Barcelona have announced Ernesto Valverde as their new manager with the 53-year-old handed a two-year contract with the option of an extra season.
Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu announced the new appointment at a press conference on Monday two days after Luis Enrique, who won nine of a possible 13 trophies in three seasons, left the club.
Valverde will be presented officially on Thursday. Bartomeu said: 'I have spoken to him today and he is very happy because this is a very special challenge for him. He has the capacity, the know-how and the experience to do this job.
So what do we need about Ernesto Valverde? Check out the breakdown below.
-Valverde follows in the footsteps of Pep Guardiola, Tito Vilanova and Luis Enrique who all previously played for the club before taking over.
-They all won the league in their first season and Valverde's task is to put Barcelona back at the summit of Spanish football after Real Madrid's title success this season.
-Valverde played for Barcelona for two years, from 1998 until 2000.
-He played 20 games scoring eight goals as a striker and won the Cup Winners Cup and UEFA Cup, before signing for Bilbao where he spent six years.
-This is not Valverde's first job in the city of Barcelona because he coached Espanyol from 2006 to 2008 where he finished as UEFA Cup runners-up.
-He then won three leagues and and two cups with Olympiacos in Greece.
-Valverde played for six teams in a 14-year professional career, including Espanyol, Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, going on to have an extensive spell as a manager including being in charge of all three clubs.
-Over the course of ten seasons he amassed La Liga totals of 264 games and 68 goals, adding 55/9 in Segunda División.
-dailymail
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