**PSG Manager Luis Enrique Faces Champions League Final With Daughter’s Memory Close to Heart**
On Saturday, as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) prepare to face Inter Milan in Munich for the coveted UEFA Champions League trophy, their manager Luis Enrique will do so carrying both professional ambition and a deeply personal story of loss and resilience. The 54-year-old Spanish coach, widely respected across European football, leads the French giants into their second Champions League final. Yet, beyond the tactical battles and historic stakes, Enrique’s journey is underscored by the enduring legacy of his late daughter, Xana.
PSG’s path to the final has been anything but straightforward this year. The team finished just 15th in the league phase of the competition, only managing to secure 13 points from eight matches. However, with Enrique at the helm, they rallied through the knockout stages, dispatching major opponents including Brest, Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal. This resurgence has been attributed by many observers to Enrique’s inspiring leadership and calm under pressure—qualities perhaps shaped by his own experiences off the pitch.
The backdrop to Enrique’s achievements is coloured by deep personal tragedy. In mid-2019, during his tenure as manager of the Spain national team, Enrique was forced to step down for undisclosed personal reasons. It was later revealed that his daughter, Xana, was fighting a rare form of bone cancer known as osteosarcoma. After five harrowing months, she passed away at just nine years old, a loss that plunged the Enrique family into mourning and captured the sympathy of the football world.
Breaking his silence in August of that year, Luis Enrique paid tribute to Xana with a heartfelt message shared via social media. “We will miss you lots but we will remember you every day of our lives, with the hope that in the future we’ll meet each other again. You’ll be the star that guides our family. Rest dear Xana,” he wrote, expressing both his pain and enduring hope.
In the aftermath, Enrique has spoken publicly and movingly about his daughter’s life and the way her memory continues to inspire him. A notable glimpse into his ongoing journey with grief was provided in his recent documentary, ‘You Haven’t Got a Clue’. Reflecting on his fortune and misfortune, Enrique said: “My daughter Xana came to live with us for nine wonderful years. We have a thousand memories of her, videos, incredible things.”
Enrique also recounted how his family navigates this profound loss. In one particularly poignant moment, he described how his own mother struggled to display photos of Xana at home. “Until I came home and asked, ‘Why are there no photos of Xana, Mum?’ ‘I can’t, I can’t,’ she used to say.” Enrique’s response was both gentle and profound: “‘Mum, you have to put up photos of Xana, Xana is alive.’” For him, Xana’s presence remains alive in memory and spirit, a sentiment he has encouraged throughout his family.
“Physically, she may not be here, but spiritually she is,” Enrique told viewers, illuminating how grief is now interwoven with daily family life. “Every day we talk about her, we laugh, and we remember because I think Xana still sees us.”
Enrique’s story has offered a source of strength and perspective, not only for his family but also for his players and fans. As he leads PSG into one of the most significant matches in the club’s history, Enrique stands as a figure shaped by personal loss but propelled forward by the determination to honour his daughter’s memory.
As the football world tunes in for the showdown in Munich, supporters and neutrals alike may hold in mind not just the stakes on the field, but the human stories that continue to shape the beautiful game—including that of Luis Enrique and his beloved Xana.