OFFICIAL: Barcelona Confirm Ernesto Valverde As New Manager
Reuters / Henry Browne
Barcelona have announced that Ernesto Valverde will take over from Luis Enrique as their new manager. The former Athletic Bilbao manager will now move to Camp Nou.
The 53-year old was speculated to be one of the front-runners for the job. Some were even suggesting his name before Luis Enrique announced he would be stepping down at the end of the season. Athletic’s announcement earlier in the month that Valverde would leave the club made it all the more clear.
After the Copa del Rey final, Enrique’s term was over, and he said that he had no regrets about his tenure. The footballing world was waiting for the Catalan giants to make their announcement, and they did it through Twitter late Monday evening.
Ernesto Valverde is the new @FCBarcelona coach.
Welcome, Ernesto!#HolaValverde pic.twitter.com/XBjdEztHRe— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 29, 2017
Keeping in-line with their latest trend of picking managers who had earlier played for the Blaugrana, the former Villarreal manager was chosen. While playing for Barcelona as a forward, Valverde won a UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup and a Copa del Rey. He made 22 appearances for them from 1988 to 1990, scoring 8 goals in the process.