“Enrique was a sore loser for kneeing Okocha” – Oliseh’s touching reason for backing PSG to win UCL

Former Super Eagles midfielder Sunday Oliseh has revealed his support for Paris Saint-Germain to win this season’s UEFA Champions League – and his reason has little to do with footballing logic, Soccernet.ng reports.

Despite PSG being considered outsiders behind the likes of Arsenal, Barcelona and Inter Milan, Oliseh is rooting for the French giants to go all the way.

The Ligue 1 side booked their place in the semi-finals after edging past Aston Villa 5-3 on aggregate, and will now face Arsenal, who stunned defending champions Real Madrid with a 5-1 aggregate triumph.

For Oliseh, the choice to support PSG stems not from club loyalty – he previously played for Ajax, Juventus, and Borussia Dortmund, all of whom have exited the competition – but from a deeply emotional connection to their manager, Luis Enrique.

Oliseh recalled a moment from the 1998 FIFA World Cup when he, alongside Jay-Jay Okocha, helped Nigeria pull off a thrilling 3-2 win over a Spain side featuring Enrique.

“In ‘98, I thought Luis Enrique was a sore loser for kneeing Jay-Jay Okocha over his teasing dribbles as we led 3-2,” Oliseh wrote in a reflective post.

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It was a memory he held on to for years. But everything changed in 2015 when Oliseh witnessed Enrique guide Barcelona to a Champions League title against Juventus, just weeks before the tragic loss of his daughter, Xana, to bone cancer.

In ’98, I thought Luis Enrique was a sore loser for kneeing Jay Jay Okocha over his teasing dribbles as we led 3-2. But in 2015, at the Berlin stadium with my friend Giovanni, seeing him leave and ignore the Barcelona players celebration after the UCL win, eyes only for his sick… https://t.co/nulodRr7d1

— Sunday Oliseh (@SundayOOliseh) April 18, 2025

“At the Berlin stadium with my friend Giovanni, seeing him leave and ignore the Barcelona players’ celebration after the UCL win, eyes only for his sick daughter – now gone – my heart broke,” Oliseh added. “His love mirrors mine for my Shanice.”

That moment altered Oliseh’s perception of Enrique – from a frustrated player to a man of deep passion and family devotion.

Now, with Enrique managing PSG, Oliseh wants nothing more than to see him lift the Champions League again, this time with a different club and perhaps with even deeper meaning.

“Next UCL champ?,” Oliseh added of Enrique and PSG.

Luis Enrique has already led PSG to the 2024-2025 Ligue 1 title, his second for the club since his appointment in 2023.