Luis Enrique's time with Spain puts him among the nation's greats
Luis Enrique’s time as Spain coach has come to an end. Dismissed following talks between RFEF president Luis Rubiales and sporting director José Francisco Molina, his four years in charge come to an end. And with it, Spain bid farewell to the most talented coach that they will have for decades.
He said it himself. His tweet before the World Cup was a superb visual demonstration of just how successful Spain have been during his time in charge.
Runners-up in the 2020 Nations League, semi-finalists falling to eventual champions Italy at Euro 2020, qualified in first place in World Cup qualifying, and then reaching the final four of the 2022 Nations League. Being knocked out by Morocco was the first time since his appointment that Spain have disappointed.
But his achievements went beyond just that. Those achievements alone are remarkable, but it has to be understood in the wider context of what Luis Enrique has been doing with the Spanish national team.
Unusually, the RFEF put it superbly. “The Asturian coach managed to give a new impetus to the national team since his arrival, in 2018, through a profound renovation that has consolidated a generational change in the team and in Spanish football,” they said in their official statement confirming his departure.
In the four years that Luis Enrique was in charge, he looked to evolve from the “tiki taka” style which Julen Lopetegui had maintained after replacing Vicente del Bosque. While his game remained possession based, as Spain’s critics have pointed out after the World Cup, he added a more direct and clinical approach that has worked at times.
An even bigger challenge saw him completely renew the squad. Only six players from the 2018 World Cup were included in the selection for the 2022 tournament, with 20 players in Qatar taking part in their first World Cup. With the third youngest squad at the tournament, he blooded the likes of Pedri and Gavi who will become regulars for years to come.
His character and personality gave them a platform to grow and learn without the focus and pressure of the media. Coming back to the role only three months after losing his nine-year-old daughter to cancer showed the strength and commitment of a man who committed himself to the role in every sense.
He hasn’t had it easy. The Spanish media have hounded him and attacked him from all sides and he’s even been accused of Barcelona bias by Real Madrid supporters (despite the fact that two of Real Madrid’s three Spanish players to have played this season have been included in the squad).
That’s not to say that he was perfect. He made grave mistakes and misjudgements which cost Spain progress at the 2022 World Cup. Even so, he achieved a great deal with Spain, bringing an end to a golden era and moving onto the start of a new one.
Much like Luis Aragonés started Spain’s last golden era, seeing it through to silverware with Euro 2008, Luis Enrique has started something. Spain will be in a much stronger position come the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada thanks to the work that he has done in the past four years.