Paris Saint-Germain’s Luis Enrique was crowned the men’s Johan Cruyff Trophy winner for the world’s best coach of the 2024-25 season on Monday.
This was announced at the Ballon d’Or gala, the award honours Enrique’s masterful orchestration of PSG’s historic quadruple: Ligue 1, the French Cup, the Trophee des Champions, and a long-elusive Champions League title.
The 55-year-old Spaniard, absent from the Paris ceremony due to his side’s rescheduled Ligue 1 clash against arch-rivals Olympique de Marseille, postponed from the weekend by severe storms, delivered a poignant video message that played to a standing ovation.
This is for the players, the staff, and the fans who believed when doubt lingered,” Enrique said, his voice cutting through the applause, clad in his sideline tracksuit rather than black-tie finery.
Johan Cruyff taught us that total football is about heart as much as tactics. Tonight, we honour that.
The trophy, introduced in 2024 and named for the Dutch visionary who revolutionized the game with Ajax, Barcelona, and beyond, eluded Enrique’s grasp physically, but its weight echoed across the Mediterranean.
Enrique edged out a formidable field: Napoli’s Antonio Conte, who steered the Partenopei to Serie A glory; Barcelona’s Hansi Flick, architect of a domestic treble including a 4-0 El Clásico demolition; Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca, whose debut season yielded a Premier League and FA Cup double; and Liverpool’s Arne Slot.
Voted by an international panel of journalists, the decision underscored Enrique’s alchemy in transforming PSG from perennial European underachievers, haunted by past Champions League heartbreaks, to continental conquerors.
