It took only two days for Barcelona to replace manager Gerardo Martino, and the Blaugrana board of directors confirmed this evening that former Barca midfielder Luis Enrique will take over the first team managing duties.
It has been a busy day for Barcelona, as they also resigned star forward Lionel Messi and brought on German goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegan.
Lionel Messi signed a contract entenstion keeping him in Barcelona until 2019 for over £16.3million a year, making him the world highest paid footballer. (Photo: @ifootball_ | Twitter)
The 44-year-old, who was a fan favorite in his time at Barcelona, signed a two-year deal marking his third stint with the club. Enrique, who fans called “Lucho,” came to the club from bitter rival Real Madrid in 1996, and in his 8 years with Barcelona he played over 200 matches, registering 73 goals. He was also the manager of the Barcelona B team in 2008 for three years, where he led the team to a record breaking point season.
Enrique leaves his post at Celta Vigo. He was known for his fiery attitude as a player and is expected to bring the same passion to the sidelines. “Lucho” will be placed with the task of bringing hardware back to Barcelona after an empty season in La Liga, Copa Del Rey and Champions League.
Enrique will build from the possession-based football that Barcelona plays, with which he is very familiar after playing in the midfield for the Catalan club. In his time with the Barca B team, “Lucho” said, “One of Barca's strengths is their style. The idea for years has been the same and that's having the ball. When you don't have it and you're chasing others, you tire."
Luis "Lucho" Enrique brought passion as a player to Barcelona and will surley have some more intense moments in the future vs rival Real Madrid. (Photo: @jperkovic93 | Twitter)
Barcelona will have to get younger in the midfield this season as he has tough decisions to make regarding 34-year-old Xavi, as well as Cesc Fabregas. Gerard Deulofeu and Rafinha, who spent last season on loan at Everton and Celta, have already been added to the first team roster by Enrique.
His return to Barca as first-team boss has him following in the footsteps of former manager Pep Guardiola. Both are the only men to hold all three titles of club captain, B team coach and first-team manager. Here are some highlights of "Lucho" in his playing days at Barcelona against Real Madrid:
