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PSG defender Pacho credits Luis Enrique for recent success

  /  autty

Willian Pacho has credited Luis Enrique as "the key to everything that I have achieved at Paris Saint-Germain".

The 24-year-old joined PSG ahead of the 2024-25 season from Eintracht Frankfurt for a reported €40m, and has enjoyed two stellar campaigns.

Pacho has helped PSG win back-to-back Champions Leagues under Luis Enrique, while the defender has also won two Ligue 1 titles and one Coupe de France among other major honours.

Pacho has made 101 appearances for PSG, leading his side in interceptions (115) and blocks (65) since his debut, while also winning the fourth-most duels (374) and keeping 28 clean sheets.

The Ecuador international has become one of the most highly-rated centre-backs in the world in recent seasons, and he believes Luis Enrique deserves a lot of praise for his progression.

"When you hear PSG, you don't even think twice [about joining]," Pacho said in The Player's Tribune.

"It was so cool. Enrique, he has a way about him. An aura, I guess. To me, he is the key to everything that I have achieved at PSG.

"Enrique speaks very little, but when he speaks, you feel that he understands you as a person.

"In giving me time, it took the pressure off. In giving me time, I exploded."

PSG are back in competitive action on Wednesday as they face Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup.

This is PSG’s third UEFA Super Cup appearance, losing 9-2 on aggregate to Juventus in 1997 and beating Tottenham 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw last year.

PSG are looking to become just the fourth team to retain the European/UEFA Super Cup, after Ajax (1973, 1974), AC Milan (1989, 1990) and Real Madrid (2016, 2017).