Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has said the Ballon d’Or should be awarded to one of his players, with several members of the French club’s squad among the contenders for football’s leading individual prize.
“It should go to a Paris Saint-Germain player,” Luis Enrique said when asked who deserved to win the award.
The manager’s view comes after a highly successful previous campaign for Paris Saint-Germain. The Parisian club won the French championship and the Coupe de France, before reaching the Champions League final.
Paris Saint-Germain also beat London club Arsenal in that Champions League final, adding the result to a season in which the team collected two domestic trophies and finished as European champions.
Several Paris Saint-Germain players are included among the candidates for the Ballon d’Or. The list includes winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is one of the representatives from Luis Enrique’s squad in contention for the award.
Luis Enrique’s backing of a Paris Saint-Germain player places the club’s candidates at the centre of the discussion around this year’s prize. His comments reflect the team’s achievements during the previous season, when Paris Saint-Germain combined success in France with a run to the final of Europe’s leading club competition.
The start of the new campaign, however, has been less convincing for Paris Saint-Germain. The club has taken only two points from its opening two matches in the French championship and currently sits 11th in the league table.
That early position marks a sharp contrast with the success enjoyed last season, when Paris Saint-Germain won both the French championship and the Coupe de France before overcoming Arsenal in the Champions League final.
The Ballon d’Or debate therefore includes several Paris Saint-Germain players from a team that claimed major honours domestically and reached the highest point of European club football. Among them is Kvaratskhelia, whose inclusion gives the Parisian side another candidate for the main individual award.
Luis Enrique has made clear that, in his opinion, the prize should remain within the Paris Saint-Germain squad. His statement comes despite the team’s slow opening to the new French championship season, with two points leaving the club 11th after two matches.
The manager’s comments focus attention on the players who helped Paris Saint-Germain secure the French championship and Coupe de France and then defeat Arsenal in the Champions League final. Those achievements form the main basis for his belief that the Ballon d’Or should be won by a member of the Paris Saint-Germain team.