.jpg) Bust of Ormaetxea atAnoeta Stadium | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alberto Ormaetxea Ibarlucea | ||
| Date of birth | (1939-04-07)7 April 1939 | ||
| Place of birth | Eibar, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 28 October 2005(2005-10-28) (aged 66) | ||
| Place of death | San Sebastián, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Full-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Urko | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1958–1959 | Eibar | 3 | (0) |
| 1959–1962 | San Sebastián | 29 | (0) |
| 1959–1960 | →Eibar (loan) | ||
| 1962–1974 | Real Sociedad | 239 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1974–1978 | Real Sociedad (assistant) | ||
| 1978–1985 | Real Sociedad | ||
| 1986 | Hércules | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Alberto Ormaetxea Ibarlucea (7 April 1939 – 28 October 2005) was a Spanishfootballdefender (right and left-back) andcoach.
His career was closely associated toReal Sociedad, as both a player and a manager. He was in charge of the team when they won their only twoLa Liga titles in the 80s.
Born inEibar,Gipuzkoa, Ormaetxea started his senior career with localSD Eibar, with whom he was relegated from theSegunda División in1958. The following year, he was purchased byReal Sociedad, who immediately loaned him to his previous club.[1]
Ormaetxea started playing as aright-back, but eventually switched flanks. In the summer of 1962, after two seasons withthe reserves, he was promoted to the first team thathad just been relegated fromLa Liga, helping them return to the competition at the end of the1966–67 campaign.[2]
Ormaetxea's best year in the top tier was1969–70, when he started in all his 28 league appearances and scored twice to help theTxuriurdin finish in seventh position. He retired in 1974 at the age of 35 after several injury problems, having appeared in 280 games in all competitions.[2]
Immediately after retiring, Ormaetxea joined Real Sociedad's coaching staff as an assistant manager. In 1978, he replacedJosé Antonio Irulegui at the helm of the main squad, taking them to national championship conquests in1981 and1982 as well as the semi-finals of theCopa del Rey in1982 and1983.[2] Additionally, in1979–80, the club trailedReal Madrid by only one point and, takingthe previous season into account, established a record of 38 matches without defeat that stood for several decades.[3]
Ormaetxea leftHércules CF in September 1986 after only one month in charge, and retired from professional football, going on to work with Real's veterans and write forEl Diario Vasco.[4] In 2005, he supportedMiguel Ángel Fuentes as the latter ran for president of Sociedad.[2]
Ormaetxea died on 28 October 2005 inSan Sebastián, after a long battle with illness. He was 66 years old.[2]
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad