Why PSG coach Luis Enrique, winner of the Johan Cruyff Trophy, missed the Ballon d’Or 2025 ceremony

In a great night for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Ballon d’Or 2025 ceremony, manager Luis Enrique won the men’s Johann Cruyff Trophy, the award for the best head coach of the previous season. Enrique edged top names in football management like Napoli’s Antonio Conte, Liverpool’s Arne Slot, Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca and Barcelona’s Hansi Flick to the top prize.

It was also the perfect reward for the miraculous work done at PSG, where he won the club’s first UEFA Champions League trophy last season in addition to winning the Ligue 1 title and Coupe de France.

Also Read | Ballon d’Or 2025 Rankings: Check complete list of men’s and women’s standings

Enrique’s impactful coaching also led PSG forward Ousmane Dembele to the men’s Ballon d’Or 2025 crown as the French footballer edged Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal to the biggest individual award in world football.

Why did PSG coach Enrique miss the Ballon d’Or 2025 ceremony 

Despite being named the best coach in the world, the 55-year-old Spaniard Enrique wasn’t present at the Théâtre du Châtelet to collect his trophy.

Why?

The former Real Madrid and Barcelona player was forced to miss the Ballon d’Or 2025 award ceremony due to his coaching commitments with PSG. While the award function was taking place in Paris, Enrique was in Marseille, nearly 800 km away, managing his team in a Ligue 1 match against the local club.

A pre-recorded message from Enrique was played during the ceremony after he was named Coach of the Year.

A message from the winner of the Cruyff Trophy 💌 💬#ballondor 

pic.twitter.com/HZwko56woA

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) September 22, 2025

The only bummer on the night was Enrique’s PSG losing 1-0 to Olympique de Marseille, with Nayef Aguerd scoring the only goal of the match.

Before joining PSG in 2023, Enrique also coached the Spanish national team and Barcelona in La Liga. His first major club as a coach was Italian Serie A side AS Roma.

With Spain, he reached the Round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. But his most successful tenure as a manager came at Barcelona before joining PSG, where he won two La Liga trophies and also the UEFA Champions League in 2015.