FIFA World Cup 2022: Luis Enrique removed as Spain manager after Round of 16 exit

Luis Enrique has left his role as the manager of the Spanish national team after their Round of 16 exit at the FIFA World Cup.

Barring his Spanish side's thumping 7-0 win against Costa Rica in their opening group encounter, his side's gameplay was termed 'boring' by many experts. They were held to a 1-1 draw by Germany before losing to Japan 1-2 in their final group match. The final blow came in the form of Morocco, who beat them in the penalty shootout where Spain couldn't even score one spot-kick.

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Enrique, who had taken charge of La Roja back in 2018 led his side to the semi-finals of Euro 2020, where they lost to eventual champions Italy.

While there were question marks over Enrique's future following his side's early exit, Enrique refrained from making any comments in Qatar. But now with the team back home, the Spanish Football Federation issued a statement announcing the 52-year-old will no longer continue in his role. They also announced that Spain Under-21 boss Luis de la Fuente will take over as the new manager of the senior team.

Enrique, before becoming the national team manager, had won 2 La Liga titles, 3 Copa Del Reys and a Champions League title with Barcelona between 2014-2017.