When Luis Enrique announced he was going to stream his adventures as the manager of Spain’s men’s national team at the FIFA World Cup, it was a cause for celebration among fans.
The idea was it would offer behind-the-scenes footage like never before, and keep fans in the loop about internal affairs straight from the horse’s mouth rather than through the media circus. And, no surprise—it was a hit. Enrique became the fastest-growing streamer on Twitch in the span of a little under a month.
But as Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, the flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.
It all came crashing down when Spain barely scraped through the group stage only to be knocked out in the Round of 16 after losing 3 to 0 against Morocco in a nail-biting penalty shootout.
It was well short of the mark, and as a result, Enrique was sacked. People assumed Enrique’s antics on Twitch, which went from being described as a brilliant idea to a needless distraction, played a part. But the Royal Spanish Football Federation insisted the manager’s fledgling streaming career had nothing to do with the decision.
“It was a communication from the RFEF in which we told Luis Enrique that we are pursuing another project,” they said during a press conference unveiling his replacement.
“Two and a half years ago we decided we were not going to talk until after the World Cup,” they added. “Luis Enrique did not tell me that he wanted to continue because the conversation went along the lines of one project ending and another beginning. It’s nothing to do with Twitch, bicycles, or anything else. We simply agreed… it was time for a new project.”
Enrique has been replaced by Luis de la Fuente, who previously managed the under-21’s Spanish men’s national team and led them to win a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. He’s remained tight-lipped about his future.
It’s unclear whether he’ll return to managing a club, or another national team, or if he’ll build on his newfound success as a breakout Twitch streamer.
The latter seems unlikely, but Enrique may want to keep growing there.
