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Enrique and Arteta are the heroes of the story. Who preceded them in the same scenario?
The Paris Saint-Germain-Arsenal Champions League final is witnessing a rare historic event after it became only the fourth final in the competition’s history to bring together managers of the same nationality.
Paris Saint-Germain reached the final for the second consecutive season by defeating Bayern Munich in a thrilling encounter that ended 6-5 on aggregate with Arsenal on May 30 in Budapest.
The final will be a purely Spanish showdown at technical staff level, with Luis Enrique in charge of the Paris outfit and Mikel Arteta in charge of Arsenal.
Luis Enrique had previously won the Champions League last season after clearly dominating, while Arteta finally managed to guide the Gunners to the final and the dream of challenging for the club’s first ever European title.
According to the statistical network Opta, this is only the fourth time when two coaches from the same country meet in the Champions League final.
The last time was in 2020, when Germans Hansi Flick and Thomas Tuchel met in the final of Bayern Munich-Paris Saint-Germain, which ended with Bayern winning 1-0.
The 2013 final also witnessed an all-German showdown between Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes and Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp, with Bayern winning 2–1.
As for the third final to bring together managers from the same nation, it was in 2003 when Italians Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi met Milan and Juventus, and the game ended in a goalless draw before Milan won the title 3-2 on penalties.
