In the press conference following Barcelona’s 6-1 win over Sporting Gijon on Wednesday, manager Luis Enrique announced that this season would be his last in charge of the Blaugrana.
Barcelona manager Luis Enrique announces he will resign at the end of the season
The treble-winning coach says he’s exhausted.
Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images
Enrique’s contract expires at the end of this year and the club had not yet offered him a new one, but he says that’s not the reason he’s walking away. It seems likely that Enrique will take a bit of time off before taking his next job.
However, Enrique was going to struggle to win an extension after falling 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League and failing to beat Real Madrid at home in El Clásico this season.
But Enrique is going to walk away before the team gets a chance to fire him, and as it turns out, coaching Barcelona is a tiring gig. Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola also took some time off after leaving the Camp Nou, while Gerardo Martino hasn’t tried his hand at managing a top European club again.
Enrique’s tenure as Barca manager has been rocky, but he’ll always be remembered for pulling off one of European soccer’s greatest accomplishments — winning a treble in 2015. There’s no clear successor waiting in the wings, but expect speculation to center around Sevilla manager Jorge Sampaoli.
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