Luis Enrique profile

Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar - the lethal MSN strikeforce - all scored in a 6-1 thrashing of lowly Sporting Gijon, the club with whom their boss, Luis Enrique, started his career.

The victory restored Barcelona to a position from which they could quite feasibly catch leaders Real Madrid and retain the LaLiga crown already captured twice during Enrique's successful reign.

After full-time, though, there came the surprise of a death knell for the Galician's time in Catalonia.

"It's a very difficult decision for me," Enrique told a room full of journalists on March 1, 2017. "These three years have been unforgettable. I need a rest and that's the main reason - the time has come."

Cynics might say fatigue was not the overriding factor convincing Enrique his tenure was at an end.

Weeks before the Gijon game Barca had suffered the ignominy of a 4-0 defeat at Paris St Germain in the Champions League. The then 46-year-old faced unprecedented criticism - would he be able to rescue the situation and guide the Catalans into the quarter-finals?

The answer turned out to be yes as Enrique oversaw a remarkable 6-1 comeback that somewhat vindicated his insistence on rapid wing-play which defied the established Pep Guardiola template.

In Enrique's system star striker Messi's influence was slightly reduced and rumours of deep rifts between the Argentinian and his boss were rife for the duration of their working relationship.

Managers come and go, whatever their achievements, but Barca fans would not stand for any marginalisation of the club's all-time leading goalscorer, a true once-in-a-generation superstar.

Enrique's prickly demeanour with the press did not help his cause either.

Following the Paris debacle he lost his temper with a Catalan reporter, haranguing him for ignoring the team's successes.

Key players Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets publicly criticised Enrique after that game, too, and with only Gerard Pique speaking up in support it seemed he was losing his grip on the dressing room.

Many results in t he recently-concluded league campaign were not up to scratch and the cracks were beginning to show in September when Barca were beaten at home by promoted Alaves.

A sloppy defeat at Celta Vigo - another of Enrique's former employers - followed and a run of three straight draws allowed Real to pull clear as they targeted a first title in five years.

Despite declaring his summer abdication Enrique managed to get his squad onside and pull things back together. Come the end of the season Barca were only three points from glory.

It has been strange to witness a star fade so quickly as Enrique had enjoyed a triumphant homecoming to the club he served so well as a midfielder, winning the treble at the first attempt and following it up with a more modest double.

After leading Barca out for the final time in Saturday's Copa del Rey final against Alaves, he will take a year's sabbatical before considering his next move.

When ready, he will hope Europe's top clubs recall his stunning start rather than his doleful farewell.