What did come as a surprise, though, was the timing of his announcement. Barca hammered Sporting Gijon on Wednesday -- moving top of the league -- and as another typically mundane Luis Enrique news conference drew to an end, a couple of things caught the eye.

First of all, he was wearing a suit. That in itself is not out of the ordinary -- although he doesn't often go all out -- but it did draw a comment from one journalist, who jokingly wondered if he'd dressed up out of respect for his hometown club, Sporting.

As Barca's press officer Sergi Nogueras allowed one last question, Luis Enrique began to appear increasingly agitated. He usually looks relieved and keen to leave. After answering the final question, he looked at Nogueras and asked if that had indeed been the final question. It had.

"Right, I would like to take advantage of this news conference to let you know," he said, addressing the journalists packed into the Ricard Maxenchs press room.

"To let you know that I will not be manager of Barcelona next season."

It was a real drop-the-mic moment. Although he didn't drop the mic. He continued to thank the club for three wonderful years, explained his decision.

"It's the way I have to live this profession, constantly looking to improve, which means I have very little time to rest," Luis Enrique explained before calling for focus between now and the end of the campaign.

The manager then stood up, left the stage and left everyone else open-mouthed. Not open-mouthed because they didn't expect it -- several may even have known what he'd decided already -- but because they did not expect it so soon.

It's been an open secret for months that Luis Enrique was likely to leave in the summer. Despite boasting a better win ratio than any other Barca manager (76 percent from 164 games) and having won eight trophies since taking charge in 2014, with a treble in his first season followed by a double last season, this has not been an altogether smooth ride. And even in the parts where it has, the credit has often gone elsewhere.

After a loss at Real Sociedad in January of his first season in charge, Luis Enrique was on the brink of the sack. However, he came through that period with his job intact -- which is more than can be said for Andoni Zubizarreta -- and the Champions League, La Liga and the Copa del Rey followed.

Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were considered the main reasons for that success, though. There was never a great deal of talk of Luis Enrique's role in the trophies. It's a trend which continued into his second season in charge, which saw more success in La Liga and the Copa del Rey, but the Blaugrana came up short in the Champions League.

Around the time they were knocked out of Europe by Atletico Madrid, they also began to wobble in the league. A hefty lead at the top disappeared and they ended up winning the title on the final day by one point.

Since then, Luis Enrique has been under the microscope. He has spent a large part of the last 12 months shooting down campaigns complaining that his Barca are no longer Barca. Among other things, they're accused of losing control in midfield and becoming too dependent on the attacking trident.

Despite being a former Barcelona player, a one-time manager of the club's B team and, publicly, a fan of the club's ideals, that's not always been enough for everyone.

On top of that, Luis Enrique himself had already admitted he'd grown tired with the demands of the role in a Christmas interview with Barca TV. It was the first big hint that he would not continue at the helm into next season.

There are many other elements which mean the decision has not come as a complete bolt from the blue, too. Elements which mean he's made the right decision. There's the increasing tension between him and the media, for one. Before last weekend's game against Atletico he batted away questions more erratically than normal. He took just 11 minutes to bat away queries from 19 journalists.

With that backdrop, it's even become routine for Sevilla's Jorge Sampaoli and Athletic Bilbao's Ernesto Valverde, who are likely to be two of the leading candidates to take over in Catalonia, to be constantly asked if they would fancy the job.

President Josep Maria Bartomeu admits the search will begin in earnest, but before any announcements are made, Luis Enrique still has three months worth of games to complete. There may very well be more trophies, too.

There's a Copa del Rey final against Alaves and La Liga is very much back alive after Real Madrid dropped five points over the last week. As for the Champions League, Luis Enrique's not completely ruling out a comeback against Paris Saint-Germain.

"With the help of everyone -- and if the stars align -- we can turn things around," he said as he announced his departure.

But even without more success this season, he will be remembered as one of the club's most successful managers ever. That doesn't mean he's wrong to walk away -- even if his timing caught people by surprise.