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Barcelona to PSG: How Luis Enrique has turned finals into his playground | Football News

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Luis Enrique has developed a remarkable habit during his managerial career: when his team reaches a final, he almost always finds a way to win it.

 


The Paris Saint-Germain manager added another trophy to his collection on Wednesday, guiding the French champions to a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup. The triumph took Enrique’s record to an extraordinary 17 wins in 20 finals since he began his senior managerial career. It is a record that underlines not only his ability to build successful teams, but also his knack for delivering when the stakes are highest.

 
 

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Barcelona laid the foundations

 


Enrique’s extraordinary finals record began at Barcelona.

 

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His first final came on May 30, 2015, when Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-1 in the Copa del Rey. That victory was the beginning of a spectacular two-year spell in which Enrique guided the Catalan giants to seven trophies.

 


The biggest of those triumphs came in the Champions League final against Juventus in June 2015, when Barcelona won 3-1 to complete a treble. Enrique also won the UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, another Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup during his time at Camp Nou.

 

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His only defeat in a Barcelona final came against Athletic Bilbao in the 2015 Spanish Super Cup.

 


One defeat with Spain broke the pattern

 

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Enrique’s record suffered another setback during his time as Spain coach. La Roja reached the 2021 UEFA Nations League final but lost 2-1 to France.

 


It remains one of the rare occasions when Enrique has been unable to produce a victory on the biggest stage. The defeat, however, proved to be an exception rather than the beginning of a trend.

 

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PSG has taken his finals record to another level

 


If Barcelona established Enrique as a finals specialist, PSG have turned him into one. Since taking charge of the French club, Enrique has appeared in 11 finals and won 10 of them.

 

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His PSG journey began with the 2024 French Super Cup victory over Toulouse and was followed by triumphs in the Coupe de France, Champions League and multiple domestic and international finals.

 


The most significant victory came in the 2025 Champions League final, when PSG demolished Inter Milan 5-0 to finally claim Europe’s biggest club trophy.

 

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Even defeats rarely stop him

 


Interestingly, Enrique’s PSG record includes matches that were decided after extra time or penalties.

 

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PSG defeated Tottenham on penalties in the 2025 UEFA Super Cup and Flamengo in the Intercontinental Cup. They also edged Marseille on penalties in the 2026 French Super Cup and Arsenal in the 2026 Champions League final.

 


That suggests another key part of Enrique’s finals success: his teams remain composed when matches become chaotic. Whether the game is decided in 90 minutes, extra time or a penalty shootout, his sides repeatedly find a solution.

 

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His only PSG final defeat came against Chelsea in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, when PSG lost 3-0. 

 


The numbers behind Enrique’s finals mastery

 

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With the latest victory over Aston Villa, Enrique now has 17 wins from 20 finals, giving him an extraordinary 85 per cent win rate.

 


His record is even more striking when considering the quality of opposition he has faced. His finals have included Champions League showdowns against Juventus, Inter Milan and Arsenal, domestic cup finals, European Super Cups and international competition with Spain.

 

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Rather than simply building teams capable of reaching finals, Enrique has repeatedly shown an ability to finish the job once they get there.

 


Why does Luis Enrique keep delivering?

 

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There is no single explanation for the record.

 


Enrique’s teams are tactically flexible, technically strong and generally comfortable controlling matches. But his biggest strength in finals may be his ability to prepare his teams for the specific demands of one-off games.

 

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Finals leave little room for recovery from mistakes. Enrique’s teams have repeatedly demonstrated the patience to stay in games, the quality to exploit decisive moments and the mentality required to survive pressure.

 


At PSG, that mentality has become particularly evident. The club had spent years chasing European glory before Enrique arrived. Under him, PSG have not only won the Champions League but have also developed a remarkable consistency in finals.

 

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Aston Villa become the latest victims

 


Aston Villa were simply the latest team to discover how difficult it is to beat an Enrique side when a trophy is on the line.

 

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The 2-1 victory in the UEFA Super Cup gave PSG another piece of silverware and Enrique another entry in his extraordinary finals record. 17 wins from 20 finals. For most managers, that would represent a career-defining achievement. For Enrique, it is becoming a trademark.

 


And with PSG still competing for trophies on multiple fronts, the Spaniard’s extraordinary relationship with finals may have plenty of chapters left.

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McLaughlin: Noah Fifita and Arizona Big 12 Title Bound?

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SEC logoThe SEC is seeking to reach the national title game for the first time since Georgia won its second in 2022.

Which teams have a legitimate case to knock off the Bulldogs as the 2x reigning conference champions?

On today’s episode of Locked On College Football, I predict the 2026 season for the Arizona Wildcats.

With one of the best quarterbacks in college football, will HC Brent Brennan make the conference title game?

marylandMaryland is among the most likely schools to be looking for a new coach by the time this season ends—or perhaps before.

Is this the end of Mike Locksley in the Big Ten?

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00:00 Improving Oklahoma’s offensive balance
04:12 Steve Sarkisian’s team consistency issues
06:30 Ole Miss’ playoff potential
10:23 Brent Brennan’s breakthrough season
13:40 College football schedule breakdown
18:56 Speculation on Maryland coaching change
20:01 New defensive lineup potential
23:07 Maryland football coach evaluation

/ @lockedoncollegefootball  

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Video: Day 3 Highlights from Birmingham 2026

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There were four finals down for decision on Wednesday night: the Women’s Hammer, Men’s 400m, Women’s 400m Hurdles and the Men’s 110m Hurdles.

Silja Kosonen from Finland won gold in the Women’s Hammer Final with 76.28m, where Ireland’s Nicola Tuthill finished an excellent fifth, with a best throw of 70.33m. The reigning European Champion, Italy’s Sara Fantini, had to settle for silver this time with her best effort of 74.35m coming with her first throw. Beatrice Nedberge Llano from Norway won bronze with her first round throw of 72.88m.

Birmingham Boy wins Gold

Britain won another gold medal with the victory of Matthew Hudson-Smith in the Men’s 400m Final on Wednesday night in a time of 44.17 seconds. Silver went to Muhammad Abdallah Kounta of France in 44.40 seconds, with Jonas Phijffers of The Netherlands completing the podium with a new NR of 44.14 seconds.

Zapletalová wins fast 400m Hurdles

Slovakia won their first medal of the 2026 European Athletics Championships when Emma Zapletalová stormed to the victory in the Women’s 400m Hurdles in 52.91 seconds. Emily Newnham of Britain took silver, clocking a PB of 53.33 seconds. Fatoumata Binta Diallo set a new NR for Portugal with a time of 53.55 seconds.

SB’s for Men’s 110m Hurdles medallists

The last final of Wednesday, the Men’s 110m Hurdles, was season’s best performances from the three medal winners. Jason Joseph of Switzerland claimed the gold in 13.12 seconds. Just Kwaou-Mathey took silver for France with a 13.16 seconds effort, with bronze going to Poland’s Jakub Szymanski, who ran 13.26 seconds.

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Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Virender Sehwag

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There will be high expectations from opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in the upcoming two-match Test series in Sri Lanka. India need to win both the Test matches in the island nation to keep their faint hopes of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final alive.

Jaiswal is fourth on the list of India’s leading run-getters in the 2025-27 WTC cycle. In nine Test matches (17 innings), the southpaw has scored 713 runs at an average of 41.94, with three hundreds and as many half-centuries. The Indian opener was dismissed for a duck in the first innings of the practice match in Colombo, but scored 61 off 46 in the second innings before retiring.

Jaiswal has opened the innings in 29 Tests so far (54 innings). Ahead of the Sri Lanka series, we compare his stats with those of Virender Sehwag after the latter had also opened the batting in 54 innings.


Jaiswal vs Sehwag – Who has more runs and a better average as opener after 54 innings?

In 54 Test innings as opener Jaiswal has scored 2,535 runs at an average of 48.75. In 10 Tests against England, the 24-year-old has scored 1,123 runs at an average of 62.38. In five Tests against Australia, he has 391 runs at an average of 43.44. Also, in four Tests against the West Indies, Jaiswal has scored 485 runs at an average of 80.83.

After 54 Test innings as opener, Sehwag had scored 2,930 runs at an average of 56.34. In six Tests against Pakistan, he had scored 982 runs at an average of 98.2. In nine Tests against Australia, he had scored 846 runs at an average of 49.76. Also, in two Test matches against South Africa, he had 262 runs at an average of 87.33.


Jaiswal vs Sehwag – Who has more hundreds as opener after 54 innings?

Jaiswal has smashed seven hundreds and 13 half-centuries in his Test career thus far. He slammed two double hundreds against England during the home series in 2024 – 209 in Visakhapatnam and an unbeaten 214 in Rajkot. Earlier, the left-handed batter had scored 171 on debut against the West Indies in Roseau in July 2023 and a memorable 161 against Australia in Perth in November 2024.

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Player Runs Average HS 100s 50s
Yashasvi Jaiswal 2,535 48.75 214 7 13
Virender Sehwag 2,930 56.34 309 9 8

(Jaiswal vs Sehwag – Stats comparison after opening in 54 innings)

After 54 Test innings as opener, Sehwag had nine hundreds and eight half-centuries to his credit. His best at that stage was an epic 309 which came against Pakistan in Multan in March 2004. He had also scored 201 against Pakistan in Bengaluru in March 2005 and 195 against Australia in the 2003 Boxing Day Test.


Jaiswal vs Sehwag – Who has a better record in wins after opening in 54 innings?

In 14 Test wins (24 innings), Jaiswal has notched up 1,644 runs, average of 71.47, with six tons and six fifties. In 12 losses (24 innings), he has scored 730 runs at an average of 30.41, with one ton and five fifties. In three Tests (six innings) that ended in a draw, he has totaled 161 runs at an average of 32.20, with the aid of two half-centuries.

Player Innings Runs Average HS 100s 50s
Yashasvi Jaiswal 24 1,644 71.47 214* 6 6
Virender Sehwag 19 984 54.66 309 2 3

(Jaiswal vs Sehwag – Stats comparison in wins after opening in 54 innings)

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In 13 Test wins (19 innings), Sehwag had scored 984 runs at an average of 54.66, with two hundreds and three half-centuries. In nine losses (17 innings), he had 902 runs at an average of 53.05, with two tons and four fifties. In 10 drawn Tests (18 innings), he had 1,044 runs at an average of 61.41, with the aid of five centuries and one half-century.


Jaiswal vs Sehwag – Who has a better away record after opening in 54 innings?

In 14 away Tests (27 innings), Jaiswal has scored 1,118 runs, averaging 43, with four hundreds and five half-centuries. In 15 home Tests (27 innings), the left-handed batter has scored 1,417 runs at an average of 54.50, with three centuries and eight half-centuries.

Player Innings Runs Average HS 100s 50s
Yashasvi Jaiswal 27 1,118 43 171 4 5
Virender Sehwag 28 1,362 50.44 309 3 4

(Jaiswal vs Sehwag – Away stats comparison after opening in 54 innings)

In 18 away Tests (28 innings), Sehwag had scored 1,362 runs at an average of 50.44, with three hundreds and four half-centuries. In 14 home Tests (26 innings), he had 1,568 runs at an average of 62.72, with six tons and four fifties.

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