Former head coach of AS Roma, Barcelona and Spain, Luis Enrique expressed his desire to work in the English Premier League for the first time in his career. The Gijón-born man is one of few players who had played for both La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, but the 52-year-old does not have any playing nor managerial experience in the English league. The ex midfielder and forward is out of a job since his four-year tenure with La Roja ended, after the team fell to a shocking defeat to Morocco in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 in Qatar.
Enrique: “I Would Like to Go to England to Work.”
Before succumbing to the surprise early exit in the Middle-East State at the end of 2022, Enrique had enjoyed an incredible managerial career with Barcelona and Spain. During his time as the head coach of the Catalan Giants, the 52-year-old led the team to numerous titles, including three La Ligas, three Copa del Reys, one Supercopa de España, one UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Super Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup.
These accolades made him the FIFA World Coach of the Year in 2015 and soon was awarded a role with the Spain national team. Personal reasons saw Luis Enrique take a time-off from the duty but as he rejoined La Roja as the manager, he led the national side to a runner-up finish in the 2020/2021 UEFA Nations League, having been defeated by the then defending world champion France in the final with a 2-1 score line.
Fueled with determination to revive the past glory days from 2008 to 2012, Spain got off to a great start in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, thrashing Costa Rica with seven goals in its opening group match. Nonetheless, La Roja did not manage to win any of their next two group matches, drawing Germany, losing to Japan and finishing second in Group E. That meant a last 16 match against Morocco was on the cards, where they failed to score during the 90 minutes, extra time and even the penalty shoot-out. A premature departure from the quadrennial tournament signalled the end of Luis Enrique’s time with the Spain national team.
Enrique: “I Would Not Go to [Just] Any Premier League Team.”
A manager with a calibre like Luis Enrique is likely to be linked with a job with major clubs in the Premier League, especially those without a permanent manager at the moment, namely Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, after both London clubs ousted Graham Potter and Antonio Conte in recent weeks respectively.
When asked about the possibility of working in the Premier League, the 52-year-old stated that it might be impossible for him to dive straight to England in July during the coming off-season. “I would like to go to England to work. But I don’t see myself in the Premier League in July because I would like to go to a team there that can do important things, and that is very difficult. I would not go to [just] any Premier League team”, he said.
The Gijón-born head coach, who received plenty of offers from national teams, is less desired to return to international managerial positions at the moment; He too ruled out the chances of him coaching five-time world champion Brazil in the near future. “I don’t see myself coaching Brazil. Another coach profile fits in there better than mine. They haven’t called me. I don’t know if my style fits the best with Brazil. I have had offers from national teams, but not from clubs. It would have to be a very important [national] team to take it, although it would be very difficult for me to face Spain. I don’t know if I will be ready” was his response.
Cristiano Ronaldo extended his international tally to 122 goals and helped Portugal to win its second consecutive game in the 2024 UEFA Euro Qualifiers. Read here for further details: https://www.watchworldcup.org/cristiano-ronaldo-extended-his-international-tally-to-122-goals-in-portugals-6-0-riot-over-luxembourg-in-2024-uefa-euro-qualifiers/
