Official: Luis de la Fuente replaces Luis Enrique as the Spain coach

Official: Luis de la Fuente replaces Luis Enrique as the Spain coach

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Luis Enrique will leave his role after the World Cup exit this week

Luis de la Fuente has replaced Luis Enrique as Spain coach, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have confirmed. 

The RFEF announced earlier on Thursday that Luis Enrique would not carry on in the role after the World Cup elimination to Morocco in the last 16. 

A separate statement then confirmed that U21 coach De la Fuente would replace him. 

Luis Enrique took over in 2018 after Julen Lopetegui left for Real Madrid and led Spain to the semifinals at Euro 2020, losing to eventual winners Italy. 

At this year's World Cup in Qatar he helped Spain out of the group, with Germany knocked out in the process, but then lost on penalties to Morocco. 

With his contract expiring this month, the RFEF said the decision had been made to start a new project with a new person in charge. 

De la Fuente, 61, has been coaching Spanish youth teams since 2013, working first with the U19s before taking the U21 post in 2018. 

He also took charge of an U23 side at the Olympics in Tokyo last summer, losing to Brazil in the final to win a silver medal. 

In that role, as well as his position with the U21s, he has worked with a number of the players currently involved with the Spain senior side, including the likes of Pedri, Ansu Fati and Alejandro Balde. 

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