Former Newcastle United flop lands shock new role with national team following World Cup exit

Former Newcastle United forward Albert Luque has landed a key new role with the Spanish national team.

The 44-year-old joined United in a reported £9.5m move from La Liga club Deportivo la Coruna in August 2005 but endured an injury-stricken two-year spell on Tyneside. After making his debut in a 2-0 home defeat against Manchester United, Luque went on to score just three goals in 34 appearances for the Magpies.

Despite being seen as something of a flop, Luque was bestowed with a terrace chant after scoring the fourth goal in Newcastle’s memorable 4-1 win at Sunderland in April 2006, with his other strikes coming in an Intertoto Cup draw with Lillestrom and a famous UEFA Cup win at Serie A club Palermo. Ending his career with spells at Ajax and Spanish club Malaga, Luque was named on the staff of Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales and has now been appointed as new sporting director of La Roja as part of a restructure following their elimination from the World Cup Finals.

A statement released by the Federation read: “The National Team will face a restructuring with a new management model in the sports field after José Francisco Molina’s decision not to renew his contract and end his stage in the RFEF after the Qatar World Cup to make way for a new sports project.

“Albert Luque will be the new director of the National Team. Francis Hernández, who will remain the coordinator of the lower teams, will be his deputy. José Francisco Molina will leave the sports management at the beginning of 2023. Molina joined the RFEF in 2018. Under his management, the national team managed to reach two UEFA Nations League Final Four and a Euro 2020 semifinals.

“As sports director and responsible for all the men’s teams, he also won an under-21 European, an under-19 European and an Olympic silver medal in Tokyo 2020, among other successes. After the Qatar World Cup, he will face new professional challenges. The RFEF thanks Molina for his professionalism, his work and his commitment to the growth of the National Team and Spanish football.”