It has been a secret but two days after the victory in the Copa del Rey final, the club have announced Ernesto Valverde as the new coach.
Ernesto Valverde will follow Luis Enrique and comes to Barcelona with the endorsement of Atletic Bilbao, where he enjoyed unforgettable years. Including moments of brilliance in Espanyol, Olympiakos, Villareal and Valencia.
It is the first major challenge in Spain for Valverde, who will fight for winning titles.
With Atletico, Valverde won La Supercopa in 2015.In Greece, he won with Olympiacos three times the league and two times the national cup.
During his football career, he played two seasons for Barcelona. His best moments as a player were in Espanyol Barcelona and afterward in Atletic.
His career as a coach started in 2003, he brought his team (Atletic Bilbao) to the first league. The second season ended badly, including discussions with the president Lamikiz who wanted him to leave the club. In soccer he did well, reaching a good position (ninth) and entering the Copa semifinals.
He spent a year without coaching, but then he arrived in Espanyol Barcelona. Surprisingly, he brought his team to the UEFA final. In this final, they lost against Sevilla after penalties. One year later Espanyol reached the tenth position.
His good level in Spain opened the doors for Olympiakos. In the first year, his team won the League and the national cup. After this great success, Valverde went to Villareal, where he was dismissed in the middle of the season. His bad start was decisive for his departure from the club.
He returned to Olympiacos, where he stayed two more seasons, winning two more titles in the league and the national cup. He left Greece again. He tried to bring Valencia to the Champions League. They were third of LaLiga. In the quarter-finals of the Champions League, PSG won against Valencia 3:2. In the next season, Valencia lost the last game against Sevilla 3:4. That is the reason why Valverde left the club.
Afterwards, he coached Atletic Bilbao. During his four seasons, his team played several finals. The most memorable game was the Supercopa final 2015. They won against Barcelona 4:0.
This is maybe one good reason, why Barcelona decided to choose Valverde.In the Nou Camp stadium, he will have to prove if he is the right coach at the right time.