Luis Enrique spoke at a press conference this Friday on the eve of Fontenay/PSG (Round of 32 of the Coupe de France). The Spanish coach made a striking revelation about Matvey Safonov’s injury and also spoke about the Coupe de France, the young players, and Ibrahim Mbaye’s participation in the Africa Cup of Nations. Here are his full comments, transcribed in full.
We’ve just learned that Matvey Safonov has suffered a fracture of his left hand. Can you explain a bit how this injury happened, considering we all saw during the penalty shootout that he was doing very well?
“I think Safonov saved the last two penalties with the fracture.”
“Hello everyone. I can’t really explain it. It’s incredible, but the player himself doesn’t know how it happened. We think it occurred on the third penalty. He made a strange movement. He has a fracture. I think he saved the last two penalties with the fracture.
The adrenaline a player feels when playing is so strong. I think he saved those penalties without feeling any pain. It’s incredible, that energy. But it’s karma. What we showed again — all the players, but especially Safonov — is the ability to be ready to help the team.
No matter the match, whether it’s an Intercontinental Cup final or a cup match, we are ready — all the players. That’s the mentality we want from our players at Paris Saint-Germain. And even from players who may arrive in the future. We want players ready to help the team, ready to help their teammates, ready to work all the time.”
Usually, the Coupe de France is used to rotate a bit in the goalkeeper position. Is this the right moment to bring back Lucas Chevalier? Or could Renato Marin get playing time tomorrow?
“We will do things as usual. Normally, I give this information to the players first. Then you will know my decision.”
There’s obviously a Coupe de France match tomorrow, but it comes just two days after your Intercontinental Cup win against Flamengo. That makes six trophies for PSG this year. Do you realize what your team has achieved in 2025?
“The key is enjoying every moment, every day.”
“I don’t think I need to talk about what the team has achieved because it’s obvious. Everyone has seen it. I think the key to all of this is enjoying every moment, every day — the players, the team.
We enjoy today’s training session. We try to enjoy tomorrow’s Coupe de France match. When you do things because you love playing football, because you love being a professional, because you love playing for Paris Saint-Germain, that’s the key to continuing to look positively toward the future.
That’s what we are trying to keep improving as a team, because we can still improve. It’s a key condition we try to pass on to our players.
After analyzing the final, I must say it was a very good final. We played very well. We defended at a very high level. I think that’s the difference between great teams. We have this confidence, this mentality. We are very happy to see the team perform at this level despite the different situations we had to overcome at the start of the season.”
You’re about to play your first Coupe de France match of the season. For many amateur or semi-professional teams, it’s the most important competition of the year. Some even prefer it to Ligue 1. Do you still feel that excitement as a European champion coach? Do you still enjoy the Coupe de France?
“I particularly love the Coupe de France.”
“Of course, the Coupe de France — like the Copa del Rey in Spain — is a wonderful competition because it offers matches between teams from different levels. I think that’s very good and very positive.
When you reach a Coupe de France final, or a Copa del Rey final, it’s one of the most attractive matches to play. We love this competition. I particularly love the Coupe de France.
I hope we enjoy tomorrow. You can see the emotion of the Fontenay players. We are happy to play in this competition. We are the defending champions from the last two years. For us, it’s important to perform at a very high level. We will try to play our match.”
Going back to Matvey’s injury — it’s a tough blow for him, especially since he was in good form. How is he mentally?
“With his mentality, Safonov will return faster than normal.”
“I haven’t been able to speak with him yet. Everyone accepts positive things, but nobody wants negative ones. Some may say it’s karma.
Normally, when negative things happen in life, you can learn a lot from them. Negative moments teach you many things. I think he played a very big match — we could even talk about his last four matches.
Now life is telling him that he needs to rest and recover. You have to accept that. With his mentality, he will come back faster than normal, because he has that characteristic, that mindset.”
This year has been historic for PSG and has included new experiences, like playing Brazilian teams such as Botafogo and now Flamengo. Did you learn anything different? Did anything about Brazilian football stand out to you?
“If I talk about Botafogo, they did what most teams normally do against us — defend deep and defend very well. That’s normal and something we’re used to, because we usually have better technical conditions than our opponents.
But Flamengo is a top Brazilian club that won everything this year in a brilliant way. They play like us — they want to enjoy possession, defend high, defend in a low or medium block.
I think they are a very attractive team and one of the best teams we’ve played against.”
To manage minutes and fitness for tomorrow’s Coupe de France match, can we expect to see several academy players join the first team squad? And regarding young Eddy Doué from the Espoirs team, could he join the first team later this season?
“The academy players know they must always be ready.”
“I won’t speak individually about each academy player because that’s not how it works. They know that at their level, they must always be ready — whatever the time or the day.
There’s no pressure on them. Tomorrow we’ll see, because there is a lot of fatigue. There are many players with different issues, which is normal for professional players — knocks, fatigue, things to manage.
There’s still today’s training session, then travel tomorrow, and after that we’ll see which players are in the best condition to play this cup match. But the academy players will be there, of course. They are not a problem, and I hope they will be ready to help the team.”
How do you manage competition within the squad? We’ve seen Kang-in Lee, Safonov, and also Warren Zaïre-Emery regain starting roles. How do you push each player to give their maximum?
“I think our supporters are proud to see a team that represents the important values of life and sport.”
“I don’t do anything — the players do. They know that every match wearing the Paris Saint-Germain shirt is important.
My staff and I watch this very closely, including every training session. When you have the opportunity to train with the first team, it’s important to take advantage of that moment.
I like the mentality we have. When a team can win many trophies in different competitions, at different times, across different years, it means you have a real team.
I think our supporters are proud to see a team that represents important values — fighting spirit, the ability to overcome any situation, and the ability to play good football. That’s essential. We know how to play football, and we want our supporters to enjoy our work.”
With the Africa Cup of Nations starting in two days, you’re losing Achraf Hakimi and Ibrahim Mbaye. Did you give them any advice? And do you feel any concern for Mbaye, who will play his first major international competition?
“I don’t think having many young players is a problem.”
“If we look at our players’ age and the experience they gain every year, it’s incredible. We are a very young team. We played against Flamengo, who are more experienced than us, with many players who have a lot of experience.
But I said it last year — I don’t think it’s a problem to have many young players if they have technical quality. Our team will continue to grow because players grow all the time.
Mbaye has last season’s experience. He saw the whole season, he played a lot. This year it’s the same for all the young players.
I’m happy he’s playing in the AFCON. It’s important for him to gain more experience and improve as a player.
Right now, it’s an important moment for us as a team. And we’re also happy to have the Christmas break, because while it’s important to play and work, it’s also important to rest and spend time with friends and family.”