_Garitano_(cropped).jpg) Garitano asLeganés manager in 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Asier Garitano Aguirrezábal | ||
| Date of birth | (1969-12-06)6 December 1969 (age 55) | ||
| Place of birth | Bergara, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1988–1989 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1993 | Bilbao Athletic | 95 | (17) |
| 1992–1993 | →Eibar (loan) | 22 | (4) |
| 1993–1994 | Cartagena | 35 | (13) |
| 1994–1995 | Cádiz | 41 | (9) |
| 1996 | Eibar | 17 | (2) |
| 1996–1997 | Gavà | 29 | (6) |
| 1997–1998 | Racing Ferrol | 13 | (3) |
| 1998–2000 | Burgos | 58 | (19) |
| 2000–2003 | Alicante | 40 | (12) |
| 2002–2003 | →Benidorm (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| Total | 352 | (85) | |
| International career | |||
| 1988 | Spain U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 1990 | Spain U20 | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2003–2008 | Alicante (assistant) | ||
| 2008 | Alicante | ||
| 2009–2010 | Castellón (assistant) | ||
| 2010 | Castellón | ||
| 2011–2012 | Orihuela | ||
| 2012–2013 | Alcoyano | ||
| 2013–2018 | Leganés | ||
| 2018 | Real Sociedad | ||
| 2019–2020 | Alavés | ||
| 2021 | Leganés | ||
| 2023–2024 | Tenerife | ||
| 2025 | Sporting Gijón | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Asier Garitano Aguirrezábal (born 6 December 1969) is a Spanishfootballmanager and former player who played as aforward.
During a 14-year senior career, he appeared in 134 matches in theSegunda División over five seasons, totalling 23 goals forBilbao Athletic andEibar. He added 216 games and 61 goals in theSegunda División B, in representation of several clubs.
Garitano started working as a manager in 2003, as an assistant atAlicante. He went on to be in charge of four teams before being appointed atLeganés in 2013, which he led to promotions to the second tier andLa Liga. He was head coach atReal Sociedad andAlavés, also in the top flight.
Born inBergara,Gipuzkoa,Basque Country,[1] Garitano was anAthletic Bilbao youth graduate. He made his senior debut withthe reserves on 2 September 1989, starting and scoring the winner in a 2–1 away win againstRacing de Santander in theSegunda División.[2]
After four full seasons (one of them on loan atSD Eibar), Garitano left the Lions and signed forCartagena FC ofSegunda División B.[3] In 1994, he moved toCádiz CF also in the third division, and returned to Eibar in January 1996.[4]
Garitano subsequently resumed his career in the third tier andTercera División, representingCF Gavà,Racing de Ferrol,Burgos CF,Alicante CF andBenidorm CF. He retired in 2003 at the age of 33, mainly due to injuries.[4]
Shortly after retiring, Garitano started working as an assistant at former club Alicante. In October 2008 he was named manager, replacing the firedJosé Carlos Granero.[5] However, after only three matches, he was replaced byNino Lema and moved to the backroom staff.
Garitano was appointedCD Castellón coach on 6 April 2010,[6] after being previously working at the club as an assistant.[7] He remained in charge until the end ofthe season, suffering relegation as last.[8]
On 7 July 2011, Garitano signed with third division sideOrihuela CF.[9] Thefollowing campaign, also as manager, he worked withCD Alcoyano,[10] eventually losing promotion with both teams in the play-offs.
On 28 June 2013, Garitano joinedCD Leganés still in the third tier.[11] In hisfirst season, he achieved promotion to division two after defeatingCE L'Hospitalet inthe play-offs; another promotion followed in2016, finishing second in the regular season.[12]
On 24 May 2018, Garitano was appointed at the helm ofReal Sociedad.[13] On 26 December that year, he was dismissed due to a poor run of results.[14]
Garitano became manager ofDeportivo Alavés on 21 May 2019, taking over fromAbelardo who had resigned a day earlier.[15] He was fired in July 2020, after five consecutive defeats.[16]
On 27 January 2021, Garitano returned to Leganés, with the club back in the second division.[17] He was sacked on 30 October, leaving the side in the relegation zone.[18]
On 29 May 2023, after more than a year without coaching, Garitano replacedLuis Miguel Ramis at fellow second-tierCD Tenerife.[19] He left in June 2024, after a12th-place finish.[20][21]
On 8 April 2025, Garitano took over from the sackedRubén Albés at relegation-threatenedSporting de Gijón; he signed a contract valid until 30 June 2026.[22] He managed to easily avoid a drop, ranking11th with 56 points,[23][24] but was dismissed on 5 October, after a poor start ofthe new campaign.[25]
Garitano was not related to fellow managerGaizka Garitano, who also had playing spells with Bilbao Athletic and Eibar.[26]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Alicante |  | 13 October 2008 | 3 November 2008 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 000.00 | [27] |
| Castellón | | 6 April 2010 | 30 June 2010 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 018.18 | [28] |
| Orihuela | | 7 July 2011 | 14 June 2012 | 42 | 19 | 15 | 8 | 53 | 38 | +15 | 045.24 | [29] |
| Alcoyano | | 14 June 2012 | 25 March 2013 | 36 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 46 | 34 | +12 | 050.00 | [30] |
| Leganés | | 28 June 2013 | 20 May 2018 | 222 | 87 | 59 | 76 | 261 | 226 | +35 | 039.19 | [31] |
| Real Sociedad | | 24 May 2018 | 26 December 2018 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 21 | 21 | +0 | 031.58 | [32] |
| Alavés | | 21 May 2019 | 5 July 2020 | 35 | 9 | 8 | 18 | 33 | 54 | −21 | 025.71 | [33] |
| Leganés | | 27 January 2021 | 30 October 2021 | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 44 | 39 | +5 | 036.11 | [34] |
| Tenerife | | 29 May 2023 | 2 June 2024 | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 44 | 44 | +0 | 039.13 | [35] |
| Sporting Gijón | | 8 April 2025 | 5 October 2025 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 27 | 26 | +1 | 050.00 | [36] |
| Total | 466 | 180 | 120 | 166 | 541 | 499 | +42 | 038.63 | — | |||