BARCELONA -- The Spanish national team will debut on Saturday in the 2018 World Cup with a highly demanding test against Portugal... But in Spain, nobody is talking about Portugal. If anything, it is recalled that a few months ago, Julen Lopetegui considered Lionel Messi "undeniable" as the best soccer player in the world, adding spice to his arrival at Real Madrid with Cristiano Ronaldo as the center of the media earthquake that was organized when his signing for the Madridista club was announced, but the focus is hardly on the World Cup match.
The Spanish soccer scene was revolutionized when the agreement between Real Madrid and the Basque coach was revealed, and from the media impact that this caused, speculation suddenly emerged to find out who will be his successor as the national team coach. Luis Enrique appeared in the limelight, along with Michel, Albert Celades, Rafa Benitez, or Quique Setien. And to expand the list, some mentioned Quique Sanchez Flores or even Paco Jemez.
"I WOULD LIKE TO. AND VERY MUCH."
This Wednesday, a press conference is scheduled in which Luis Rubiales and Julen Lopetegui will presumably explain all the arguments and events that led to the abrupt departure of the coach from the Spain national team, although it is not expected that the president of the federation will provide many clues regarding who could be his successor, with Luis Enrique Martinez as an undisputed candidate. Or so it is believed.
"I would like to coach the national team, yes. And very much," admitted Asturian coach Luis Enrique in October 2015, at the time in charge of Barcelona, when asked about the speculation that Del Bosque would leave the position after the 2016 Euro Cup. When that happened, Luis Enrique was still at Camp Nou and Villar surprised with the choice of Lopetegui, who did not hesitate to break the commitment he had reached to coach Wolverhampton because, as he stated, "such an opportunity cannot be missed."
Two years later, the Basque coach had to solve the fact that the opportunity with Real Madrid could not be missed either, and he passed on to the federation the hot potato of the succession, which, it was said, Michel could also aspire to.
Much like Luis Enrique, Michel does not currently have a team, he has a strong presence in Spain, and, like Lucho, he maintains a very good relationship with Fernando Hierro, the sports director of the federation, who along with Luis Rubiales should determine the name of the new national team coach.
Paco Jemez, who also was mentioned for the position three years ago, and Quique Sanchez Flores currently do not have a team either, although their chances would be much lower. The same could be said for Rafa Benitez, in charge of Newcastle; Ernesto Valverde, at Barca; or Marcelino, at Valencia.
All of them have appeared in the spotlight, as have two other names that have a special influence. One is Quique Setien, a coach who has returned Betis to Europe and is known to be highly regarded by Rubiales, and the other is Albert Celades, who coaches the U21 national team and is seen as a natural successor in federation circles.
However, it is considered very unlikely that Setien could leave the helm of Betis, and Celades, initially, does not have the media impact necessary to be considered among the favorites.
Therefore, amidst reproaches or defenses of the operation orchestrated by Florentino Perez, which has caused a true earthquake around the national team, the name that emerges to the forefront is that of Luis Enrique Martinez, to whom, at first, it seems that his strong character will not diminish his chances.