During a live broadcast on the Twitch platform, coach Luis Enrique stunned fans by emphasizing his readiness to bench star forward Kylian Mbappe when PSG welcomes Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the 2023/24 Champions League on the early morning of April 11.
In front of over 820 thousand viewers tuning in live on Twitch, the 53-year-old strategist was candid about colleagues such as Jurgen Klopp, Xavi Hernandez, and Michel, PSG, Mbappe’s future, and particularly about the possibility of the French forward being benched in the upcoming match against Barcelona. This marks the first time since the 2022 World Cup that Lucho has appeared live with fans.
When a Barcelona fan posed a question regarding whether Lucho would dare to bench Mbappe in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals at the Princes’ Park on April 11, the 53-year-old Spanish coach responded affirmatively, but with a condition.
“How much to bench Kylian in the match against Barca? Alright. If someone comes to the Xana Foundation, collaborates on a project, and donates 4 or 5 million euros, then I will tell Kylian to take a good rest. But remember, I need a bank receipt before executing that,” Enrique joked.
The charitable organization Enrique referred to above is the foundation he established in memory of his beloved daughter who tragically passed away in 2019 from bone cancer. Lucho founded the Xana Foundation with the aim of assisting children and adolescents suffering from cancer and other rare diseases.
When asked about Mbappe’s future and the possibility of him switching to Real Madrid this summer, the 25-year-old forward, Enrique, bluntly stated: “That’s something only Kylian himself knows. And when the parties involved speak up, everyone should listen and welcome it. For now, he is still a PSG player,” Lucho emphasized.