| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gaizka Garitano Aguirre | ||
| Date of birth | (1975-07-09)9 July 1975 (age 50) | ||
| Place of birth | Bilbao, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Cádiz (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989–1993 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1998 | Bilbao Athletic | 112 | (24) |
| 1996–1997 | →Lleida (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Athletic Bilbao | 0 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | →Eibar (loan) | 18 | (1) |
| 1999–2001 | Ourense | 70 | (8) |
| 2001–2005 | Eibar | 146 | (15) |
| 2005–2008 | Real Sociedad | 81 | (9) |
| 2008–2009 | Alavés | 29 | (2) |
| Total | 470 | (59) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003–2007 | Basque Country | 5 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009–2010 | Eibar (assistant) | ||
| 2010–2012 | Eibar B | ||
| 2012–2015 | Eibar | ||
| 2015 | Valladolid | ||
| 2016–2017 | Deportivo La Coruña | ||
| 2017–2018 | Bilbao Athletic | ||
| 2018–2021 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| 2021–2023 | Eibar | ||
| 2023–2024 | Almería | ||
| 2024– | Cádiz | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Gaizka Garitano Aguirre (born 9 July 1975) is a Spanish former professionalfootballer who played as amidfielder, currentlymanager ofCádiz.
Over 11 seasons as a player, he amassedSegunda División totals of 315 matches and 37 goals, mainly withBilbao Athletic andEibar. InLa Liga, he representedReal Sociedad during the2005–06 and2006–07 campaigns.
Garitano entered coaching in 2009 with Eibar, being put in charge of the first team in 2012. He won consecutive promotions in his first two years, and reached the top division with the club in2014. In the competition, he also managedDeportivo andAthletic Bilbao.
Garitano was born inBilbao,Basque Country. Grown through the ranks ofAthletic Bilbao, he would never make it pastthe reserves, his sole first-team appearance being as a latesubstitute in aUEFA Cup win away toSampdoria in1997.[1] He also served loans atLleida andEibar.[2]
In the summer of 1999, Garitano joinedSegunda División B teamOurense. He finally settled at Eibar in theSegunda División – his second spell – and, in the2004–05 season, ascaptain, led the side to a fourth place in the league, with chances of a historicLa Liga promotion until the last matchday.[3]
Garitano made his first top-flight appearances withReal Sociedad at the age of 30,[4][5] his debut coming on 27 August 2005 in a 3–0 away defeat in theBasque derby.[6] After three seasons inSan Sebastián, during which the club wasrelegated in 2007, he joined neighboursAlavés, retiring in June 2009 at 34 after theirrelegation to the third division.[7]
Immediately after retiring, having appeared in more than 300 matches in Spain's second tier, Garitano moved into coaching, serving as assistant at also recently-relegated Eibar. After a stint in charge ofthe reserves he was appointed first-team manager for the2012–13 campaign,[8] which included theelimination of Athletic Bilbao – the previous year's finalists – from theCopa del Rey,[9] and ended with promotion.[10]
Garitano repeated the featthe following season, topping the table and leading Eibar to the club's first ever top-division promotion.[11] In June 2014, he renewed his contract.[12]
In2014–15, the team collected 27 points from the first 19 games but, after only eight in the following 19, was finally relegated back in spite of a 3–0 home win overCórdoba in the last matchday (they would later be reinstated at the expense ofElche).[13] Subsequently, Garitano presented his resignation, stating he did not merit to continue.[14]
Garitano signed withReal Valladolid on 6 July 2015, replacing the firedRubi.[15] On 21 October, as the side ranked dead last, he was dismissed.[16]
On 10 June 2016, Garitano took over forVíctor Sánchez asDeportivo de La Coruña manager.[17] Eight months later, with the teaminside the relegation zone, he was sacked.[18]
In summer 2017, Garitano was appointed head coach of Bilbao Athletic, replacingJosé Ángel Ziganda who had been promoted to the first team.[19] He remained in that position until 4 December 2018, when it became his turn to be handed the senior role afterEduardo Berizzo, who had followed on from Ziganda's one-year stint, was also relieved of his duties after an even shorter spell.[20][21] He was reunited with three of his trusted players from his Eibar spell:Dani García,Ander Capa andYuri Berchiche.[22]
On 4 April 2019, Garitano agreed to an extension at theSan Mamés Stadium to run until 30 June 2020.[23] On 1 June of the following year, having led the side to their first major final since 2015 (however, the2020 Copa del Rey final was delayed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic), he further renewed his link.[24]
Garitano was fired on 3 January 2021, with the team in ninth place;[25] he did not get to lead the team in the delayed cup final, which had been rescheduled for April of that year, andMarcelino García Toral immediately took over.[26]
On 7 June 2021, Garitano returned to Eibar on a two-year deal with the option of a third;José Luis Mendilibar had stepped down following the side'srelegation to division two.[27] On 9 June 2023, after two consecutive eliminations in the promotion play-offs (both after the club missed out an automatic promotion spot in the last round of the regular season), he left by mutual consent.[28]
On 8 October 2023, Garitano was appointed manager ofAlmería in the top tier, signing a contract until 2025.[29] He was sacked the following 13 March, after failing to win any of the 19 league matches in charge.[30][31]
On 8 December 2024, Garitano replacedPaco López at the helm of second-divisionCádiz, on a deal until June 2026.[32]
During his playing spell with Eibar, Garitano studied to become a journalist before beginning his sports coaching courses.[33][2] He is the son ofAngel Garitano (also known as 'Ondarru') who served for many years as assistant toMané at managerial appointments including Alavés and Athletic Bilbao,[2][34][21] and thenephew of former Athletic andReal Zaragoza midfielderAnder Garitano;[33][34] they are distantly related toJuan Urquizu who also served Athletic as player and manager,[2] while Gaizka's mother's family members include another man who performed both roles,Koldo Aguirre.[2]
Garitano is not related to fellow Basque managerAsier Garitano, who also had playing spells with Bilbao Athletic and Eibar.[35]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Eibar B |  | 25 May 2010 | 6 June 2012 | 76 | 21 | 22 | 33 | 67 | 95 | −28 | 027.63 | [36] |
| Eibar | | 6 June 2012 | 9 June 2015 | 135 | 57 | 37 | 41 | 162 | 128 | +34 | 042.22 | [37] |
| Valladolid | | 6 July 2015 | 21 October 2015 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 15 | −5 | 020.00 | [38] |
| Deportivo La Coruña | | 10 June 2016 | 27 February 2017 | 27 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 32 | 44 | −12 | 018.52 | [39] |
| Bilbao Athletic | | 7 June 2017 | 4 December 2018 | 55 | 28 | 14 | 13 | 99 | 46 | +53 | 050.91 | [40] |
| Athletic Bilbao | | 4 December 2018 | 3 January 2021 | 89 | 37 | 23 | 29 | 107 | 88 | +19 | 041.57 | [41] |
| Eibar | | 7 June 2021 | 9 June 2023 | 93 | 46 | 26 | 21 | 116 | 91 | +25 | 049.46 | [42] |
| Almería | | 8 October 2023 | 13 March 2024 | 21 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 18 | 34 | −16 | 004.76 | [43] |
| Cádiz | | 8 December 2024 | Present | 40 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 49 | 40 | +9 | 040.00 | [44] |
| Total | 546 | 213 | 154 | 179 | 659 | 581 | +78 | 039.01 | — | |||
Eibar