IN THE WAKE OF A HUMILIATING WORLD CUP EXIT, SPAIN'S MANAGER LUIS ENRIQUE HAS RESIGNED

By Rashmi Goel

Following Spain's humiliating World Cup exit, Luis Enrique has stepped down as their manager following his resignation as a result. It has already been announced that the contract of the former Barcelona manager is set to expire at the end of the year, and already the now-former Spain Under-21 manager Luis de la Fuente has been appointed to take over the position. RFEF, the Spanish Football Federation, issued a statement in which it expressed its gratitude to Luis Enrique - and his coaching staff - for being in charge of the national team over the past few years.

In the midst of his tenure, Enrique took five months off as a result of the tragic death of his nine-year-old daughter, Xana. In the aftermath of returning to his post and managing Spain to the semi-finals of the Euro 2020 tournament, the 52-year-old was tipped to lead his nation to a deep run at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. The Spanish team was beaten 0-0 on penalties by Morocco in the round of 16 on Tuesday. It followed a byzantine shootout in which Spain missed three spot kicks following their shock defeat in a shootout, as Enrique took the blame for the shock result and hinted at his departure in the aftermath.

As he admitted, it is not the right moment to discuss my future right now. We will speak next week and possibly discuss it," he said. On his team's performance, which was criticized by many for being easy on the eye but lacking in front of the goal, Enrique said that he is the one who is responsible for this. In my opinion, my team has done a good job representing my theory and my style. I am delighted with them. We are happy to have won. I cannot complain about Morocco. This was a beautiful game for children throughout the world. This is football, this is life, whether you like it or not."

He A number of things went on in his response to the interview. "Right now, I'm looking forward to getting back to my home to see my family and my dogs and to be with them. I suppose we'll discuss the future next week if the [RFEF] president considers it appropriate to do so. At the moment, that means nothing to me, since we need to deal with this disappointment in the most effective manner." Enrique is now available for a club manager position, and he's still regarded as one of the best managers in the country. It is no surprise that he will be sought after manager by a host of ambitious clubs after leading Barcelona to a historic treble in 2015 to cap off an excellent first season at Camp Nou.

If he had been willing to leave his post in Spain prior to the World Cup in June, he was reported to have been a candidate for the Manchester United job this summer. It has been rumored for some time now that he can succeed Pep Guardiola when the Spaniard eventually leaves Manchester City, as he did when he left Barcelona. Guardiola, however, signed a new contract until 2025 last month, which means Enrique could have to wait for quite some time