Xana, the 'guiding star' behind Luis Enrique and PSG's Champions League triumph

Ten years ago, Barcelona beat Juventus 3-1 in Berlin to win the Champions League and complete the treble under Luis Enrique. Statistically, it was the best season in the club’s history and the Asturian proudly reeled off the numbers in his post-match press conference.

After the final whistle at the Olympiastadion, Luis Enrique was joined by his daughter Xana and together, the pair planted a Barcelona flag in the centre circle. It was a special moment which would become particularly poignant years later and one which was depicted on a T-shirt as the former Spanish international celebrated leading Paris Saint-Germain to a maiden Champions League crown and another treble last Saturday night in Munich.

Xana tragically passed away at the age of nine in 2019 after suffering from osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Luis Enrique was Spain coach at the time and stepped down to grieve with his family. But he later returned and his passion for the game has remained as intense as ever. Perhaps even greater.

There can surely be few things harder than losing a young child, but Luis Enrique has taught us all some beautiful life lessons. In the final episode of a three-part documentary about his career and life made by Movistar +, he said: “Can I consider myself fortunate or unfortunate? I consider myself fortunate, very fortunate. My daughter came to live with us for nine wonderful years. We have thousands of memories of her, videos, incredible things.”

And he added: “My mother couldn’t have any pictures up of Xana, until one day I said to her: ‘Why don’t you have any pictures of Xana, mamá?’. ‘I can’t, she replied. ‘Mamá, you have to put up [pictures of] Xana. Xana is alive. On a physical level no, but spiritually she is here.”

Xana was very much present as Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Inter to win the Champions League final last Saturday in Munich: on the Parisian fans’ pre-match tifo which showed her alongside her father and a PSG flag in a replica of the Berlin image; in Luis Enrique’s remarks ahead of the game and again afterwards; on the Asturian’s T-shirt during the celebrations; in his thoughts and those of his watching family; and mentioned in news reports and broadcasts all over the world.

At Barcelona, Luis Enrique added a more direct and physical approach to the club’s possession philosophy built by Pep Guardiola. He was helped, of course, by the trident of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar, which he famously described as “the best front three in football history”.

Before Luis Enrique’s arrival, PSG had tried something similar with a front line featuring Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. But that approach did not bring continental cheer for the Parisian club and only Mbappé was left by the time Luis Enrique arrived, leaving for Real Madrid after the Spaniard’s first season at the Parc des Princes. In one behind-the-scenes clip, Luis Enrique is seen passionately telling Mbappé the importance of his defensive duties, of pressing the centre-back and the goalkeeper. And when the France forward left the club, he said: “We are a better team in defence and attack.” Subsequent results have backed up that statement.

Mbappé could perhaps have adapted to that philosophy. But would he have? Without him there, it was easier to instil the discipline and work-rate in an incredible young team which combines modern positional play with technical ability and aggressive pressing in a blueprint for football at the highest level in 2025.

It helps having some of the world’s best players, of course, and stacks of money. PSG are backed by Qatari Sports Investments and it was surely only a matter of time before the Parisian club got it right in Europe after a series of near misses in recent years.

But the fact that it came with Luis Enrique and this exciting group of young players makes this story special. And because of Xana, the little girl described as “the star that guides our family” by her father following her death in 2019.

“It was very emotional,” Luis Enrique said of the fans’ tifo in Munich. “It was beautiful to think the fans had thought about me and my family. I didn’t need to win Champions League to think about my daughter. I always think about her. I feel her presence.”

Earlier this season, he said: “I have incredible memories because my daughter loved parties, and I’m sure she's still throwing them wherever she is. I remember an incredible photo I have with her at the Champions League final in Berlin, after winning the Champions League, planting an FC Barcelona flag on the pitch. I hope to be able to do the same with PSG. My daughter won’t be there, she won’t be there physically, but she will be there spiritually, and that’s very important to me.”

That wish has come true and Xana, despite her passing back in 2019, has been a big part of this special story. For Luis Enrique, Barcelona and now PSG, she always will be.