PSG: Leonardo praises their "fantastic story", hits out at journalists | OneFootball

Leonardo, notably a former player and sporting director of Paris Saint-Germain (2011-2013 and 2019-2022), spoke to RMC Sport this Tuesday evening. He was notably invited to reflect on the Champions League triumph in 2025. According to him, there weren’t mistakes that prevented winning before, but above all, a superb journey to get there.

Leonardo: “It was a bit unbalanced.”

What did you feel on May 31?

It was so beautiful, everything! The last few years weren’t easy. It was a bit unbalanced. There were always complicated things. During my time, there was COVID, the final without supporters. But then, when you see the first half of the year being a bit difficult, and then things start to happen.

Luis Enrique as the central figure who passed on his experiences to a young team. I think it was somewhat logical for PSG to reach this squad. It was everyone’s dream to see a French team win. João Neves, I love him. Vitinha too, and Pacho, Nuno Mendes…

You recruited players who played in this final.

Yes, but that doesn’t change anything. The idea of having a younger team was already there with Donnarumma or Nuno Mendes.

Did you miss out on the dessert after launching the youth project? Were the leaders already thinking about this idea after the stars?

Let’s be clear, I didn’t come here to put the past years on trial. I’ve always thought about two clubs, Paris and Milan, to defend them as much as possible.

Leonardo: “It wasn’t just stacking stars, the players wanted to come.”

Did you have to build first before moving to another stage?

It was 15 years of a fantastic story. I was there at the beginning, I know what people thought, what they wanted. You say things, it’s your job, about who wanted what. But it’s a fantastic story. I had great autonomy, I thank life for that.

There was also money to recruit?

Of course, that’s the case in all projects. The economic ranking always looks like the sporting ranking. If Qatar isn’t there, you don’t win the Champions League.

Luis Enrique had a very particular project compared to what came before, do you regret not having had such a strong collective team?

I can’t separate the moments when I was there or not. PSG has had a great history. Qatar arrived in a different context, a different football. It wasn’t just stacking stars, the players wanted to come.

Leonardo: “It’s very difficult for you to understand.”

Not Messi or Neymar, they came for the money.

That’s what you say, without knowing the details. We’re not going to put anyone on trial. When you look at the last 15 years, there’s been learning, experience, things that lead to something fantastic.

Weren’t there mistakes before?

But of course! But that also happens in other teams.

The coaches were less supported than others, Luis Campos had more freedom. They understood it was better to do things differently, not to give too much freedom to the players, to have Neymar doing whatever he wanted.

It’s very difficult for you to understand. I get it, who here knows about managing a club? It’s very hard to know the balance. You say Neymar did whatever he wanted, but what are you basing that on? The press?

No, on what you said as well.

No, no, doing whatever he wanted is something else. If a player does something that isn’t right, in the end you see the result. What you say is good for the press. But in the end, having players like Neymar, Mbappé, Messi, Cavani, Ibrahimovic, it was very important. It’s a construction.

The Luis Enrique team that won the UCL was better than the Thiago Motta, Ibrahimovic era…?

The team won. But when you look at the players from back then, it was very good. If you take today’s squad in 2012, do they win? We don’t know. And vice versa with the squad from back then today.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.