Agreement to extend Ernesto Valverde's contract

FC Barcelona and Ernesto Valverde, the first team coach, have reached an agreement to extend the contract between the two parties for another season (2019/20) with the option for one more (2020/21).

The signing of the extension took place on Friday 15 February at 10.15am CET in the Presidential Suite at Camp Nou.

Ernesto Valverde will appear before the press at 5.00pm CET in the media room at the Ciutat Esportiva ahead of the game on Saturday against Real Valladolid.

Record stats

Since his arrival as Barça coach, Valverde has recorded some spectacular numbers only achieved by a select few. In his first season he won both the league title and the Copa del Rey and in 2018/19 he has already added the Spanish Super Cup to that list.

In total the coach has led FC Barcelona in 96 official matches, winning 65, drawing 22 and just 9 defeats. Of those 65 victories, 43 have come in the league, 11 in the Copa del Rey, 10 in the Champions League and one in the Spanish Super Cup.

The Barça coach came within a whisker of leading the side to an undefeated 2017/18 La Liga season. Only a defeat late on in the campaign at Levante prevented the team from making history. The team also scored in 37 consecutive matches in the league, the run only coming to an end last Sunday against Athletic Club.

In his 96 games as Barça coach Valverde has seen his team score 233 goals whilst only conceding 78 (45 clean sheets). Leo Messi is top scorer in the Valverde era with 74 goals, followed by Luis Suárez on 47, Coutinho (18) Dembélé (17), Paulinho and Piqué (9) and Rakitic (8). With regards to assists, Leo Messi leads the way again with 32 then come Suárez (25), Jordi Alba (23), Sergi Roberto (13), Dembélé (12) and Coutinho and Rakitic (11).

Luis Suárez is the player who has played most under Valverde with 7,026 minutes ahead of Piqué (7,024), Ter Stegen (7,020) and Rakitic (6,986). Ivan Rakitic has most games with 89 followed by Sergio Busquets and Messi (83), Luis Suárez (82) and Piqué (81).