Luis Enrique

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  (Redirected from Luis Enrique (footballer))

For other people named Luis Enrique, see Luis Enrique (disambiguation).

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Martínez and
the second or maternal family name is García.
Luis Enrique

Luis Enrique managing Barcelona in 2015

Personal information
Full name Luis Enrique Martínez García[1]
Date of birth 8 May 1970 (age 50)[1]
Place of birth Gijón, Spain[1]
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Playing position(s) Midfielder / Forward
Club information
Current team Spain (manager)
Youth career
1981–1988 Sporting Gijón
1984–1988 → La Braña (loan)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1990 Sporting Gijón B 27 (5)
1989–1991 Sporting Gijón 36 (14)
 1991–1996 Real Madrid 157 (15)
1996–2004 Barcelona 207 (73)
Total 427 (107)
National team
1990–1991 Spain U21 5 (0)
1991–1992 Spain U23 14 (3)
1991–2002 Spain 62 (12)
1999–2000 Asturias 2 (0)
Teams managed
2008–2011 Barcelona B
2011–2012 Roma
2013–2014 Celta
2014–2017 Barcelona
2018–2019 Spain
2019– Spain
Honours[show]
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only
Luis Enrique Martínez García (Spanish pronunciation: [lwis enˈrike]; born 8 May 1970), known
as Luis Enrique, is a Spanish former professional footballer and manager, currently in
charge of the Spain national team.

A versatile player with good technique, he was capable of playing in several different
positions, but usually played as a midfielder or forward, and was also noted for his
temperament and stamina. Starting in 1991 and ending in 2004, he represented both Real
Madrid and Barcelona with equal individual and team success, appearing in more than 500
official games and scoring more than 100 goals. He appeared with the Spain national team in
three World Cups and one European Championship.

Luis Enrique started working as a manager in 2008 with Barcelona B, before moving

to Roma three years later. In the 2013–14 season he managed Celta, before returning to
Barcelona and winning the treble in his first year and the double in his second; in 2018, he
was appointed Spain head coach for the first time before resigning for family reasons.

Contents

• 1 Playing career
• 1.1 Club

• 1.2 International

• 2 Style of play

• 3 Coaching career

• 3.1 Barcelona B

• 3.2 Roma

• 3.3 Celta

• 3.4 Barcelona

• 3.5 Spain

• 4 Endorsements

• 5 Personal life

• 6 Career statistics

• 6.1 Club

• 6.2 International

• 6.3 International goals

• 7 Managerial statistics

• 8 Honours

• 8.1 Player

• 8.2 Manager
• 9 References

• 10 External links

Playing career[edit]
Club[edit]
Luis Enrique was born in Gijón, Asturias, and began his career with local Sporting de Gijón,
[2] where he gained the nickname Lucho after Luis Flores, a Mexican forward in the team.
[3] He then spent most of his playing days with the two biggest Spanish clubs: first Real
Madrid for five seasons and,[4] in 1996, after seeing out his contract and notably scoring in a
5–0 home win against FC Barcelona in January 1995, stating later he "rarely felt appreciated
by the Real Madrid supporters and didn't have good memories there", [5] he moved to
precisely the fierce rivals at the Camp Nou on a free transfer.[6] The Catalans' supporters
were at first hesitant about their new acquisition, but he soon won the hearts of the cules,
staying eight years, eventually becoming team captain and scoring several times in El
Clásico against his former employers;[7] notably, he passionately celebrated at the Santiago
Bernabéu, where he grabbed his jersey after a 25-yard strike that beat the opposing
goalkeeper.[8]
Luis Enrique netted 46 La Liga goals in his first three seasons with Barcelona,[9][10] with the
side finishing runner-up in 1996–97 and subsequently winning back-to-back domestic
championship accolades. Furthermore, he was named Spanish Player of the Year by El
País in the following campaign.[5][11] He also scored the opening goal in the 1997 UEFA Super
Cup, a 3–1 aggregate triumph against Borussia Dortmund.[12]
During his final years in Barcelona, Luis Enrique was often injured, and did not want to renew
his contract. He had been offered a deal by his first club Sporting, which he, however,
declined, stating that "he wouldn't be able to reach the level he demanded of himself" and that
"he wouldn't be doing Sporting much of a favour by going there." [13] His concerns about his
level and fitness made him retire on 10 August 2004 at the age of 34, [13] and he finished his
professional career with league totals of 400 games and 102 goals, being named by Pelé as
one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March.[14]
International[edit]
Luis Enrique played for Spain in three FIFA World Cups: 1994, 1998 and 2002 (as well
as UEFA Euro 1996), and scored 12 goals while gaining 62 caps. He was also a member of
the gold-winning squad at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona,[15] and made his debut
for the main side on 17 April 1991, featuring for 22 minutes in a 0–2 friendly loss
to Romania in Cáceres.[16]
In the 1994 World Cup, held in the United States, Luis Enrique scored his first international
goal, in the round-of-16 3–0 win over Switzerland in Washington, D.C.[17] In the 1–2 quarter-
final defeat against Italy at Foxboro Stadium, Mauro Tassotti's elbow made contact with his
face to bloody effect,[18] the action being of such impact that he reportedly lost a pint of blood
as a result, but during the match the incident went unpunished – Tassotti was banned for
eight games afterwards, and never played internationally again; [19] when Spain met Italy
at Euro 2008 on 22 June, to battle for a place in the semi-finals, Luis Enrique reportedly called
for the team to "take revenge" on Italy for the 1994 World Cup incident. [20] Tassotti, an
assistant coach with A.C. Milan at the time, told the newspaper Marca that he was tired of
always being reminded of this incident, and that he had never intended to hurt the Spaniard.
At the 1998 World Cup, Luis Enrique played a major role in a 6–1 routing of Bulgaria in the
last game of the group, scoring and assisting once and also winning a penalty, but the
Spaniards were eliminated nonetheless. [21] On 5 June of the following year he netted a hat-
trick, in a 9–0 win in Villarreal over San Marino in the Euro 2000 qualifiers.[22]
On 23 June 2002, Luis Enrique retired from international football, in order to give the younger
players more playing time and focus only on his club. [23]

Style of play[edit]
Having occupied several different positions, Luis Enrique was most noted for his exceptional
versatility and consistency. He was capable of playing anywhere in midfield or along the front
line, and was fielded in all positions on the pitch throughout his career, except those of central
defender and goalkeeper. A strong, courageous, energetic and hard-working team player, with
good technical skills, flair and notable stamina, his usual position was as an attacking
midfielder in the centre of the pitch, due to his ability to link-up the forwards and the midfield,
or as a right winger, but he was capable of playing anywhere along the right flank, and was
often deployed as an attacking full back or wing-back, or even as a left winger on occasion.

Due to his keen eye for goal and ability to make attacking runs into the box, Luis Enrique
frequently played as a forward, either in a withdrawn role as a second striker behind the
team's main goalscorer, or even as an out-and-out striker or centre forward – he was also
used in deeper midfield roles. In addition to his playing abilities, he also stood out for his
commitment, temperament, determination and leadership. [3][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]

Coaching career[edit]
Barcelona B[edit]
On 26 May 2008, Luis Enrique returned to Barcelona, taking over the reins of the B-team,
renamed Barcelona Atlètic for that season.[34] As he succeeded long-time Barcelona
teammate Pep Guardiola, he stated: "I have come home", and "I finished playing here and
now I will start coaching here."; in his second season he found success, helping the club
return to Segunda División after an absence of 11 years.
In mid-March 2011, Luis Enrique announced he would leave Barcelona B at the end of the
campaign, despite still having two years left on his contract.[35] He led the side to the playoffs,
but they were ineligible for promotion. [36]
Roma[edit]
On 8 June 2011, Luis Enrique reached an agreement with Italian Serie A club A.S. Roma to
become the Giallorossi's new head coach. He signed a two-year contract, being joined by a
staff of four members, including Iván de la Peña who played two years for crosstown
rivals S.S. Lazio, as technical collaborator.[37]
Roma was eliminated from the UEFA Europa League by ŠK Slovan Bratislava, amid great
discussion of the substitution of legendary Francesco Totti for Stefano Okaka Chuka.
The capital-based side also lost their first game in the domestic league against Cagliari
Calcio, making it just the third time that they lost the opener in 18 years. [38]
Even though he still had two years remaining on his contract, Luis Enrique decided to leave
Roma at the end of the season after failure to qualify for any European competition.[39][40]
Celta[edit]
On 8 June 2013, Luis Enrique became RC Celta de Vigo's new manager, replacing former
national teammate Abel Resino.[41] He led the Galicians to the ninth position in his first and
only season, highlights including a 2–0 home win against Real Madrid that ended the
opposition's possibilities of winning the league title. [42]
On 16 May 2014, Luis Enrique announced that he would be leaving Celta. [43]
Barcelona[edit]

Luis Enrique managing Barcelona in 2014

On 19 May 2014, it was announced that Luis Enrique would return to Barcelona as a
manager, after he agreed to a three-year deal. He was recommended by sporting
director Andoni Zubizarreta, his former national teammate.[44] His first competitive match was
a 3–0 home league win over Elche CF, where he handed debuts to new signings Claudio
Bravo, Jérémy Mathieu and Ivan Rakitić, and gave youth products Munir El
Haddadi, Rafinha and Sandro their maiden league appearances for the club, while summer
signing Luis Suárez was unavailable for selection due to suspension.[45]
Luis Enrique suffered his first defeat in the competition on 25 October 2014, away against
Real Madrid, and although Barcelona had a successful run in the year, his management came
under scrutiny because of his tactics involving several lineup changes in consecutive games.
Moreover, a quarrel with Lionel Messi and other members of the team further accentuated the
team's poor form.[46]
After an away loss to Real Sociedad, there was a significant upturn in Barcelona's form as a
result of Luis Enrique deciding on a settled lineup. He equaled Guardiola's record of 11
consecutive victories,[47] while the team went on to beat Atlético Madrid and Villarreal
CF convincingly in the Copa del Rey to advance to the final. In the domestic league, after
eight wins in nine matches, the team returned to the top of the table after 15 weeks. [48]
On 21 April 2015, Luis Enrique recorded his 42nd win after 50 games in charge of Barcelona
with a 2–0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain FC, the best record of any manager.[49] He went
on to lead the side to the final of the UEFA Champions League and, on 17 May, led it to its
23rd national championship with one match to spare following a 1–0 win at the Vicente
Calderón Stadium against Atlético Madrid.[50][51] On 6 June, having earlier won the domestic
cup against Athletic Bilbao by the same score, Barcelona sealed a treble with a 3–1 win
over Juventus F.C. in the Champions League Final in Berlin,[52] and three days later he signed
a new contract until 2017.[53]

Luis Enrique lifts the 2015 UEFA Super Cup trophy

On 11 August 2015, Barcelona won the 2015 UEFA Super Cup 5–4 against Sevilla FC.[54] On
2 December, against CF Villanovense in the Copa del Rey Round of 32, Luis Enrique decided
against bringing on a new player following Mathieu's injury with 12 minutes to go even though
two replacements could still be made, as the score was at 6–1 at that time and the manager
said he did not want to risk further setbacks. [55]
In his first two seasons, Luis Enrique rotated his goalkeepers, with Bravo playing league
games and Marc-André ter Stegen playing cup and European matches. Both players,
however, expressed opposition to this policy. [56][57] A second double was achieved on 22 May
2016, following a 2–0 Copa del Rey win over Sevilla FC after extra time in which the team
played more than 50 minutes with one player less, following the dismissal of Javier
Mascherano.[58]
On 1 March 2017, Luis Enrique announced that he would not continue as team manager after
30 June on expiration of his contract. [59]
Spain[edit]
Luis Enrique was named coach of the Spanish national team on 9 July 2018, replacing former
club and country teammate Fernando Hierro.[60] His first match in charge occurred on 8
September, and he led the side to a 2–1 win against England in the UEFA Nations
League at Wembley Stadium.[61]
In June 2019, Luis Enrique quit his post for personal reasons. [62][63][64] On 19 November, he
returned to the same bench.[65]

Endorsements[edit]
Luis Enrique was sponsored by sportswear company Nike, and appeared in commercials for
the brand. In a global advertising campaign in the run-up to the 2002 World Cup in South
Korea and Japan, he starred in a "Secret Tournament" commercial (branded "Scorpion KO")
directed by Terry Gilliam, appearing alongside footballers such as Luís Figo, Thierry
Henry, Hidetoshi Nakata, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Totti, with former
player Eric Cantona the tournament "referee".[66][67]

Personal life[edit]
After retiring from football, Luis Enrique lived for a while in Australia to practice surfing. He
took part in the 2005 edition of the New York City Marathon, finished the Amsterdam
Marathon in 2006, the Firenze Marathon in 2007 and the Marathon des Sables in 2008, while
also entering and finishing Frankfurt Ironman in 2007. He was due to take part in the
Klagenfurt Ironman competition in July 2008, but eventually declined due to his engagement
as manager of Barcelona B.[68]
Luis Enrique married his longtime partner Elena Cullell on 27 December 1997. [69] Their
daughter, Xana, died of bone cancer at age 9 on 29 August 2019.[70][71]
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