PETE JENSON: Spain's limp World Cup exit is the end for Luis Enrique

PETE JENSON: Spain’s limp World Cup exit is the END for Luis Enrique, with legends Alba and Busquets sure to follow him. The next man will inherit a young group lacking experience – and so U21 boss Luis de la Fuente may find himself next in line

  • MATCH REPORT: Morocco STUN 2010 champions Spain with shootout success
  • READ: ‘No fight, no ideas, no goals’ – Spanish press tear into ‘impotent’ side
  • Luis Enrique is out of contract at end of 2022 and a new deal is not forthcoming 
  • Head of FA, Luis Rubiales, could give shorter deal to U21 boss Luis de la Fuente
  • Along with Enrique, senior stars like Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets will move on
  • Click here for the latest World Cup 2022 news, fixtures, live action and results

‘More possible exits than an underground station,’ was how Luis Enrique summed up his future before Spain’s defeat on penalties by Morocco.

The coach’s contract runs out at the end of this year and he has never showed any intention of signing a new one. The Spanish Football Federation have also been lukewarm over persuading him, and even more so now his campaign in Qatar has ended in failure.

So it looks like it’s time to pick an exit. The first will be to go home, where he is due to arrive late Wednesday afternoon. 

Luis Enrique’s contract is up at the end of 2022 and it seems unlikely either side extends that


Following out the national team door is set to be Jordi Alba (left) and Sergio Busquets (right)

‘Right now I just want to be with my people and my dogs,’ he said.

Then the proposals will start to arrive. He is unlikely to take a job before the end of the season by which time the events at clubs across Europe will dictate who want him to take over.

If Xavi finishes the season trophyless at Barcelona with little progress evident from last season then Joan Laporta will try to persuade him to go back to Barcelona where he won the treble in 2015.

If Diego Simeone’s situation at Atletico Madrid has become untenable despite his contract until 2024 then they will try to take him to the capital. He will turn down both if the right offer arrives from England. It’s where he regrets never playing as a player and it’s where he wants to work as a coach.

Achraf Hakimi (centre) was Morocco’s matchwinner as they dumped Spain out the World Cup

Who replaces him as Spain coach is now in the hands of kingmaker Luis Ruibales who looks to have two clear candidates and a couple of wild cards. 

The president of the Spanish Federation could appoint Luis de la Fuente, the current Spain Under-21 coach.

He would be the most economical option and well placed to promote some of the stalwarts of his under-21 team such as Real Sociedad holding midfielder Martin Zubimendi and Chelsea left back Marc Cucurella, perfect to replace veterans Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

The doubt over De la Fuente would be his lack of experience at the highest level. He played for Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla in the top flight but never coached there.


Head of the Spanish FA Luis Rubiales (left) may turn to U21 boss Luis de la Fuente (right) next

One man who has coached in the top flight and won trophies is Marcelino, who is available after parting company with Athletic Bilbao at the end of last season because a new president came in.

Xabi Alonso and Roberto Martinez are the wild cards but the former has only just started his club management career and the latter led Belgium to an even worse tournament than Spain – arguably with better resources.

Leaving with the coach will be two of the best players in Spain’s history. With so many emerging options at left back including Cucurella, Rayo’s Fran Garcia and Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde it seems unthinkable that Alba will not step aside.

The man who scored in Spain’s 4-0 Euros final win over Italy has been the nation’s best left back for years and he acquitted himself well in Qatar – but at 33 his international career looks done.

Ex-Spain midfielder and current Bayern Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso would be a wild card

His Barcelona team-mate Busquets could leave both club and country at the end of this season. 

The foundation on which Vicente del Bosque built the World Cup success in South Africa in 2010 has been running on empty for a while and his last kick in international football looks like being that gentle penalty saved by Morocco’s Bono. When he quits he will be rightly hailed as Spain’s best ever in what will for years to come be called ‘the Busquets position’.

For others this has only just begun. Pedri has only just turned 20 and Gavi is only 18. They are two thirds of Spain’s midfield for the next decade. 

Balde is only just 19, Ansu Fati has time on his side at just 20 and Nico Williams is the same age. 

Ansu Fati was playing in his first World Cup and he is part of a group gathering experience

For 20 of the players in Enrique’s squad this was their first World Cup and there will be many more.

Who takes them into the next one might not be decided any time soon. If De la Fuente gets the nod Rubiales could err on the side of caution with a shorter contract.

The new coach probably won’t stream his thoughts on Twitch or the 2026 equivalent throughout the tournament, but he will benefit from the legacy of the man who did.


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