She lived with us for 9 wonderful years – Luis Enrique opens up on death of his daughter in heartbreaking interview
LUIS ENRIQUE has opened up about the heartbreaking death of his daughter Xana.
The Paris Saint-Germain manager’s beloved daughter tragically passed away at the age of nine in 2019.
Less than a year after taking over as Spain manager, Enrique would step away from the role in June 2019 for personal reasons.
Two months later, Enrique shared the news of Xana’s death after her five-month battle with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer.
The former Barcelona and Real Madrid midfielder has again paid a heartfelt tribute to his youngest daughter.
Enrique opened up about her passing in a profoundly moving segment in the third episode of his documentary You Haven’t Got a Clue.
He said: “Can I consider myself fortunate or unfortunate? I consider myself fortunate, very fortunate.
“My daughter Xana came to live with us for nine wonderful years. We have a thousand memories of her, videos, incredible things.
“My mother couldn’t keep photos of Xana.
“Until I came home and asked, ‘Why are there no photos of Xana, Mom?’ ‘I can’t, I can’t, she used to say.
“‘Mom, you have to put up photos of Xana, Xana is alive,’ I replied.”
Enrique added: “Physically, she may not be here, but spiritually she is.
“Because every day we talk about her, we laugh, and we remember because I think Xana still sees us.”
The images of Xana that accompanied his words reflect the happiness she radiated, which Enrique vowed to keep alive in his memory.
The Champions League winning manager with Barca returned to his Spain job to replace interim coach Robert Moreno ahead of Euro 2020.
He lost on penalties to eventual champs Italy in the semi-finals and stepped down after Spain lost another shootout to Morocco in the Round of 16 in the Qatar World Cup.
Back in November 2022, after his Spain side drew 1-1 with Germany in the group stage in Qatar, Enrique paid tribute to Xana ahead of what would have been her 13th birthday.
He said: “It was a special day for me and my family.
“Obviously we don’t have our daughter with us physically anymore, but she is still present every day.
“We remember her a lot, we laugh and think about how she would act in each situation that we experience.”
Enrique also thanked the medical team who treated his daughter “for their dedication and treatment”.