As Paris Saint-Germain began to celebrate the club’s first-ever UEFA Champions League final at Munich’s Allianz Arena on Saturday, one person was top of mind – Xana, the daughter of manager Luis Enrique.
Xana died in 2019 at the age of nine following a battle with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, but Enrique and his family have kept her memory alive over the years. He has frequently remembered Xana during big moments in his career and Saturday’s Champions League final was no exception as multiple tributes to his daughter were present during PSG’s post-match celebrations.
Enrique, who wore a plain black t-shirt during the 90 minutes, changed into a t-shirt with a drawing designed on behalf of the Xana Foundation and collected his winner’s medal while wearing the shirt. Enrique and his wife Elena Cullell started the foundation after their daughter’s death and the t-shirt design was a reference to a picture of Xana at the Champions League final 10 years ago, when Enrique’s Barcelona won the competition at Berlin’s Olympiastadion.
“I have incredible memories because my daughter loved parties, and I’m sure she’s still throwing them wherever she is,” Enrique remembered earlier this season, per Marca….
