Luis Enrique was in a press conference this Tuesday on the eve of the Intercontinental Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Flamengo.

The Spanish coach stressed the importance of this match against an opponent he respects highly and also gave an update on his captain, Marquinhos. Here are his comments transcribed and translated in full.

You can become the first French club to win this trophy and the third club in history to achieve a sextuple. Are you aware that you can mark the history of your sport tomorrow night?

"I did not know. I think there are a few opportunities where you can play in this final, and we are aware of the importance of this match. It is beautiful to play the intercontinental final, it means a lot to us, and we are happy to be here."

A year ago, we still didn't know if you were going to get out of the Champions League group stage. A year later, you are in the Intercontinental Cup final. What is your view on the trajectory, and at what point in the season do you feel you are today?

"A year ago, we were on the path, on the journey, to get to this moment. And there are memories from this last season that are very positive. I think it was important to overcome what we had during the past year. And at this moment, I think more about continuity. This season is a continuation of what we have seen in recent years. And here it is, it's the time to play this final. As we said, it is important for us as a team, as a club, and for our supporters. We are happy to have this opportunity because, I repeat, it is always difficult to play this intercontinental final."

This is your fourth international final in 2025. Do you still feel the same adrenaline? Is it a particular feeling in the hours before these events? And does having done several before give you more ability to approach the event?

"I think it is a very clear motivation. To mark history in Paris was an objective last season. And to continue marking history is the objective of this season. Every final is different. They are special matches because you have to be ready and attentive throughout the match. All actions can be important and decisive in a final, and having that control, having the right motivation for the match, is important, and we are ready. I think at the start of the league, we had problems. The team showed the mentality it had shown last year. Tomorrow, it will be difficult because Flamengo is a very good team, and it will be a close final."

Can you give us a quick update on the troops, especially Marquinhos, who is coming back from injury? From what he has shown you in recent days, is he fit in your opinion to start tomorrow's match?

"He is missing today's training session, but he is ready. After training, we will see what his condition is. Tomorrow, we will decide if he will be there from the start of the match or not."

We are at the end of 2025. Do you feel that your team has finally come out of this intense period of intense fatigue it has known since the start of the season, with many injuries? It seems you are recovering almost everyone except Hakimi. Is the difficult period over now?

"It is impossible to know that! What we have shown in these last four months is our ability to overcome different situations. And after this schedule (at the end of 2025), I cannot guarantee anything, but we are happy to see Christmas and the holidays coming, and to have this moment to enjoy with family. For the start of the year 2026, to have the whole team together and to enjoy it because, in all competitions, the important moment is coming."

In his press conference earlier, Filipe Luis talked about Flamengo being at the end of its season, since this will be their last match tomorrow. You are at the halfway point of your season. Does that change anything in your match preparation, to face a team that is really at the end of its season, full of confidence, while you are soon heading into the Christmas break?

"Yes, it is different. Of course, they arrive after having won many trophies; they are in a very good moment. I like the way they play football with the ball and without the ball. It is a very well-prepared team, and you can see it. I remember last summer, when they played the Club World Cup, and we saw very interesting matches. They have a very interesting and very difficult (to play) team. We knew the difficulty before the match, and we will try to be ready tomorrow."

In Brazil and South America, this trophy has a lot of value, even though Europeans have always won it since 2013. For PSG, which has never won it, is it a very important trophy? Where do you place it?

"It is very difficult to value the place of this trophy. What is certain is that when you are in a big club and you lose, people will always say it was important. When you win, it depends... So it is important because it is the first time in history that we can play this final. Normally, European clubs have always been used to winning it because there was a (level) difference in these matches. But today, this match is very important for Flamengo, very important for us. So where to place this trophy... We, we have been trying for a long time to continue on the same path and write the history of our club. It would be historic to win the first (Intercontinental Cup). It is already a great motivation for us, for the club, and in that sense, I don't think they will be more motivated than us."

You had the chance to face three teams from the American continent last summer. Usually, European teams are the favorites. In your opinion, has the gap narrowed between European teams and teams from the American continent? Another question, Dembele could win the Best trophy tonight. Is it a topic of discussion within the team, and do you think he deserves it?

"Yes, without a doubt. But since I am not the one who gives out the trophies, it doesn't really matter. Since last summer, you have been very concerned about this story of the level between Europeans and others, but in my opinion, it doesn't really matter much either, not to say at all. But I repeat, usually, it is the European teams that win. I was able to play in one ten years ago (Barcelona beat River Plate 3-0). Will the winner of the final necessarily be a better team than its opponent? No. In a single match, anything can happen. When I see Flamengo, I see a very high-level team, a top-level team. They demonstrated that last summer. They played and beat Chelsea. They played against Bayern Munich and were in a position to win the whole match. Tomorrow, their experienced players will show all the experience they have gained in Europe. We all know that whenever there is a promising player from South America, Central America, or North America, he comes to Europe. And from there, I don't think it is very important. No one doubts the level of South American players. No one doubts their historical quality. And playing a final against a Brazilian team is not good news. And we will have to show our best version. One team finishes its season, the other is halfway through, but in the end, it's the small details that count in a final. I repeat, our objective is to give 100% and to have the desire and hope to win this final."

A long question is asked in Arabic about Achraf Hakimi, and the journalist is apparently unaware of the Moroccan's absence.

"Hakimi is injured, he cannot play. He is recovering at the moment. Tomorrow, he will not play."

I wanted to know if the defeat against Flamengo in the United States last summer influenced your approach to tomorrow's final against Flamengo? I imagine you have studied Flamengo in recent days. What is the big difference between Flamengo and Botafogo in terms of play, in your opinion?

"We played against Botafogo, who played locked in their own half and only defended. And that is typically the kind of match we are used to playing, against teams that defend deep and attack little. But Flamengo does not play like that. Flamengo is a team that, with the ball, plays football very well and knows how to play out from the back. Without the ball, they press very well. It is a very interesting team, physically very strong. They have very experienced players, who know what it is to play important matches. They have players with many qualities. Tomorrow, it will be very difficult to take the ball from them. So I think it will be an exciting final because both teams have a very similar style. I think we will see a great final."

You have a very good eye for young players. I don't know if that's also the case with young coaches. What future do you see for Filipe Luis?

"I don't know. I don't think about the career or future of other coaches. What I can say about Filipe Luis is that I already knew him as a player. He started his coaching career a year and a half ago at Flamengo. He is doing it brilliantly. I really like, not only the way his team plays, attacks, and defends, but also his non-verbal language on the bench. He seems very interesting to me, and it will be a pleasure to see Filipe Luis again on a football pitch, this time as a coach. I don't know what the future holds for him, but I wish him a lot of success, except when he faces my teams."

The press conference ends with a question in Arabic about Luis Enrique's recent statements about Pyramids FC. The PSG coach had said before the Flamengo vs. Pyramids FC match that he would prefer to face the Egyptian club in the final rather than the Brazilian club, which he already knew and feared.

"The truth is, a Brazilian television interviewed me and I said I did not want to face Flamengo. I did not have the opportunity to analyze (Pyramids) beyond the match we watched. So I cannot give an opinion on the Pyramids. But I was not very good because whenever you give your opinion, there will always be a party to whom it does not please. What was clear to me, however, was that I did not want to see Flamengo, a team I know, in the final. That is what I answered, and I can confirm it."

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