Luis Enrique has signed a two-year contract to take over as Barcelona Coach from this summer.
The former midfielder left Celta Vigo this term after guiding the Celestes to ninth in the table, drawing praise for their attacking style of play.
And following Tata Martino’s decision to leave, the Blaugrana have acted quickly in appointing him as successor.
“The FC Barcelona Board of Directors have this evening confirmed Luis Enrique Martíneza the new first team Coach, following a proposal from Sporting Director Andoni Zubizarreta. Luis Enrique, 44 , will sign a two year deal,” a statement on the club’s website read.
“This will be Luis Enrique’s third spell at the Club, having previously joined as a player from Real Madrid in 1996, when he soon became a firm favourite with the fans for his competitive attitude. In addition, his versatility, knack of scoring big goals and technical ability made him a key member of the team.
“In his first three seasons he won two League titles, two Spanish Cups, a European Cup Winners Cup and a European Super Cup . In his eight years as a player, Luis Enrique played 300 games and scored 109 goals and was captain from 2002 to 2004, when he finally hung up his boots as a player.
“In 2008, he was back at the Club, taking over as coach of Barça B and after just missing out in his first year, he won promotion to the second division in his second, taking the youngsters to a record breaking points haul and finishing the 2010/11 season in third place.”
