Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has suggested that he could become the first person in history to play for both Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as managing both sides of the Clasico divide. His name has unsurprisingly not been mentioned as a candidate to replace Carlo Ancelotti whenever the Italian does leave.
Iñaki Peña is eager to prove himself as Barça returns to Balaídos, one of their most challenging La Liga venue. Ter Stegen never managed a clean sheet there, conceding 18 goals in seven games. @bonagerman pic.twitter.com/hwrLpIF04T
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He did admittedly burst out laughing after making the Barcelona-based journalist’s jaw drop for a moment, and while stranger things have happened, more than a few Madridistas will roll over in their graves before it does. Speaking ahead of a new documentary to celebrate Barcelona’s 125th anniversary, Luis Enrique also recalled the game that made the most impact on him at Camp Nou in terms of atmosphere.
“The game that I experienced with the most atmosphere at Camp Nou, was the day that Figo returned,” he told TV3.
“Figo was a brother to us, a proper brother for us. He was our best player, and he went to Real Madrid. Camp Nou is a stadium, that you get there half an hour before, and it is half empty. You went out to warm up, and there aren’t many people. That day, 45 minutes beforehand it was full to brim. We couldn’t hear ourselves warming up.”
‘Lucho’ explained that there was no chance they could possibly have lost, due to the noise coming from the stands.
“I remember saying to Pitu [Abelardo], I think Pep was there too, ‘it’s impossible that we lose today.’ There was an energy, it was scary even.”
“I remember, Puyi [Carles Puyol] marked Figo, a very young Puyi, but he was a beast. Figo was the best for Real Madrid, but because of the pressure, a pressure I couldn’t have even imagined, I was saying, ‘what on earth is this?’ And we won the game, because it was impossible not to win it.”
The story goes that Luis Figo’s agent signed a contract with Real Madrid President Florentino Perez agreeing that Figo would move to Los Blancos if Perez was elected into power. The deal meant Figo would pick up a decent fee if it did not happen, and at the time, Perez was a rank outsider for the position, but the financial penalty for not carrying out the contract played a part in his decision to head to the Spanish capital. Understandably though, it is regarded as the biggest betrayal in the history of Barcelona. Luis Enrique is one of around 30 players who have played for both, but his move pales in comparison.