 Iraola in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andoni Iraola Sagarna[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1982-06-22)22 June 1982 (age 42)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Usurbil, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Right-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | AFC Bournemouth (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1991–1999 | Antiguoko | ||
| 1999–2000 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2001 | Basconia | 35 | (4) |
| 2001–2003 | Bilbao Athletic | 75 | (15) |
| 2003–2015 | Athletic Bilbao | 406 | (33) |
| 2015–2016 | New York City FC | 38 | (0) |
| Total | 554 | (52) | |
| International career | |||
| 2001 | Spain U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2003 | Spain U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2008–2011 | Spain | 7 | (0) |
| 2003–2013 | Basque Country | 9 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2018–2019 | AEK Larnaca | ||
| 2019–2020 | Mirandés | ||
| 2020–2023 | Rayo Vallecano | ||
| 2023– | AFC Bournemouth | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Andoni Iraola Sagarna (Basque pronunciation:[andoniiɾa.olas̺aɣarna],Spanish:[anˈdoniiɾaˈolasaˈɣaɾna]; born 22 June 1982) is a Spanish professionalfootball manager and formerplayer who is the current manager ofPremier League clubAFC Bournemouth.
Utilised primarily as aright-back through his career, he was highly combative and possessed good passing skills. He spent the vast majority of his professional career withAthletic Bilbao,[2] appearing in 510 competitive matches over 12 seasons.[3]
Iraola began managing in 2018, being in charge ofRayo Vallecano for three years. In 2023, he was appointed at Premier League club Bournemouth.
Iraola was born inUsurbil,Gipuzkoa.[4] He played as a youth forAntiguoko,[5] alongside teammates such asMikel Arteta,Xabi Alonso,Mikel Alonso andAritz Aduriz.[6] A product ofAthletic Bilbao's youth system atLezama, he made his debut with the first team in the2003–04 season, becoming first-choice while often takingpenalties andfree kicks.[7][8][9] On 30 August 2003, he made his firstLa Liga appearance, starting in a 1–0 home loss againstBarcelona,[10] and his five goals in 30 appearances helped the team toqualify for theUEFA Cup.[1]
During his 12 seasons, Iraola never played fewer than 30 league matches, scoring in all but one league campaign – like former club legendAitor Larrazábal, who played as a left-back[3][11]– while also helping theBasque side to finish second in threeCopa del Rey tournaments and the2011–12 UEFA Europa League. On 28 January 2007, he netted twice in a 2–0 away win over neighboursReal Sociedad,[12] who werefinally relegated; Athletic narrowly avoided the drop, ranking in 17th position.[13] He played his first cup finalin 2009, a 4–1 loss to Barcelona at theMestalla Stadium inValencia,[14] and three years later helped them to finish runners-up in boththe domestic cup[15] andthe Europa League.[16]
2012–13 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 ofHJK in theplayoff round of theUEFA Europa League (9–3 on aggregate).[17]
Iraola renewed his contract with the club on 4 December 2013, keeping him at theSan Mamés until 30 June 2015.[18] In the 24th minute of his last league appearance againstVillarreal in May 2015,Aritz Aduriz offered him the taking of apenalty kick but he declined, so the former converted it instead; the two players then combined for Iraola to score from open play four minutes later.[19] Hecaptained the team in his last match, the2015 Copa del Rey final which was lost 3–1 to Barcelona.[20]
On 16 June 2015, aged 33, Iraola moved abroad for the first time in his career, signing forMajor League Soccer clubNew York City FC.[21][22] He made his debut againstToronto FC at theYankee Stadium on 12 July, playing the entirety of a 4–4 draw.[23]
Iraola announced his retirement on 17 November 2016.[24][25]
On 20 August 2008, Iraola was called by newSpain coachVicente del Bosque for afriendly withDenmark, alongside teammateFernando Amorebieta.[26] He entered the pitch in the final 15 minutes of the 3–0 away victory, coming in as asubstitute forSergio Ramos.[27]
On 29 March 2011, after nearly one and a half years without playing for the national team, Iraola started in a 3–1 defeat ofLithuania inKaunas for theUEFA Euro 2012qualifiers.[28] He was due to make the cut for the final squad, but injury forced him out in favour ofAtlético Madrid'sJuanfran.[29]
Iraola played on theBasque representative side for a full decade, having debuted late on in a 2–1 win overUruguay on 27 December 2003.[30][31]
Iraola was appointed manager of Cypriot clubAEK Larnaca on 18 June 2018, succeeding his compatriotImanol Idiakez.[32] He was sacked the following 14 January,[33] after nearly two months without winning a single match.[34]
On 10 July 2019, Iraola replaced the departedBorja Jiménez at the helm ofMirandés,newly promoted toSegunda División.[35] He took the team to thesemi-finals of the Spanish Cup for the second time in their 92-year history, notably disposing of top-tier sidesCelta,Sevilla and Villarreal.[36] On 21 July 2020, he left the club as his contract expired.[37]
Iraola remained in the second division in August 2020, taking over fromPaco Jémez atRayo Vallecano.[38] On 6 July 2021, afterachieving promotion inthe playoffs, he extended his contract until 2022.[39]The following season, heagain led a club to the last four of the national cup; it was the second time Rayo had achieved this, the first occasion coming40 years earlier.[40]
In February 2023, Iraola was approached byLeeds United of thePremier League, but was not given permission to leave theCampo de Fútbol de Vallecas.[41] He left at the end ofthe campaign, having turned down a renewal offer.[42]
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On 19 June 2023, Iraola was appointed manager ofAFC Bournemouth on a two-year deal.[43] His first match in charge was a 1–1 home draw withWest Ham United on 12 August, in whichDominic Solanke scored a late equaliser.[44] He achieved his first win in the tenth league round, beatingBurnley 2–1 with goals fromAntoine Semenyo andPhilip Billing.[45]
Iraola extended his contract with the club on 13 May 2024, until 2026;[46] his Cherries team had just finishedthe season with a best-ever 48 points, in 12th place.[47] On 2 November, he oversaw a 2–1 win overManchester City, ending their 32-game unbeaten run in the domestic league.[48]
Iraola favours a4–3–3/4–2–3–1 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.[49]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Basconia | 2000–01 | Tercera División | 35 | 4 | – | – | – | 35 | 4 | |||
| Bilbao Athletic | 2001–02 | Segunda División | 38 | 5 | – | – | – | 38 | 5 | |||
| 2002–03 | Segunda División | 37 | 10 | – | – | – | 37 | 10 | ||||
| Total | 75 | 15 | – | – | – | 75 | 15 | |||||
| Athletic Bilbao | 2003–04 | La Liga | 30 | 5 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 31 | 5 | ||
| 2004–05 | La Liga | 34 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 8[b] | 1 | – | 49 | 6 | ||
| 2005–06 | La Liga | 38 | 3 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 42 | 3 | |||
| 2006–07 | La Liga | 35 | 5 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 37 | 5 | |||
| 2007–08 | La Liga | 36 | 1 | 5 | 1 | – | – | 41 | 2 | |||
| 2008–09 | La Liga | 33 | 6 | 8 | 0 | – | – | 41 | 6 | |||
| 2009–10 | La Liga | 37 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11[c] | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 52 | 2 | |
| 2010–11 | La Liga | 37 | 4 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 41 | 4 | |||
| 2011–12 | La Liga | 35 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 15[c] | 0 | – | 59 | 1 | ||
| 2012–13 | La Liga | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7[c] | 1 | – | 43 | 1 | ||
| 2013–14 | La Liga | 34 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 40 | 1 | ||
| 2014–15 | La Liga | 22 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 5[c] | 1 | – | 33 | 2 | ||
| Total | 406 | 33 | 56 | 2 | 46 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 510 | 38 | ||
| New York City FC | 2015 | Major League Soccer | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2016 | Major League Soccer | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2[e] | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||
| Total | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | 40 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 554 | 52 | 56 | 2 | 46 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 660 | 57 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2008 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 7 | 0 | |
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| AEK Larnaca | 23 May 2018 | 14 January 2019 | 29 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 041.38 | [54] |
| Mirandés | 10 July 2019 | 21 July 2020 | 49 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 036.73 | [55] |
| Rayo Vallecano | 6 August 2020 | 30 June 2023 | 136 | 54 | 32 | 50 | 039.71 | [56] |
| AFC Bournemouth | 1 July 2023 | Present | 77 | 31 | 18 | 28 | 040.26 | [57] |
| Total | 291 | 115 | 76 | 100 | 039.52 | |||
Athletic Bilbao
AEK Larnaca
Individual
