Andoni Iraola Sagarna (, ; born 22 June 1982) is a Spanish professional

football manager ''Football Manager'', also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008, is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game beg ...

and former

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...

who is the manager of club

AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...

. Utilised primarily as a

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

through his career, he was highly combative and possessed good passing skills. He spent the vast majority of his professional career with

Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...

, appearing in 510 competitive matches over 12 seasons. Iraola began managing in 2018, being in charge of

Rayo Vallecano Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in the Villa de Vallecas district of Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish foot ...

for three years. In 2023, he was appointed at Premier League club Bournemouth.

Playing career

Club

Athletic Bilbao

Iraola was born in

Usurbil Usurbil () is a town and region located in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, in the North of Spain. It lies in an area well known for its sagardotegiak (cider houses) and the area adjacent to the river ...

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa ( , ; ; ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiqu ...

. He played as a youth for

Antiguoko Antiguoko Kirol Elkartea (Sport Club of Antiguo in English) is an amateur youth Spanish football club based in Antiguo, a part of San Sebastián, in the Basque Country, Spain. It acts as feeder club to Athletic Bilbao, previously having the sam ...

, alongside teammates such as

Mikel Arteta Mikel Arteta Amatriain (born 26 March 1982) is a Spanish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the manager of club Arsenal F.C., Arsenal. Arteta began his senior club career ...

Xabi Alonso Xabier Alonso Olano (, ; born 25 November 1981) is a Spanish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of La Liga club Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid. He is regarded as o ...

Mikel Alonso Mikel Alonso Olano (, ; born 17 May 1980) is a Spanish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his career at Real Sociedad, making 110 appearances and scoring four goals over seven seas ...

and

Aritz Aduriz Aritz Aduriz Zubeldia (; ; born 11 February 1981) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He spent most of his career with Athletic Bilbao, scoring 172 goals across all competitions for the team over three spells ...

. A product of

's youth system at

Lezama Lezama is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain. It is home to the training headquarters of the football team Athletic Bilbao, and is accessible by bus - Bizka ...

, he made his debut with the first team in the 2003–04 season, becoming first-choice while often taking penalties and free kicks. On 30 August 2003, he made his first

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

appearance, starting in a 1–0 home loss against

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 his five goals in 30 appearances helped the team to

qualify Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...

for the

UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

. During his 12 seasons, Iraola never played fewer than 30 league matches, scoring in all but one league campaign – like former club legend

Aitor Larrazábal Aitor Larrazábal Bilbao (born 21 June 1971) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played solely for Athletic Bilbao, currently a manager. A left-back of attacking penchant, he appeared in 445 competitive matches for his only club and ...

, who played as a left-back– while also helping the

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

side to finish second in three

Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...

tournaments and the

2011–12 UEFA Europa League The 2011–12 UEFA Europa League was the third season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 41st edition overall including its predecessor, the UEFA Cup. It began on 30 June 2011 with ...

. On 28 January 2007, he netted twice in a 2–0 away win over neighbours

Real Sociedad Real Sociedad de Fútbol, more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad ( ; ''Royal Society'') in English, and Erreala or Reala in Basque language, Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Donostia / San Sebastián, ...

, who were finally relegated; Athletic narrowly avoided the drop, ranking in 17th position. He played his first cup final in 2009, a 4–1 loss to Barcelona at the

Mestalla Stadium Mestalla Stadium ( , ) is a football stadium in Valencia, Spain. The stadium is the home of Valencia and has a capacity of 49,430 seats, making it the 8th-largest stadium in Spain, and the largest in the Valencian Community. The stadium's name o ...

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

, and three years later helped them to finish runners-up in both the domestic cup and the Europa League.

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

marked the first year where Iraola failed to find the net in the league, but he continued to be the side's first-choice in his position as he featured in 35 games. His only goal of the season came on 24 August 2012 in a 6–0 home rout of HJK in the

playoff round The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

of the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

(9–3 on aggregate). Iraola renewed his contract with the club on 4 December 2013, keeping him at the San Mamés until 30 June 2015. In the 24th minute of his last league appearance against

Villarreal Villarreal (officially, in ) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's capital ( ...

in May 2015,

offered him the taking of a

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

but he declined, so the former converted it instead; the two players then combined for Iraola to score from open play four minutes later. He captained the team in his last match, the

2015 Copa del Rey final The 2015 Copa del Rey final was an association football match on 30 May 2015 to decide the winner of the 2014–15 Copa del Rey, the 113th edition of Spain's premier football cup since its establishment (including two seasons where two rival ed ...

which was lost 3–1 to Barcelona.

New York City FC

On 16 June 2015, aged 33, Iraola moved abroad for the first time in his career, signing for

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

club

New York City FC New York City Football Club (often referred to as NYCFC) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in New York City. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern C ...

. He made his debut against

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

at the

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

on 12 July, playing the entirety of a 4–4 draw. Iraola announced his retirement on 17 November 2016.

International

On 20 August 2008, Iraola was called by new

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

coach

Vicente del Bosque Vicente del Bosque González, 1st Marquess of Del Bosque (; born 23 December 1950) is a Spanish retired football manager and former player. He is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and is to date the only football manager to ha ...

for a friendly with

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, alongside teammate

Fernando Amorebieta Fernando Gabriel Amorebieta Mardaras (born 29 March 1985) is a Venezuelan former professional footballer who played as a central defender. He spent most of his career with Athletic Bilbao, appearing in 254 competitive matches over eight La Liga ...

. He entered the pitch in the final 15 minutes of the 3–0 away victory, coming in as a substitute for

Sergio Ramos Sergio Ramos García (; born 30 March 1986) is a Spanish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for and captain (association football), captains Liga MX club C.F. Monterrey, Monterrey. Regarded as one of the gr ...

. On 29 March 2011, after nearly one and a half years without playing for the national team, Iraola started in a 3–1 defeat of

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

for the

UEFA Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th UEFA European Championship, European Championship for List of men's national association football teams#UEFA (Europe), men's ...

qualifiers. He was due to make the cut for the final squad, but injury forced him out in favour of

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...

's Juanfran. Iraola played on the Basque representative side for a full decade, having debuted late on in a 2–1 win over

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

on 27 December 2003.

Coaching career

AEK Larnaca

Iraola was appointed manager of Cypriot club

AEK Larnaca AEK Larnaca FC (, "Athletic Union Kition (ancient state), Kition of Larnaca") is a Cyprus, Cypriot professional association football, football club based in Larnaca. The club was formed in 1994 after a merger of two historical Larnaca clubs, EP ...

on 18 June 2018, succeeding his compatriot

Imanol Idiakez Joseba Imanol Idiakez Barkaiztegi (born 14 March 1972) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a midfielder, currently manager of Cypriot First Division club AEK Larnaca. Playing career Born in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Idiakez finished hi ...

. He was sacked the following 14 January, after nearly two months without winning a single match.

Mirandés

On 10 July 2019, Iraola replaced the departed

Borja Jiménez Borja Jiménez Sáez (born 21 January 1985) is a Spanish football manager. Coaching career Born in Ávila, Castile and León, Jiménez started his career in 2006, with Real Ávila's youth setup. He left the club in 2009 and subsequently worked ...

at the helm of Mirandés, newly promoted to

Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...

. He took the team to the semi-finals of the Spanish Cup for the second time in their 92-year history, notably disposing of top-tier sides

Celta CELTA is an initial teacher training qualification for teaching English as a second or foreign language (ESL and EFL). It is provided by Cambridge Assessment English through authorised Cambridge English Teaching Qualification centres and can be ...

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) 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 Peninsula. Seville ...

and Villarreal. On 21 July 2020, he left the club as his contract expired.

Rayo Vallecano

Iraola remained in the second division in August 2020, taking over from

Paco Jémez Francisco "Paco" Jémez Martín (born 18 April 1970) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a central defender. He is the current manager of Ibiza. Over 11 seasons, he played 269 La Liga matches in representation of thre ...

. On 6 July 2021, after achieving promotion in the playoffs, he extended his contract until 2022. The following season, he again led a club to the last four of the national cup; it was the second time Rayo had achieved this, the first occasion coming 40 years earlier. In February 2023, Iraola was approached by

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...

of the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

, but was not given permission to leave the

Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas (originally Nuevo Estadio de Vallecas and previously Estadio Teresa Rivero) is a football stadium in the Madrid district of Puente de Vallecas, Spain. It currently hosts football matches and is the home of Primera Di ...

. He left at the end of the campaign, having turned down a renewal offer.

AFC Bournemouth

On 19 June 2023, Iraola was appointed manager of

on a two-year deal. His first match in charge was a 1–1 home draw with

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

on 12 August, in which

Dominic Solanke Dominic Ayodele Solanke-Mitchell (born 14 September 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team. Solanke started his career with Chelsea, making his first-team ...

scored a late equaliser. He achieved his first win in the tenth league round, beating

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

2–1 with goals from

Antoine Semenyo Antoine Serlom Semenyo (born 7 January 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Bournemouth. Born in England, he plays for the Ghana national team. Club career Semenyo had unsuccessful trials for London clubs Arsenal ...

and Philip Billing. Iraola extended his contract with the club on 13 May 2024, until 2026; his Cherries team had just finished the season with a best-ever 48 points, in 12th place. On 2 November, he oversaw a 2–1 win over

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

, ending their 32-game unbeaten run in the domestic league.

Managerial style

Iraola favours a 4–3–3/4–2–3–1 formation with a focus on quick ball recoveries. With quick wingers, tireless midfield runners and a defensive midfielder who tends to drop deep when building from the back when the full-backs push forward, his main emphasis is on catching the opposition off guard.

Career statistics

Club

International

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Athletic Bilbao *

runner-up: 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15 *

Supercopa de España The Supercopa de España, also known as the Spanish Super Cup, is a super cup tournament in Football in Spain, Spanish football. Founded in 1982 Supercopa de España, 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2 ...

runner-up:

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

runner-up: 2011–12

Manager

AEK Larnaca *

Cypriot Super Cup The Cypriot Super Cup is a Cypriot football trophy, contested in an annual match between the previous season's Cypriot First Division champions, and the Cypriot Cup winners. The match is contested at the beginning of the football season, and is ...

: 2018 Individual *

Premier League Manager of the Month The Premier League Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League manager each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to ...

: March 2024, January 2025

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Iraola, Andoni 1982 births Living people People from Usurbil 21st-century Spanish sportsmen Spanish men's footballers Footballers from Gipuzkoa Men's association football fullbacks La Liga players Segunda División B players Tercera División players Antiguoko players CD Basconia footballers Athletic Bilbao B footballers Athletic Bilbao footballers Major League Soccer players New York City FC players Spain men's youth international footballers Spain men's under-21 international footballers Spain men's international footballers Basque Country men's international footballers Spanish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Spanish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Spanish football managers Cypriot First Division managers AEK Larnaca FC managers La Liga managers Segunda División managers CD Mirandés managers Rayo Vallecano managers Premier League managers AFC Bournemouth managers Spanish expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in Cyprus Expatriate football managers in England Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England

Playing career

Club

Athletic Bilbao

New York City FC

International

Coaching career

AEK Larnaca

Mirandés

Rayo Vallecano

AFC Bournemouth

Managerial style

Career statistics

Club

International

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Manager

See also

References

External links