 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Martín Ayestarán Barandiarán[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1963-02-05)5 February 1963 (age 63)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Beasain, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Aston Villa (assistant head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| Real Sociedad | |||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2001–2004 | Valencia (assistant) | ||
| 2004–2007 | Liverpool (assistant) | ||
| 2008–2009 | Benfica (assistant) | ||
| 2009–2010 | Valencia (assistant) | ||
| 2011–2012 | Al-Ahli Dubai (assistant) | ||
| 2013–2014 | Tecos | ||
| 2014–2015 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | ||
| 2015 | Santos Laguna | ||
| 2016 | Valencia | ||
| 2017 | Las Palmas | ||
| 2018–2019 | Pachuca | ||
| 2020–2022 | Tondela | ||
| 2022– | Aston Villa (assistant) | ||
Francisco Martín "Pako" Ayestarán Barandiarán (born 5 February 1963) is a Spanish football manager and coach. He is currently the assistant head coach atPremier League clubAston Villa.
Ayestarán was assistant manager toRafael Benítez atValencia andLiverpool. After parting ways with Benítez in 2007, he became a head coach in his own right, managing clubs in Mexico, Israel, Spain, and Portugal. He ledMaccabi Tel Aviv to a domestic treble in 2015.
Ayestarán was born inBeasain, Gipuzkoa,[1] and played youth football atReal Sociedad. He studied physical activity and sport sciences, later earning a master's degree in high-performance training from theSpanish Olympic Committee and becoming a licensed UEFA Pro coach.
After starting his career as afitness coach, he was appointedRafael Benítez'sassistant atOsasuna, and remained behind the manager atExtremadura,Tenerife,Valencia andLiverpool.
In 2001, Ayestarán followed Rafael Benítez toValencia, joining as assistant manager. The club won twoLa Liga titles (2001–02 and 2003–04) and the2003–04 UEFA Cup.[2]
In 2004, he moved toLiverpool as assistant manager. There, Ayestarán modernized the team’s fitness regime, introducing data-driven methods, individualized recovery programs, and the “Pako Hills” training slopes at Melwood.[3]Steven Gerrard called him “the perfect number two,” whilePeter Crouch remarked “Pako ran the show,” crediting him as one of the best coaches he had worked with.[4][5] During his time at the club, Benítez won the2004–05 UEFA Champions League,2005 UEFA Super Cup,2005–06 FA Cup,2006 FA Community Shield, and a runner-up finish in the2006–07 UEFA Champions League.
On 1 September 2007, Ayestarán announced his departure fromthe Reds after 11 years partnering Benítez. Benítez accused Ayestarán of "betrayal" as Ayestarán "contacted other clubs behind his back" while Ayestarán rejected the accusations, claiming instead that Benítez "forgot his principles".[6][7]
During the summer of 2007,FC Barcelona expressed interest in adding him to their technical staff, though Liverpool initially blocked the move.[8] He was also invited byAvram Grant to join his coaching staff atChelsea, but Ayestarán declined the offer.[6]
After leaving Liverpool, Ayestarán was briefly appointed sporting director ofReal Sociedad in January 2008, but resigned after a few weeks due to conflict with club president Iñaki Badiola.[9][10]
In the 2008–09 season, he served as fitness coach underQuique Sánchez Flores atBenfica in Portugal, where the club won theTaça da Liga.[11] He returned toValencia for the 2009–10 season as fitness coach underUnai Emery. Ayestarán left the club in June 2010, stating that he wanted to pursue other professional opportunities.[12][13]
After a year out, he joined Sánchez Flores again for the 2011–12 season atAl-Ahli Dubai, where they won the UAE League Cup.[14][15]
On 24 August 2013, Ayestarán took his first head coaching role atEstudiantes Tecos in Mexico.[16] In May 2014, Tecos won theClausura 2014 title under his management, defeatingCorrecaminos UAT on penalties.[17] They went on to lose the promotion play-off toLeones Negros, and the franchise was later relocated to Zacatecas. Ayestarán chose not to continue with the team, stating he had no intention of remaining in the second division.[18]
Ayestarán was appointedMaccabi Tel Aviv manager on 26 August 2014, replacing fellow SpaniardÓscar García, who had resigned due to thewar in Gaza.[19] During the 2014–15 season, Ayestarán led Maccabi Tel Aviv to a domestic treble—winning the IsraeliPremier League, theIsrael State Cup, and theToto Cup after defeatingMaccabi Haifa 2–1 in the final—becoming the first manager to win all three major domestic trophies in a single season in Israel.[20]
Ayestarán resigned from the club on 20 August 2015.[21] He was later linked with a return toLiverpool as assistant toBrendan Rodgers, but made clear he intended to continue as a head coach.[22]
On 19 August 2015, Ayestarán returned to Mexico, being appointed at the helm ofSantos Laguna inLiga MX, replacing Portuguese coachPedro Caixinha, who had resigned days earlier.[23] Under his leadership, the team played 14 official matches across domestic and international competitions, including theCONCACAF Champions League, achieving 5 wins, 4 draws, and 5 losses, with 24 goals scored and 17 conceded, for an average of 1.36 points per match. Notable results included 0–3 away victories againstChivas andVeracruz, as well as a 6–1 home win overDeportivo Saprissa in continental competition. On 21 November 2015, it was announced that Ayestarán would not continue with the club for the Clausura 2016 tournament.[24][25]
On 14 February 2016, Ayestarán returned toValencia CF for a third spell, though for the first time not as a fitness coach but as a member ofGary Neville's coaching staff. His arrival marked a key addition to the backroom team, which also includedMiguel Ángel Angulo andPhil Neville.[26]
On 31 March 2016, following Neville’s dismissal, Ayestarán was appointed head coach for the remainder of the2015–16 La Liga season.[27] He began his tenure with a defeat toUD Las Palmas,[28] but then won three consecutive league games overSevilla,Barcelona, andEibar.[29]
The club confirmed Ayestarán’s appointment as full-time manager on 24 May 2016, with a contract running until 30 June 2018.[30] However, after a poor start to the2016–17 campaign — with four league defeats, he was relieved of his duties on 20 September 2016.[31]
Ayestarán replacedManolo Márquez as the newLas Palmas manager on 27 September 2017.[32] Taking over a struggling side early in the season, he managed seven league matches, recording one draw and six defeats, before being dismissed on 30 November 2017.[33]
On 29 May 2018, Ayestarán returned to Mexico's top flight as manager ofPachuca inLiga MX.[34] During his time in charge, he led the team in 28 official matches, recording 13 wins, 7 draws, and 8 losses, with 55 goals scored and 42 conceded. Pachuca reached the semi-finals of theCopa MX Apertura 2018 and produced notable performances, including a 6–2 win overClub Necaxa and a 3–0 victory againstQuerétaro. He left the club on 20 January 2019 following a poor start to the Clausura tournament, which included a 3–0 loss toClub América at theEstadio Azteca.[35]
On 10 August 2020, Ayestarán was appointed head coach of Portuguese Primeira Liga sideTondela, replacing fellow BasqueNatxo González.[36] In his first season, he led the club to its best-ever finish in the Primeira Liga, securing 12th place. The following year, he guided Tondela to theTaça de Portugal semi-finals for the first time in the club's history. In the first leg, they earned a 3–0 home victory overMafra.[37] Ayestarán departed the club on 16 March 2022, shortly before Tondela confirmed their place in the final with a 4–1 aggregate win.[38]
On 4 November 2022, Ayestarán was announced as assistant head coach toUnai Emery atAston Villa.[39]
Ayestarán is married and has three children: a daughter and two sons.[40] His wife is from Lanzarote, where the family often spends holidays.[40] They have lived in both Spain and England, and Ayestarán maintains a home on the Wirral, which he has described as a second home. He has stated that his son, who spent most of his childhood there, also considers England home.[41]
Valencia
Liverpool
Benfica
Al-Ahli Dubai
Tecos
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Tondela