The 2025 Club World Cup brings us a reunion packed with recent history. Kylian Mbappé and Luis Enrique, who shared a locker room at PSG for one season, will face each other again as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain meet in the semifinals.

A relationship shaped by control

Kylian Mbappé and Luis Enrique spent one season together at Paris Saint-Germain, but failed to achieve their biggest goal: winning the Champions League. Still, it wasn’t just about results. After Mbappé’s departure, the Spanish coach made it clear he felt liberated:

"There were situations I couldn’t control, because I had a player who moved wherever he wanted. Next season, I’ll control everything. Everything."
He didn’t mention Mbappé by name—but he didn’t need to. The message was clear: the French star’s on-field leadership disrupted the team’s tactical balance.

Without him, Luis Enrique went on to win the domestic treble and, more importantly, PSG’s first-ever Champions League title.

The Champions that slipped away

Mbappé, meanwhile, left for Real Madrid, chasing the one title he couldn’t win in Paris. But his first season in white ended with no major trophies… while his former club was crowned European champion.

Still, the forward tried to stay composed: “PSG won the Champions League without me, and that doesn’t affect me. It’s a good thing,” he said.
Even so, the contrast hit hard. The team he walked away from achieved exactly what he had always dreamed of.

More than just a match

Now they meet again in the Club World Cup semifinals. Mbappé carries the pressure of proving he’s still the rightful heir to the throne once held by Messi and Cristiano. Luis Enrique, armed with the credibility of having won without superstars, is determined to show that the system always comes first.

No fresh controversy is needed—the past is already in the past. What lies ahead is a clash that nobody wants to miss.