6 candidates who can replace Luis Enrique at Barcelona
By Thuya Kyaw
5. Eusebio Sacristan
Eusebio Sacristan is yet another former Barcelona player, who has shared the locker room in Camp Nou with all the other candidates in this list apart from Jorge Sampaoli.
Sacristan holds a strong bond with the Catalan club, playing his trade from 1988 to 1995 and winning up to 11 titles. Upon retiring, he quickly earned his coaching badges to work alongside Frank Rijkaard as an assistant for Barcelona from 2003 to 2008. After unsuccessful spell in Celta Vigo, he returned to the club and took over Barcelona B in 2011.
Since leaving Barcelona B in 2015, he has established himself as one of the top coaches in Spain by resurrecting Real Sociedad who were a mess following Jagoba Arrasate and David Moyes’ regimes. He took over in November from Moyes while Sociedad were in the 18th place and pushed them up to a ninth place finish by the end of the season. This season, he has them playing some beautiful football as they are currently fifth on the table fighting for a Champions League spot.
His work in Sociedad has been recognized by many people, notably the 81-year-old Barcelona legend Luis Suarez. The 1960 Ballon d’Or winner told Cadena SER radio recently that his choice for the potential successor is Sacristan and admitted he has the Basque club playing good football.