A good player in the past does not mean a good coach in the future. Few of the professional athletes manage to become an equally successful coach. But Luis Enrique managed to achieve significant results both in the career of a football player and as a coach who is able to bring the team to high places in the world ranking. How did he manage to find a common language with the stars of world football and subordinate them to iron discipline and order.
Luis Enrique - biography
May 8, 1970 in the small Spanish town of Gijón was born Luis Enrique Martinez Garcia, the future pride of Spanish football. The young Spaniard began his journey in big football, speaking for the club of his hometown - Sporting (1981 - 1990). Having gained experience, Luis Enrique goes to Real Madrid, in which he remained until 1996. At the same time, he begins to play for the national team of Spain.
Everyone knows the irreconcilable confrontation between the Spanish “Real” and “Barcelona”, and when in 1996 Enrique transferred to the blue-garnet camp via a free transfer, Barcelona fans are very wary of him. Thanks to his professional game and dedication to football, he was able to very quickly win the hearts of numerous fans of “Barca”.
For 8 years, Louis spent in Barcelona, even becoming its captain. After his departure in 2004, Carles Puyol became his successor in this post . Luis Enrique is a universal football player who could play both in attack and defense.
Life after the game
After the career of a professional football player was completed, the sport still remained an integral part of Enrique's life. He became interested in surfing and spent almost half a year on the coast of Australia, at the same time improving his English. Luis Enrique belongs to that breed of people who are constantly looking for new adventures and do not like routine everyday life.
Before taking the place of the head coach of the second Barcelona squad, he traveled the world for 4 years and practiced extreme sports. Snowboard, marathon, cycling, triathlon - this is a list of his hobbies in those years. The famous New York marathon, the Cabrantauezos bicycle race, the marathon in Amsterdam ... The results that Luis Enrique showed in these competitions improved every year.
In preparation for the Ironman competition in Frankfurt, Louis, Louis and his friends even made a short film about the stages of this preparation. The cassettes with this film were distributed instantly, and the money was transferred to the Barcelona Orphan Assistance Fund.
The beginning of a coaching career
Such character traits as the desire for self-improvement, fortitude and enormous hard work will come in handy to Louis more than once when he begins his coaching career. Discipline and order - these are the basic requirements that he made to the players in every club that he had to train.
The second composition of his native “Barcelona” was his first coaching experience, and it should be noted that he coped with the task perfectly. Third place in the Segund showed what and how coach Luis Enrique can achieve a lot.
Coach Italian "Roma"
In 2011, Luis Enrique and his family moved to Italy and became the coach of “Roma”. Why coaching career in the Italian club did not work out as successfully as in the homeland is difficult to say. The only season that he spent as a coach of “Roma”, took away all the strength and energy of the young coach, because Enrique is not used to working half-heartedly.
At the last press conference, Luis wholeheartedly thanked both the fans and the members of the Italian club and was very sincere. The topic of his disagreement with Totti has long been in every possible way exaggerated by the media, but even at this last meeting, Luis Enrique did not take out the dirty linen in public and go down to find out the reasons for the Italians' unsuccessful season. The team had a difficult relationship before the arrival of Luis Enrique, and after his departure they did not get better.
But he didn’t make it clear in a single word that the most blame for the atmosphere in the team rests with the club managers who interfered in every way with the work of any coach who came to Roma.
Return to Barcelona
Luis Enrique, whose personal life was not the subject of vivid discussions and piquant scandals, is a wonderful family man and father who brings up in his children those qualities that once helped him become a successful person.
After Luis Enrique received an invitation from the leadership of Barca to lead the team, it was time for him to new trials and challenges. The management of any club, and even more so such a "star" as Barcelona, implies that the coach has such qualities as patience and perseverance. And all this was demonstrated by Luis Enrique, heading one of the most famous clubs in the Old World.
He demanded full commitment and obedience from the players, everyone had to give all the best in every training session, whether they were world-famous players or beginners taking the first steps in a team.
The result of such coaching was the championship of “Barcelona” in the season 2015/16. Whatever they say behind him, Luis Enrique is one of those people who firmly believe in their strategy and are able to take responsibility in difficult situations.