The Reason Luis Enrique Would Give Up Half His Salary: "I Sign It"
The PSG coach would be willing to cut his salary in half just to avoid doing something that is part of every coach's routine.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique reiterated on Thursday that he would be willing to take a pay cut of "25 or even 50%" for a very specific reason.
"If you told me right now to sign a paper stating I wouldn’t speak to the press again and reduce my salary by 25%, or even 50%, I would sign it," the Spanish manager said in the press conference ahead of Friday's league match against Rennes.
Luis Enrique had previously stated his willingness to give up a quarter of his salary in a documentary set to be released soon, from which some excerpts have already been shared.
In the press conference, he mentioned that he enjoys speaking with journalists, but "if I could avoid it, I would." He clarified that he doesn’t avoid it because "the contracts signed with clubs require the coach to speak."
When Does He Mind Speaking to the Press the Most?
"I like to talk; I've never cut a press conference short. I love it, and I can do it in several languages—poorly, but I do," said the coach, who later admitted he doesn't yet feel prepared to respond in French.
Luis Enrique noted that he particularly dislikes post-match press conferences because he lacks "the energy to deal with certain things."
"I Can't Complain"
The PSG coach, who will face three matches in nine days, referred to the burden players experience and supported other coaches, such as Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, who have protested about it.
"I think he’s right, but in France, we have a better setup than in England or Spain; they have more matches. In my situation, I can’t complain," the coach explained, reminding everyone that the French league has only 18 teams, which results in four fewer matches per year.