10 Jun 2015

Enrique and Alves re-sign with Barca

6:08 am on 10 June 2015

The Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has ended uncertainty over his future by agreeing a one-year contract extension with the Spanish and European football champions until the end of the 2016-17 season.

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu announced the agreement at a news conference assessing a season in which the Catalan giants won a treble of Champions League and domestic league and Cup titles in Luis Enrique's first term in charge.

The former Barca and Spain midfielder, who was upset with the sacking of sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta in January, had refused to say whether he would stay on when quizzed about his future after Sunday's 3-1 win over Juventus in the Champions League final.

Barca became the first team to win the treble in the same season on two occasions, repeating their feat from 2009.

Barcelona also announced that defender Dani Alves has agreed to two-year contract extension to the end of the 2016-17 season with an option for a further year.

Alves, a Brazil international, joined Barca from Sevilla in 2008 and has played a key role in a golden period for the Catalan club, winning 19 trophies including three Champions Leagues, five La Liga titles and three King's Cups.

The 32-year-old has made 343 appearances, more than any other non-Spaniard, and is one of seven players who won a treble of Europe's elite club competition and the domestic league and Cup in both 2008-09 and again in 2014-15.

One of the most popular members of the squad and a close friend of Argentina forward Lionel Messi, Alves will face stiff competition for his place at right back after Barca signed Aleix Vidal from Sevilla earlier this week.

Spain international Vidal will, however, be unable to play until January as Barca have been banned by FIFA from the transfer market until then over irregularities in the signing of foreign under-18 players.

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