Luis Enrique: I leave happy with the job done

Luis Enrique says goodbye to his time as Barça coach by winning the team’s third Copa del Rey title thanks to a 3-1 victory over Alavés in the final played in the Vicente Calderón stadium in Madrid. Speaking after the win, the Asturian said he was satisfied to be leaving the club with the “job done” after another successful cup campaign. Luis Enrique was also happy to dedicate the title to the fans: “The trophy is for everyone, we are a big family. There are lots of people involved in helping the players perform and this shows that things have been done well.”

The final against Alavés saw Barça’s opponents remain “faithful to their style of play, direct football looking for the second ball” whereas his team looked for “a game with pace and few interruptions.”

Summing up his three seasons as Barça coach, he said: “I feel happy because I have enjoyed a lot making Barça fans happy by winning trophies and that makes me proud. I am the one who has decided to stop because it will be the best for me and the for the players, they need potent and intense stimulus. Nine trophies out of 13 is a pretty good record.”

Finally, Luis Enrique described Messi as “from another planet” after another sparkling performance in a final from the Argentine and he also praised Aleix Vidal who “deserved the reward of playing after his efforts to recover from injury.”