FCBARCELONA.CAT

19.06.2008 18:14

From the grass to the benches

Jesús Carrillo/Sandra Sarmiento

Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique Martínez are the new managers of the first and reserve teams, after playing together at the club for five years.

The man who took the captain’s armband from Pep Guardiola in the Barça first team will now be in charge of Barça Atlètic. Luis Enrique and Pep Guardiola both won their coaching badges at the Ciudad del Fútbol de Las Rozas. “They were the best in the campaign”, confessed president Joan Laporta, as he now sees the duo taking two key coaching roles at the club.

Three titles with Robson

Luis Enrique came to Barça in 96, in a season of many changes, with Johan Cruyff’s eight year spell in command coming to an end and Bobby Robson taking over. José Mari Bakero left for Mexico soon after and Guardiola became Barça captain. Pep was already an ever-present and the Asturian soon followed suit. Together they won the Cup Winners Cup in Rotterdam against PSG, the Copa del Rey at the Bernabéu against Betis and the Spanish Super Cup against Atlético Madrid.

Two league under Van Gaal

With 29 goals in two seasons, Luis Enrique was one of the stars of the league victories in 1997/98 and 1998/99. Dutchman Louis van Gaal was the manager, but Josep Guardiola and was sidelined for several months with a muscle injury. In the first year under Van Gaal, he only played six league games, but still won the Copa del Rey against Mallorca at Mestalla.

New captain

By 2001 Luis Enrique was one of the main men in the squad and when Guardiola said he was leaving for Italy after eleven seasons at Barça, it was he who took over the captaincy. In 2004, he would hand the armband on to 2004 Carles Puyol.