Fabián Ruiz and Luis Enrique have come a long way. The coach stunned everyone by leaving the Spanish midfielder out of Spain's squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a call that fuelled endless questions about their relationship at the time. Four years on, the picture could not be more different.
Ruiz has become one of the cornerstones of Enrique's project at Paris Saint-Germain, winning the UEFA Champions League alongside him in each of the last two seasons, among a host of other honours.
For all the noise that surrounded that period, Ruiz insists there was never any personal fallout with his coach. According to "Foot Mercato", he said: "When he left me out of the World Cup, and then later when he arrived to manage Paris Saint-Germain, everyone was asking me whether there was a feud or a dispute between us, and my answer was always: no, our relationship is excellent. A coach is always forced to make difficult decisions, and with this number of outstanding Spanish players, it was natural that some would be left out, and that time the choice fell on me."
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That earlier snub did nothing to dampen Ruiz's reaction when Enrique landed the Paris job. He knew exactly what his former coach could bring to the team, and the early gamble paid off, blossoming into one of the most successful partnerships of his career.
Ruiz explained the turnaround simply: "I was very pleased with his arrival at Paris Saint-Germain, because I know he is among the best in the world, and I believed his style would benefit the team and get the best out of every player, which is exactly what happened. We have a wonderful relationship and have won many titles together."