophee des Champions.”
At the end of the 2022-2023 season, Paris Saint-Germain informed Christophe Galtier of its decision to terminate his contract as first-team coach.
The Club would like to pay tribute to his professionalism and commitment.https://t.co/LdbDrviiMC
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) July 5, 2023
Do you think Luis Enrique will be able to bring UCL success to PSG? Don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments!
