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Former Spain manager Luis Enrique has confirmed that he wants to return to club football following La Roja's disappointing 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign.
Enrique led Spain to a 7-0 opening win against Costa Rica in the side's opener. But that performance was followed up by a 1-1 draw against Germany and a shock 2-1 loss at the hands of Japan.
La Roja arguably got a favorable last-16 draw against Morocco, at least on paper. However, they lost on penalties after failing to score in 120 minutes of regular time, which culminated in their second successive elimination from the World Cup in the same stage.
Shortly after their elimination, Enrique announced his decision to step down as the national team's manager During his four years in charge, he led Spain to a second-place finish in the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League and the semi-finals of the 2020 UEFA Euros.
Enrique has now revealed his desire to return to managing a football club. Speaking to Twitch streamer Ibai Llanos, the former Barcelona manager said (h/t Fabrizio Romano):
"I want to return to club football, I want to coach a club again after my experience with Spain."
Enrique began his coaching career with Barcelona's B team in 2008, which he managed until the summer of 2011. After brief one-year spells at AS Roma and Celta Vigo, he became Barcelona's manager in 2014.
The Spaniard won two La Liga titles and a UEFA Champions League trophy, among other silverware, before leaving the Catalan giants at the end of the 2016-17 season. Romano claimed that several clubs wanted to appoint him last year but his focus remained on La Roja.
The 52-year-old could now be open to entertaining offers after an eventful spell in international football.
Luis Enrique gives verdict on Spain's 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign
For a team of Spain's caliber, being eliminated in the round of 16 is by no means a satisfactory showing. Enrique, however, sees it a little differently. He said he got a positive reading from his team's display in Qatar and that he was satisfied with the job he did with the team.
In his conversation with Llanos, Enrique continued (h/t GOAL):
"The bad thing about these competitions is that in 90 or 120, you can go to hell. We didn't have a good game against Morocco but I get a positive reading from the World Cup and four years in the national team."
"I'm calm, I'm satisfied, I think we've managed to generate excitement, give players confidence, it's reassuring the fact that there were boys and girls in the hotels to see the players. As a coach, my job is to make decisions and I've done it."
