Spain coach Luis Enrique opens up at World Cup

Bicycle rides. Streaming classes. Instagram posts. Honest talks about intercourse, politics and his late daughter.

Luis Enrique, not way back seen as probably the most uptight coaches in soccer, has opened up on the World Cup.

He has been extra accessible than ever in Qatar, exhibiting his lighter facet and giving unprecedented insights about himself.

While the matches go on, the 52-year-old Luis Enrique has been going out of his strategy to join with followers and speak about probably the most diversified — and controversial — topics.

“Good morning. It’s Day 20 at the training camp,” he stated in a video filmed by himself and posted on Instagram Saturday.

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“I start the morning in the best possible way, going to the gym. It’s about 7:20 a.m. and I would like to greet all fans, especially those in Barcelona who get together to watch the matches of the national team.” He completed the video by singing a part of a tune that he stated represented Spain’s hopes of staying in Qatar till the ultimate.

Luis Enrique has clearly put within the effort to alter his picture.

He stunned everybody when he introduced earlier than the World Cup that he can be performing some reside streaming on Twitch throughout the event. His variety of followers within the platform went from about 50,000 to greater than 790,000 since his announcement.

“Streamers of the world, move aside,” he had stated.

It’s been throughout his streams that the coach has talked overtly about some provocative topics.

Luis Enrique stated he permits gamers to have intercourse earlier than matches as a result of it’s “something very normal’ as long as they don’t get “into an orgy the night before a match, which would not be ideal.” He talked just a few occasions in regards to the relationship of his older daughter with Spain ahead Ferran Torres, joking that he would drop the participant from the squad instantly if he scored a objective after which celebrated in any manner alluding to a child.

The coach additionally delved into politics at one level, giving recommendation to native politicians and saying they need to all depart their posts if they will’t fulfil not less than half of their guarantees within the first 12 months.

In one other stream, he didn’t hesitate to reply a fan’s query on whether or not he wore boxers or briefs “I wear thongs! You don’t wear thongs?” he stated with a giant snort.

“It’s a joke — if my wife sees this she will kill me.” Luis Enrique, who runs Ironman triathlons and has posted just a few photographs of him shirtless and in fine condition whereas in Qatar, additionally talked about his weight loss plan, meals preferences, relationship websites and soccer ideas.

He promised to get a piercing and dye his hair if Spain wins the World Cup.

The coach stated he’ll ultimately donate what he earns along with his streams.

On Instagram, Luis Enrique has typically posted photos of his bicycle rides in Qatar, together with one by the Lusail Stadium the place the World Cup closing will likely be performed — he stated “hopefully we’ll be there” to attempt to win the title.

Luis Enrique has all the time been an avid biker, and in a call-up of Spain’s squad earlier than the World Cup, he introduced the names of the gamers in a prerecorded video whereas pedalling by backcountry roads close to Madrid.

It was in one of many posts of his rides that Luis Enrique remembered his late daughter Xana Martínez, who died three years in the past from a uncommon type of bone most cancers. He despatched her effectively needs from his bike in Qatar the day she would have turned 13.

Later in a post-match information convention, Luis Enrique opened up in regards to the “special day” for him and his household.

“Obviously we don’t have our daughter with us physically anymore, but she is still present every day,” he stated.

“We remember her a lot, we laugh and think about how she would act in each situation that we experience.” The former Barcelona participant and coach briefly left the nationwide group after discovering out about his daughter’s most cancers.

This is Luis Enrique’s first World Cup as a coach, and he’s making an attempt to guide Spain to its second world title. La Roja will face Morocco within the spherical of 16 on Tuesday.

Some have stated Luis Enrique’s change has been a part of a much bigger advertising and marketing technique by the Spanish soccer federation to enhance the picture of the nationwide group. But he ensures it has all come very naturally to him.

“This is me,” he stated, dismissing a fan who instructed the coach was drunk whereas streaming.