Luis Enrique has quit as Spain head coach, just two days after La Roja crashed out of World Cup 2022 in the last 16 on penalties to Morocco.
The former Real Madrid and Barcelona man had been in charge of his country since the summer of 2018 and guided them to the semi-finals of last year's Euros.
But his decision to call it a day comes as little surprise, following Spain's ultimately underwhelming showing in Qatar.
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Still a young team in transition, the 2010 champions weren't under any great pressure to regain the trophy this time around – but they would have been expected to go deeper into the tournament, and win more than one game.
🔴 OFICIAL | La @RFEF agradece a @LUISENRIQUE21 su trabajo al frente de la @SEFutbol 🔗 https://t.co/6Cib6cpJ1l#GraciasLuisEnrique pic.twitter.com/wkAIMu2utdDecember 8, 2022
Their 7-0 demolition of Costa Rica in their opening match might have had them – and their fans – daring to dream, but it soon became clear that that was rather a freak result, facilitated by weak opposition.
A 1-1 draw with Germany and 2-1 defeat to Japan saw Spain scrape through the group stage as runners-up – setting up a last-16 meeting with Morocco.
And there they ended up paying the price for Luis Enrique's unpopular approach: aesthetically pleasing, sure, but all too often lacking in cutting edge.
That held true in the shootout, too: Pablo Sarabia, Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets all missed from the spot as Morocco won the shootout 3-0.
