Born in GIJON (SPA)
on 08/05/1970

Luis Enrique Martínez García, known as Luis Enrique, was born May 8, 1970 in Gijón, Asturias. He is the current coach of Serie A club A.S. Roma and formerly was a famous football player. His usual position was right or attacking midfielder, but he was known for his versatility. His player career: After starting his career with Sporting de Gijón, Luis Enrique spent most of it with the two big Spanish clubs: first Real Madrid for five seasons and, in a stunning move, he let his contract expire and moved to fierce rivals FC Barcelona on a free transfer. The Catalan club's supporters were at first understandably hesitant about their new acquisition, but he soon won the “culés” heart, staying eight years with the club, eventually becoming first-team captain, and scoring several times in the El Clásico against his former employers. In his first three seasons with Barcelona, Enrique netted 46 La Liga goals, with Barça finishing runner-up in 1996–97 and subsequently winning back-to-back domestic championship accolades. On August 10, 2004, at the age of 34, he announced his retirement: Enrique finished his professional career with league totals of 400 games and 102 goals. During his carrer he also played for Spain in three FIFA World Cups: 1994, 1998 and 2002 (as well as UEFA Euro 1996), and accumulated 62 caps, scoring 12 goals in his international career. He was also a member of the gold-winning squad at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. On June 18, 2008, Luis Enrique started his new career as a coach: he returned to Barcelona, taking over the reins of the B team, renamed Barcelona Atlètic for that season. He succeeded longtime Barça teammate Josep Guardiola and, just as his predecessor, he too eventually had success, helping the club return to division two after an absence of 11 years, in his second season. In May 2011, Enrique announced his departure from Barcelona B at the end of the season, and in June 2011, he reached an agreement with Serie A club A.S. Roma to become the Giallorossi's new head coach. He signed a two-year contract, and was joined by a staff of four members.