Luis Enrique Sends Message to Mikel Arteta Ahead of UEFA Champions League Final
- Luis Enrique sent a message to Mikel Arteta ahead of their meeting in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League final
- Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal will face off in the final at Puskas Arena in Budapest on Saturday, May 30, 2026
- The French Ligue 1 side eliminated Bayern Munich, while the Premier League title hopeful beat Atletico Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique sent a message to his Arsenal counterpart Mikel Arteta ahead of the UEFA Champions League final.
PSG took the last spot in the final after a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena confirmed their progress with a 6-5 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich.
Source: Getty Images
The Gunners had booked their spot in the final on Tuesday after Bukayo Saka’s first-half strike secured a 1-0 win and 2-1 aggregate scoreline over Atletico Madrid.
PSG and Arsenal met in the semi-final of the 2025 edition. The French club eliminated the English side and went on to win the trophy, beating Inter Milan in the final.
According to UEFA, the final will take place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 5 pm GMT, earlier than previous years.
Enrique sends message to Arteta
Luis Enrique, shortly after his side booked their spot in a consecutive Champions League final, was quizzed about the prospect of facing Arteta.
Enrique and Arsenal spent time together briefly at Barcelona, and the PSG boss noted it as good memories at different phases of their careers.
“I appreciate Mikelito Arteta! We used to be teammates when we were kids, he did a great job at Arsenal,” he said as quoted by Mirror UK.
“It will be a difficult, hard game, but we believe in our football style,” he added about the match.
Enrique has PSG in their second consecutive final, with a real opportunity of winning their second-ever title, and he believes that they need to enjoy it after an intense match.
“In my opinion, it's clear, it's a moment to enjoy. It was a very high-level match, and I think both teams improved in the way they defended compared to the first leg,” he added.
The former Barcelona manager admitted that a bright start to the game and Ousmane Dembele’s goal helped his team become calmer than usual in such a high-stakes match.
Source: Getty Images
He acknowledged that Bayern Munich were a difficult opponent and attacked constantly to try and pin PSG back, which made his team defend for a long time, something they are not used to.
He concluded by praising his players and the level that they are, adding that a second consecutive Champions League final represents who they are.
“We are in our second consecutive Champions League final. That represents the level of this team, the players, and the supporters. It's the club. We are very happy,” he added.
Bukayo Saka got his wish
Legit.ng previously reported that Bukayo Saka got his wish after hinting that Arsenal wanted to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.
Even though the England international did not explicitly state it, he claimed that fans deep down knew who they wanted to face in the final.
Source: Legit.ng
