Ernesto Valverde facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ernesto Valverde

Valverde managing Athletic Bilbao in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Ernesto Valverde Tejedor
Date of birth	(1964-02-09) 9 February 1964 (age 61)
Place of birth	Viandar de la Vera, Spain
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Athletic Bilbao (manager)
Youth career
	San Ignacio
	Alavés
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1982–1985	Alavés	46	(18)
1985–1986	Sestao	32	(6)
1986–1988	Español	72	(16)
1988–1990	Barcelona	22	(8)
1990–1996	Athletic Bilbao	170	(44)
1996–1997	Mallorca	18	(2)
Total		360	(94)
International career
1986	Spain U21	1	(0)
1987	Spain U23	1	(0)
1990	Spain	1	(0)
1993	Basque Country	1	(0)
Managerial career
2001–2002	Athletic Bilbao (assistant)
2002–2003	Bilbao Athletic
2003–2005	Athletic Bilbao
2006–2008	Espanyol
2008–2009	Olympiacos
2009–2010	Villarreal
2010–2012	Olympiacos
2012–2013	Valencia
2013–2017	Athletic Bilbao
2017–2020	Barcelona
2022–	Athletic Bilbao
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ernesto Valverde Tejedor, born on February 9, 1964, is a Spanish football manager and a former player. He used to play as a forward, which is a player who tries to score goals. Currently, he is the manager of the La Liga club Athletic Bilbao.

During his playing career, he played in 264 games in La Liga, scoring 68 goals. He also played 55 matches and scored nine goals in the Segunda División. He played for six different teams over 14 years as a professional player. Some of these teams included Espanyol, Barcelona, and Athletic Bilbao.

After he stopped playing, Valverde became a successful football manager. He has managed all three of the clubs he played for. He won "the double" (meaning both the league and cup titles) with Olympiacos in the 2008–09 and 2011–12 seasons. He also achieved "the double" with Barcelona in the 2017–18 season.

Playing Career Highlights

Ernesto Valverde was born in a village called Viandar de la Vera in Spain. He started his professional football journey in the Segunda División, playing for Alavés and Sestao.

Joining Espanyol

In 1986, Valverde moved to Español. He played his first La Liga game on August 31, which was a 1–1 draw against Atlético Madrid. In his first season, he played 43 league games and scored seven goals. In his last year with Espanyol, his team reached the UEFA Cup final in 1988. They lost the final to Bayer Leverkusen after a penalty shootout.

Time at Barcelona

After Espanyol, Valverde played for Barcelona for two years. During this time, he won the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. He didn't play much in these games, but in his second season, he scored six goals in just 12 games. This included scoring two goals in two different matches.

Moving to Athletic Bilbao

In 1990, Valverde joined Athletic Bilbao. Even though he was born in Extremadura, he was allowed to play for them because he moved to the Basque Country when he was a baby. He stayed with Athletic Bilbao for six seasons. He scored 20 league goals between 1992 and 1994. While playing for Athletic, he was called Txingurri, which means "ant" in the Basque language.

After Athletic Bilbao, he played for Mallorca. He helped them get promoted to the top league. He retired from playing football the next summer when he was 33 years old.

Playing for Spain

Valverde played one game for the Spanish national team. This was on October 10, 1990, in Seville. He played for 20 minutes in a qualifying game for UEFA Euro 1992 against Iceland, which Spain won 2–1.

Coaching Career Journey

Right after he stopped playing, Valverde started his coaching career. He began working with the youth teams at Athletic Bilbao. Four years later, he became an assistant coach for the main team. He also helped set up the women's team.

First Steps as Head Coach

In 2002, he became the head coach of the B team of Athletic Bilbao. The next year, he was promoted to manage the first team. In the 2003–04 season, his team finished fifth in the league. This allowed them to play in the UEFA Cup.

After taking a year off, Valverde joined another one of his former clubs, Espanyol. In his first season with Espanyol, his team reached another UEFA Cup final. This was 19 years after their last one. They lost the final on penalties to another Spanish team, Sevilla.

Valverde with Olympiacos in 2012

On May 28, 2008, Valverde became the coach of Olympiacos in Greece. In his first season, he won the Super League Greece title. He also won the Greek Cup, completing "the double." On May 8, 2009, the club decided not to extend his contract. This was due to a disagreement about money, even though most players and fans wanted him to stay.

On June 2, 2009, Villarreal announced that Valverde would be their new coach. He took over from Manuel Pellegrini, who had left for Real Madrid. Valverde signed a one-year deal. However, on January 31, 2010, he was fired after a 2–0 home loss to Osasuna. At that time, the team was tenth in the league.

Returning to Greece

Valverde went back to Olympiacos on August 7, 2010. He replaced Ewald Lienen. In his second time as coach, he again led the team to win the league championship. They also reached the quarter-finals of the domestic cup.

On April 19, 2012, Valverde announced he would leave Olympiacos. He said it was for family reasons, after helping them win the league again. On December 3, he returned to Spanish football. He was appointed coach of Valencia until the end of the season. His first game was a 1–0 win against Osasuna.

Back to Athletic Bilbao

Valverde with Athletic Bilbao in 2014

On June 1, 2013, Valverde announced he would leave Valencia. He returned to Athletic Bilbao on June 20. In his first year back, he helped the team qualify for the Champions League. They also reached the final of the 2015 Spanish Cup.

On August 17, 2015, Valverde led Athletic Bilbao to win their first trophy in 31 years. They beat Barcelona 5–1 over two games to win the Supercopa de España. On May 23, 2017, he announced he would step down on June 30. His former teammate, José Ángel Ziganda, took over as coach.

Valverde managed Athletic Bilbao for 306 matches across his two times at the club. This set a new club record, beating the previous record of 289 matches. He also managed 228 league matches, more than any other coach for the club. He was also on the bench for 42 European matches, which is another record.

Managing Barcelona

On May 29, 2017, Valverde became the new manager of Barcelona. His time there started with a loss to rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercup. However, the team then went on a 29-match unbeaten streak. This lasted from August 20, 2017, until January 17, 2018. They lost to Espanyol in the Spanish Cup quarter-finals.

Barcelona remained undefeated in the Spanish League for 43 matches. They finally lost in their second-to-last game of the season on May 13, 2018. They were beaten 5–4 by Levante. Barcelona finished that season by winning both the league and the cup. They defeated Sevilla 5–0 in the Copa del Rey final.

The 2018–19 season began with a 2–1 victory over Sevilla. This win secured them the domestic supercup. In February 2019, Valverde signed a new one-year contract. His team then went on a 23-match unbeaten run. They secured their second league title in a row under him in April. He led his team to their first Champions League semi-final in three years. They won 3–0 at home against Liverpool. However, they were eliminated after a 4–0 defeat at Anfield in the second game. He also guided the team to another Spanish Cup final, but they lost 2–1 to Valencia.

Valverde continued as coach for the start of the 2019–20 season. The team won their Champions League group and were top of the league table by the new year. However, poor performances in December and January led to him being dismissed on January 13, 2020. His last game was a 3–2 loss to Atlético Madrid. He was replaced by Quique Setién. Barcelona ended that season without a trophy.

Third Time at Athletic Bilbao

On June 30, 2022, Valverde returned to Athletic Bilbao for a third time. He came back under the new president, Jon Uriarte. On August 29, after a win against Cádiz, he became the manager with the most wins in the club's history.

In his second season back, Valverde led Athletic to win their first major trophy in 40 years. They beat Mallorca on penalties to win the Spanish Cup. This also meant they qualified for the Europa League. On May 23, 2025, after finishing fourth in the league and returning to the Champions League, he extended his contract until June 2026.

Personal Life

Valverde enjoys photography. His photographs have been shown in exhibitions and published. His younger brother, Mikel, is a cartoonist.

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Awards

Ernesto Valverde has won many awards and trophies both as a player and as a manager.

As a Player

Espanyol

• UEFA Cup runner-up: 1987–88 (meaning they reached the final but didn't win)

Barcelona

• Copa del Rey: 1989–90 (a major Spanish cup)
• European Cup Winners' Cup: 1988–89 (a European club competition)

As a Manager

Espanyol

• UEFA Cup runner-up: 2006–07

Olympiacos

• Super League Greece: 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12 (the top Greek football league)
• Greek Football Cup: 2008–09, 2011–12 (the main Greek cup competition)

Athletic Bilbao

• Copa del Rey: 2023–24 (won); runner-up: 2014–15
• Supercopa de España: 2015 (the Spanish Super Cup)

Barcelona

• La Liga: 2017–18, 2018–19 (the top Spanish football league)
• Copa del Rey: 2017–18
• Supercopa de España: 2018

Individual Awards

• Super League Greece Manager of the Season: 2010–11, 2011–12
• UEFA La Liga Coach of the Year: 2015–16
• La Liga Manager of the Month: January 2014, November 2014, March 2015, October 2015, September 2016, December 2023, February 2024, September 2024

See also

In Spanish: Ernesto Valverde para niños