Luis Enrique Not Surprised by Morocco's Achievement, but Argentina's Champion to Win the 2022 World Cup

Former coach of the Spanish national team, Luis Enrique. (Photo: Instagram/@SEFutbol)

JAKARTA - The former coach of the Spanish national team, Luis Enrique, admits that he is not surprised by Morocco's achievements at the 2022 World Cup. However, he prefers Argentina to win.

Enrique praised Morocco's journey to reach the semifinals after eliminating Portugal in the quarter-finals. According to him, the Lion of Atlas really deserved it

"No one will be surprised if Morocco reaches the final. See how crazy it is, but very deserved", said Enrique as quoted by Marca, Tuesday, December 13.

However, Enrique did not see Morocco coming out as champion. He is more of a candidate for Argentina in the continuation of the championship race this time.

This was stated by Enrique because he wanted his former teammate at Barcelona, Lionel Messi, to end his international career with a world title.

"If I had to choose, I would want Argentina to win because of what Leo Messi means to football", he said.

Argentina's step toward the championship ladder is not easy. The Albiceleste will face the 2018 World Cup runners-up, Croatia in the semifinals.

The duel between the two teams will take place at the Lusail Stadium on Wednesday, December 14 in the morning WIB. If they win, Argentina will meet the winner of the match between France and Morocco.

Meanwhile, Enrique himself can only be a spectator for the remainder of the 2022 World Cup. The Spanish national team under his care only lasted until the round of 16.

Interestingly, La Furia Roja was eliminated after losing to Morocco. The African representatives won 3-0 in a shootout.

Feeling responsible for this failure, Enrique immediately decided to resign from his position as coach after returning from Qatar.

"The bad thing is that in 90 minutes or 120 minutes, as it happened, everything can go to hell. We didn't play a good game against Morocco", said Enrique.

"I've been in charge of the national team for four years and now is the time to count, I'm very calm about what I've done and what I've tried. We've managed to generate enthusiasm and the desire to see the team again", he said.