Luis Enrique refuses to talk about the past ahead of Mbappe reunion
Paris Saint-Germain could face off against Kylian Mbappe for the first time since he left, but Luis Enrique is not focused on the reunion.
Luis Enrique says he will not talk about the past as Paris Saint-Germain prepare to face former player Kylian Mbappe in the Club World Cup semi-final.
Mbappe left PSG at the end of his contract last year before joining Real Madrid at the start of 2024-25, going on to become the highest-scoring Los Blancos player in his debut season.
PSG, meanwhile, went on to win the Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Champions League treble in their first season without Mbappe.
The French side are now looking to add a first Club World Cup title to their list of silverware, and Luis Enrique wanted to focus on the future instead of looking back.
"This is a question about the past, and I'm not here to talk about the past. I'm only thinking about the future," Luis Enrique said when asked if PSG are a better team now without Mbappe.
"All I can say is that [it] belongs in the past; it is behind us now. Lots of things make this a special game.
"This game is important because it is a Club World Cup semi-final. That makes it very interesting, and we need to be ready to remain focused on the match.
"We are very close to playing another final, and that is a true motivation."
Mbappe has failed to record a goal contribution in any of his prior four matches against PSG, the most times he has ever faced a team in his career without recording one.
This will be the fifth knockout tie between PSG and Madrid and the first at a stage as late as the semi-finals. The former won the first two matches, but Los Blancos have won the previous two, both in the Champions League last 16.
PSG had to dig deep to make it to the semi-finals, beating Bayern Munich 2-0 despite both Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez being shown straight red cards.
However, Luis Enrique is relishing the challenge of facing Xabi Alonso's side, even with the extreme heat warning in New Jersey.
"Playing against Real Madrid will be a special match, no doubt about it. At the same time, we like playing these kinds of games because it means you've done your job well, and you're in a position to play in a semifinal," he said.
"They are the most decorated club in the world, and Xabi [Alonso] has everything required to take on the challenge.
"We're getting used to [the heat]. Playing in these conditions, because that's been the norm during the [Club] World Cup. It'll be business as usual. It's not good for the spectacle because it's difficult to play in that position. It's the same for both teams."
