Four days after his (forced) departure, ex-Spanish coach, Luis Enrique elaborated on his time with the national team and the disappointing World Cup in Qatar. The coach also said that he wants to train a club again. Luis Enrique is certainly not thinking about stopping.
Spain were eliminated by Morocco in the round of 16 on penalties. Two days after that elimination, the Spanish Football Federation announced that Luis Enrique’s expiring contract would not be renewed. A successor has already been appointed in the person of Luis de la Fuente.
On Monday evening, Luis Enrique was interviewed by Ibai Llanos, a Spanish internet celebrity. Among other things, he creates content on Twitch, the streaming platform that Luis Enrique also used during the World Cup. Monday night’s conversation was broadcast live.
Luis Enrique said, among other things, that he sees Spain’s elimination as a missed opportunity. “Because the teams that are now in the semi-finals are no better than we were,” said the trainer. “The annoying thing about a World Cup is that you can screw everything up in ninety minutes. It is clear that we did not play our best game against Morocco, but I mainly have a positive feeling about my time as national coach. We managed to generate enthusiasm and desire and gave confidence to young players. Could we have done more? Of course, but I know we did everything we could.”
The decision not to extend the cooperation was taken by the Spanish Football Federation
“I thought I had to make a decision myself, but I didn’t have to this time,” said Luis Enrique. “After the European Championship I was able to sign a new contract. I then said that it made more sense to talk to each other after the World Cup. Now my contract is up and it was decided not to renew. I wish Luis de la Fuente the best, he is a phenomenon. He deserves all the good that happens to him.”
Luis Enrique is now looking for a new challenge. “I want to keep training,” emphasized the former trainer of Barcelona and AS Roma, among others. “I want to go back to a club and work with the players every day, which I couldn’t do with the national team. This phase is now over, but in any case I will wait until the next season.”
