Luis Enrique backs Kvaratskhelia and four PSG players for Ballon d'Or

After Paris Saint-Germain’s commanding 6-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, Luis Enrique diverted his post-match press conference to champion his players’ cases on the eve of the Ballon d’Or ceremony, scheduled for October 26 in London.

When asked about his team selection — Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were both absent from the starting XI — the Spanish manager first asserted his full authority over player selection: “There is only one person who must choose the players to play the matches. I sought to find the best players for this match.” He then quickly added: “Kvara and Doué are incredible players.”

Luis Enrique went further, naming four of his players as serious contenders for football’s most coveted individual trophy. “For me, Kvara is a player who can win the current Ballon d’Or. Also Ousmane Dembélé, also Vitinha, also Fabian. That is very beautiful for me as a manager and very beautiful for our supporters.”

To illustrate his point, the coach referenced the chant dedicated to Dembélé by the Parc des Princes crowd, seeing it as a sign of a collective capable of producing multiple winners: “Today, when they sing to Ousmane Dembélé: ‘and Ousmane Ballon d’Or’, it is a song that in the future can be sung for another player.”

PSG is this year the most represented club among the 30 nominees, with nine players selected: Kvaratskhelia, Dembélé, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Hakimi, Pacho, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes and João Neves. “Being the team with the most players on the 30-man list is a motivation for us and that is what PSG represents,” Luis Enrique emphasized.

These comments come amid an already heated debate: Kylian Mbappé recently expressed his conviction that he deserves the trophy, while Ousmane Dembélé also believes the award should go to Paris. Kvaratskhelia, for his part, received his award as best player of last season’s Champions League before kick-off, further strengthening his candidacy.