Luis Enrique will not be renewing his contract as the manager of FC Barcelona, after the 2016-17 season. He made the announcement during his press conference shortly after the team’s 6-1 win over Sporting Gijón on Wednesday. He is currently in his third season in charge of the first team.

“It would be good for me to rest”

The Asturian explained his decision: “During the pre-season, I had a meeting with Albert Soler and Robert Fernández and I informed them that there was a chance of not renewing. They, on behalf of the Club, reassured me that there was no pressure. That moment has now arrived and I announce it to you”.

“The way I have to live in this profession is with a relentless search for solutions and to improve the team. This means very little time to relax and disconnect. At the end of the season it would be good for me to rest.”

8 Trophies And Counting

In what has to be described as a very successful time at the helm, Enrique has won 8 out of a possible 10 titles so far. Having taken over from Gerardo Martino as the FC Barcelona manager, he won 7 out of 9 titles contested in his first 2 seasons, including the treble in his first season in 2014-15.

This season, Barcelona have already won the Spanish Super Cup, and are still in contention in 3 other competitions. They are in the finals of the Copa del Rey, and are favourites to lift the trophy against Alaves. They are currently top of La Liga with a one-point lead over arch rivals Real Madrid, albeit having played a game extra. They are also in the Round of 16 of the Champions League, but face an uphill task to qualify for the quarter finals against Paris Saint-Germain, having lost the first leg 4-0 away at the Parc des Princes.

Luis Enrique acknowledged the work left for the rest of the season, saying “We have three exciting months left, three months in all competitions. In one of them, of course, we are in a difficult situation, but, with everyone’s help, I am sure we will have an opportunity to turn it around.”