Luis Enrique has officially left his position as Spain manager, becoming the latest national team coach to be axed following the World Cup.
The Spanish FA announced their decision to part ways with Enrique earlier today (8 December). The Spain U21 coach, Luis de la Fuente, will be his successor, per The Athletic.
This move comes as a result of Spain’s shock loss to Morocco on penalties at the World Cup. In a statement, the RFEF said that Enrique had “sown hope for the future of the Spanish team”.
“The RFEF energetically wishes Luis Enrique and his team the best of luck in their future professional projects,” added the announcement. “The coach earns the love and admiration of his collaborators in the national team and of the entire federation – which will always be his home.”
But, unfortunately, the disappointing exit at Qatar 2022 proved Enrique’s undoing. His four years as Spain manager have now come to an end.
Luis Enrique: his time as Spain coach
The former Barcelona boss came into the national team fold following the 2018 World Cup in Russia. From here, he helped rejuvenate the Spanish system by adding younger players to the squad.
With this, he safely navigated qualification for Euro 2020. At this tournament, held in 2021, La Furia Roja managed to reach the semi-finals. After surprising many with their deep run at the Euros, Spain ultimately lost in a penalty shootout to eventual winners Italy.
Enrique had thus managed to inspire hope in his country’s team once more. This only increased following the 2021 Nations League campaign, where Spain reached the final. But they came up short once more, losing 2-1 as France lifted the trophy.
These promising displays hyped up Spain for the World Cup, though. In their first match in Qatar, Spain demolished Costa Rica 7-0. However, a draw against Germany and a defeat at the hands of Japan saw them finish second in their group.
Despite this, many pundits thought that the 2010 winners should be able to get past Morocco. The African side had other ideas, thwarting Spain and beating them via a penalty shootout.
As a result, Luis Enrique becomes the latest national team boss to lose their job after exiting the 2022 World Cup.
World Cup prompts international manager merry-go-round
Another high-profile managerial exit was Roberto Martinez. The Spaniard left his position as Belgium boss after the Red Devils were knocked out in the group stage. Similarly, Mexico manager Tata Martino is out from El Tri due to their underwhelming World Cup performances.
Then, despite taking memorable wins in their groups, both Iran and Ghana have lost their bosses. Otto Addo has left the Ghana setup, meanwhile, Carlos Queiroz is no longer Iran manager, too.
Finally, although his side reached the knockout stage, South Korea and Paulo Bento have parted ways.
Featured image credit: Getty
