"Not Caicedo, Palmer or Pedro."—Luis Enrique names one special player that hurt PSG the most in Club World Cup final tie.

 Chelsea’s most important player against PSG is not Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo or Pedro Neto.

Chelsea stunned the football world with a 3–0 demolition of Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup Final on July 13. Post-match, PSG boss Luis Enrique offered a rare moment of candor—highlighting Chelsea’s strength and singling out a key performer.

“They had a lot of energy. I believe they were actually better than we were. Cole Palmer was very good,” he admitted, acknowledging Palmer’s commanding first-half display.  

Palmer’s first-half performance was electric: he scored in the 22nd minute, doubled the lead in the 30th, and then set up João Pedro’s goal just before halftime. A clinical masterclass from the young striker.

However, despite Enrique’s praise, he didn’t name Palmer as the one who hurt PSG most. In our view, that honor belongs to Robert Sánchez.

Robert Sánchez: The Unsung Hero Behind Chelsea’s Triumph

Sánchez made six crucial stops that kept PSG at bay when they looked dangerous. He capped his performance by winning the Golden Glove for the tournament’s best goalkeeper.  

No goals conceded. No errors. Just flawless, composed goalkeeping.

He denied Ousmane Dembélé, Barcola, Vitinha — you name it — extinguishing every PSG spark. Each save wore down PSG’s momentum and morale. As the Guardian’s live blog put it: “The Chelsea keeper has had an exceptional game” and “playing like a prime Lev Yashin.”  

In high-stakes matches like these, clean sheets are more than statistics—they’re psychological blows. Sánchez turned a tight game into a controlled romp for the Blues.

Luis Enrique’s praise of Cole Palmer was well-earned. Palmer carved open PSG with devastating efficiency. But Sánchez inflicted the real damage, shutting down every PSG chance and allowing Chelsea’s historic performance to shine.

Robert Sánchez hurt PSG the most—with six vital saves and a Golden Glove-winning performance that sealed the deal.