The Spanish coaching school continues to build its case as the best in Europe. As many as eight Spanish managers started this season’s Champions League campaign across the 36 benches—more than any other nation. Now, two of them, Luis Enrique and Mikel Arteta, will face off in the Budapest final on May 30, leading Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal respectively.
“I have a lot of affection for him because we were teammates at Barcelona when he was very young. It will surely be very difficult, but we have great confidence in our style of play,” said Luis Enrique after the semi-final against Bayern, referring to Arteta. The Arsenal boss, in turn, acknowledged: “Whoever it is, it will be very tough, but we are ready.”
It is rare for two managers of the same nationality to meet in a Champions League final. Previously, it has only happened a few times this century: Ancelotti vs. Lippi (Milan vs. Juventus in 2003), Heynckes vs. Klopp (Bayern vs. Dortmund in 2013), and Flick vs. Tuchel (Bayern vs. PSG in 2020). Interestingly, Tuchel was the only one not coaching a team from his own country. This makes it even more remarkable that the first all-Spanish final will see both coaches leading clubs outside Spain—Luis Enrique with PSG and Arteta with Arsenal.
What is certain is that a Spanish manager will add another ‘Orejona’ (the Champions League trophy) to the nation’s collection. So far, only six Spanish coaches have lifted the trophy 11 times: José Villalonga (2, with Real Madrid), Miguel Muñoz (2, Real Madrid), Vicente del Bosque (2, Real Madrid), Rafa Benítez (1, Liverpool), Pep Guardiola (3, Barcelona and Manchester City), and Luis Enrique (2, Barcelona and PSG). The next name to join this prestigious list could be Mikel Arteta with Arsenal.
The narratives are powerful. For Luis Enrique, a win would tie him with Pep Guardiola—recently surpassed as the fastest to 50 Champions League wins—as the Spanish manager with the most titles (three). It would also break Real Madrid’s monopoly as the only club to win consecutive Champions League titles under the current format.
“Luis Enrique is my best decision. I spoke with him for the last 15 years to sign him. He is a fantastic coach, the best in the world. But as a person, he is incredible in how he handles the day-to-day—not just with players, but also with the media, which is not easy in France. He is fantastic,” said Nasser Al-Khelaifi after the semi-final.
Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, is vying to secure Arsenal’s first ever Champions League trophy.
