Ernesto Valverde Tejedor (born 9 February 1964) is a Spanish
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activitie ...
and former player who played as a
forward. He is the current manager of
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Banco Santander, Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaL ...
club
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country of Spain. They are known as ''Los L ...
.
Over ten seasons, he amassed
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Banco Santander, Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaL ...
totals of 264 games and 68 goals, adding 55 matches and nine goals in
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the L ...
. He played for six teams in a 14-year professional career, including
Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league s ...
,
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
and
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country of Spain. They are known as ''Los L ...
.
Valverde later went on to have an extensive spell as a manager, including being in charge of all three clubs. He won
the double with
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a numbe ...
in
2008–09 and
2011–12, and Barcelona in
2017–18.
Playing career
Valverde was born in the village of
Viandar de la Vera
Viandar de la Vera is a small location in Spain, located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura
Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala language, Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous ...
,
Province of Cáceres,
Extremadura
Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...
.
[ After making his professional debut in ]Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the L ...
– Deportivo Alavés and Sestao Sport Club
Sestao Sport Club was a Spanish football club based in Sestao, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. Founded it 1916 it held home matches at ''Campo Municipal de las Llanas'', with a capacity of 8,900 seats.
History
Sestao managed to p ...
– he was transferred to RCD Español
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league ...
in 1986, making his La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Banco Santander, Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaL ...
debut on 31 August in a 1–1 away draw against Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based i ...
. In a season that included a second stage he ended with 43 league appearances, scoring seven goals; in his final year, he was part of the squad that lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
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* Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
*Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
the 1988 UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
on penalties
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
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* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
* Penalty ...
to Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, ...
.
Subsequently, Valverde played two years at FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Found ...
, winning a Copa del Rey
The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
and a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tourn ...
, although he appeared sparingly in the process (only 13 minutes against Lech Poznań
Kolejowy Klub Sportowy Lech Poznań S.A., commonly referred to as KKS Lech Poznań or simply Lech Poznań (), is a Polish professional association football, football club based in Poznań and currently competing in the Ekstraklasa, the nation' ...
in the latter tournament).[ However, in his second season he netted six times in only 12 games, including braces in consecutive wins over ]Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. (), commonly known as Real Sporting, Sporting Gijón, or simply Sporting (although in an international context this can lead to confusion with Sporting Clube de Portugal) is a Spanish football club from Gijón, ...
(2–0) and Valencia CF (2–1).
Valverde left for Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country of Spain. They are known as ''Los L ...
in 1990, being eligible although he was born in Extremadura (he moved to the Basque Country while still an infant). He played six seasons with the team, scoring 20 league goals from 1992 to 1994 before moving to RCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca, S.A.D. (, ca, Reial Club Deportiu Mallorca , ''Royal Sporting Club Mallorca''), commonly known as Real Mallorca or just Mallorca is a Spanish professional football club based in Palma on the island of Majorca in ...
, where he was relatively used as the Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands ( es, Islas Baleares ; or ca, Illes Balears ) are an archipelago in the Balearic Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago is an autonomous community and a province of Spain; its capital is ...
club achieved top-flight promotion, and retired the following summer aged 33; during his time at Athletic, he was nicknamed ''Txingurri'' ( Basque for ant).
Valverde played once for Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
, appearing 20 minutes in a 2–1 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifier
In linguistics, a modifier is an optional element in phrase structure or clause structure which ''modifies'' the meaning of another element in the structure. For instance, the adjective "red" acts as a modifier in the noun phrase "red ball", prov ...
win against Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...
on 10 October 1990, in Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Penins ...
.
Coaching career
Spain and Greece
Immediately after retiring, Valverde began his career as a manager in the youth departments of former club Athletic Bilbao. Four years later he became a co-trainer in the main squad and, in 2002, he again acted as head coach when he took over the B side, being promoted to first-team duties the following year; in 2003–04, they finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Cup.
After one year out of football, Valverde joined another old acquaintance, Espanyol. During his first season, the Catalans managed to reach another UEFA Cup final – 19 years later – again losing on penalties, to fellow Spaniards Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club () is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It plays in Spanish football's top flight, La Liga. Sevilla have won the UEFA ...
.
On 28 May 2008, Valverde was appointed coach at Super League Greece
The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...
club Olympiacos FC
Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σ.Φ.Π. ), known simply as Olympiacos or Olympiacos Piraeus, is a Greek professional Association football, football club based in Piraeus, Piraeus, Attica. Part of the major Sports ...
, winning the championship in his debut campaign and adding the cup for the double. On 8 May 2009, it decided not to renew his contract in spite of his success, because of a financial disagreement; however, most of the players and fans were openly in favour of him staying.
On 2 June 2009, Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. ( ca-valencia, Vila-real Club de Futbol, S.A.D.), usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or simply Villarreal, is a professional football club based in Villarreal, in the Castellón province of eastern Spain, ...
announced that Valverde would succeed Manuel Pellegrini on a one-year deal, after the Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
an had left for Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
. As the team stood tenth in the league
''The League'' is an American sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, Illinois, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football leagu ...
on 31 January 2010, he was dismissed following a 0–2 home loss against CA Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club in Pamplona, Navarre. Founded on 24 October 1920, the club currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at the 23,576-capacity El S ...
.
Valverde returned to Olympiacos on 7 August 2010, as a replacement for Ewald Lienen who had only been in charge for a few weeks. In the first season in his second spell he again led the Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saro ...
side to the league championship, also reaching the last eight in the domestic cup.
On 19 April 2012, after helping Olympiacos renew its league supremacy, Valverde announced his decision to leave due to family reasons. On 3 December he returned to Spanish football by being appointed at Valencia until the end of the campaign, replacing the fired Mauricio Pellegrino
Mauricio Andrés Pellegrino Luna (; born 5 October 1971) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, currently the manager of Chilean club Universidad de Chile.
After nearly one decade with Vélez Sarsfield, P ...
; his first game occurred five days later, a 1–0 win at Osasuna, and the second match, against the same opponent for the Spanish cup, brought another triumph at the Reyno de Navarra (2–0).
Return to Athletic Bilbao
On 1 June 2013, immediately after the 4–3 away loss to Sevilla which meant Valencia could only finish fifth, thus out of qualification positions for the UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
, Valverde announced he would leave the club. He returned to Athletic Bilbao on the 20th, qualifying for the Champions League in his first year and also reaching the final of the 2015 Spanish Cup.
On 17 August 2015, Valverde led the ''Lions'' to their first trophy in 31 years after a 5–1 aggregate defeat of Barcelona for the Supercopa de España
The Supercopa de España or the ''Spanish Super Cup'' is a super cup tournament in Spanish football. Founded in 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2019–20 by four teams: the winners and runners-up of ...
. He declared on 23 May 2017 he would be stepping down on 30 June, to be replaced by former Athletic teammate José Ángel Ziganda.
Valverde's 306 matches in charge of the team over two spells set a club record, beating the previous total of 289 set by Javier Clemente. He also surpassed Clemente's 211 league matches managed, finishing on 228, but was unable to match his record of victories: The latter won 141 games – 102 in the league – while the former came up one short, with 140 and 101; additionally, he was on the bench for 42 European matches, another record.
Barcelona
On 29 May 2017, Valverde replaced Luis Enrique
Luis Enrique Martínez García (; born 8 May 1970), known as Luis Enrique, is a Spanish football manager and former player.
A versatile player with good technique, he was capable of playing in several different positions, but usually played as ...
as the new Barcelona manager. His spell began with defeat as rivals
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
Real Madrid won both legs of the Spanish Super Cup
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
at the season's outset. However, the team then went on a 29-match unbeaten run in all competitions from 20 August 2017 until 17 January 2018, when they lost to Espanyol in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Spanish Cup (also the club's first defeat at the RCDE Stadium
RCDE Stadium, also known as Estadi Cornellà-El Prat (; es, Estadio Cornellà-El Prat ), is an all-seater football stadium on the outskirts of Cornellà de Llobregat and El Prat de Llobregat, in the wider Barcelona urban area ( Catalonia, Spai ...
, home of their neighbours
''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...
, since its 2009 opening). They recovered to progress in that tie as part of another sequence of 15 matches without defeat, before a loss to A.S. Roma in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
on 10 April, with the 3–0 defeat meaning the Italians progressed on the away goals rule
The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
.
Barcelona remained undefeated for 43 matches in the Spanish League only to lose in their penultimate game of the campaign on 13 May 2018, having rested Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the g ...
for the trip to Levante UD
Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. (, ca-valencia, Llevant Unió Esportiva ) is a Spanish football club in Valencia, in the namesake autonomous community.
Founded on 9 September 1909, Levante play in Segunda División, holding home games at Ciu ...
– they were beaten 5–4 by the hosts. They finished with a league and cup double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* ...
, defeating Sevilla 5–0 in the Copa del Rey final.
The 2018–19 season began with a 2–1 victory over Sevilla to win the domestic supercup. In February 2019 Valverde signed a new one-year contract extension, as they went on a 23-match unbeaten streak and secured a second consecutive league title under him in April following a victory over Levante. He led his team to their first Champions League semi-final after a gap of three years, winning 3–0 at home against Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
but being eliminated after an upset 0–4 defeat at Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 ...
in the second leg, leading many to call for his dismissal. He also guided the side to another Spanish Cup final, this time losing 2–1 to Valencia.
Valverde remained in charge for the start of 2019–20. Despite the team winning their Champions League group and being top of the 2019–20 La Liga, league table by the new year on goal difference, poor performances and a period in December and January that saw them win only one in five matches meant his position once again came under pressure. On 13 January 2020, he was dismissed by the club, with his last game being a 3–2 defeat to Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based i ...
in the 2019–20 Supercopa de España, Supercopa de España; he was replaced by former Real Betis coach Quique Setién, with Barcelona ending the campaign without a trophy after finishing five points behind Real Madrid.
Third spell at Athletic
On 30 June 2022, Valverde returned to Athletic for a third spell, under new president Jon Uriarte.
Personal life
Valverde is a keen photographer, whose work has been published and exhibited. His younger brother, :es:Mikel Valverde, Mikel, is a cartoonist.
Managerial statistics
Honours
Player
Espanyol
*UEFA Cup runner-up: 1987–88 UEFA Cup, 1987–88[
Barcelona
*]Copa del Rey
The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
: 1989–90 Copa del Rey, 1989–90[
*European Cup Winners' Cup: 1988–89 European Cup Winners' Cup, 1988–89][
]
Manager
Espanyol
*UEFA Cup runner-up: 2006–07 UEFA Cup, 2006–07[
Olympiacos
*]Super League Greece
The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...
: 2008–09 Super League Greece, 2008–09, 2010–11 Super League Greece, 2010–11, 2011–12 Super League Greece, 2011–12[
*Greek Football Cup: 2008–09 Greek Football Cup, 2008–09, 2011–12 Greek Football Cup, 2011–12][
Athletic Bilbao
*]Supercopa de España
The Supercopa de España or the ''Spanish Super Cup'' is a super cup tournament in Spanish football. Founded in 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2019–20 by four teams: the winners and runners-up of ...
: 2015 Supercopa de España, 2015[
Barcelona
*]La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Banco Santander, Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaL ...
: 2017–18 La Liga, 2017–18, 2018–19 La Liga, 2018–19[
*Copa del Rey: 2017–18 Copa del Rey, 2017–18][
*Supercopa de España: 2018 Supercopa de España, 2018][
Individual
*Greek football PSAP awards#Coaches Awards, Super League Greece Manager of the Year: 2010–11, 2011–12
*UEFA La Liga Coach of the Year: 2015–16]
*La Liga Manager of the Month: January 2014, November 2014, March 2015, October 2015, September 2016
References
External links
FC Barcelona official profile
*
Athletic Bilbao manager profile
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valverde, Ernesto
1964 births
Living people
Sportspeople from the Province of Cáceres
Spanish footballers
Footballers from Extremadura
Footballers from Vitoria-Gasteiz
Association football forwards
La Liga players
Segunda División players
Segunda División B players
Deportivo Alavés players
Sestao Sport Club footballers
RCD Espanyol footballers
FC Barcelona players
Athletic Bilbao footballers
RCD Mallorca players
Spain under-21 international footballers
Spain under-23 international footballers
Spain international footballers
Basque Country international footballers
Spanish football managers
La Liga managers
Segunda División B managers
Athletic Bilbao B managers
Athletic Bilbao managers
RCD Espanyol managers
Villarreal CF managers
Valencia CF managers
FC Barcelona managers
Super League Greece managers
Olympiacos F.C. managers
Spanish expatriate football managers
Expatriate football managers in Greece
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Athletic Bilbao non-playing staff