Ernesto Valverde facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ernesto Valverde

Valverde managing Athletic Bilbao in 2014
Personal information
Date of birth	(1964-02-09) 9 February 1964 (age 61)
Place of birth	Viandar de la Vera, Spain
Height	1.72 m
Playing position	Forward
Club information
Current club	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)
National team
1986	Spain U21	1	(0)
1987	Spain U23	1	(0)
1990	Spain	1	(0)
1993	Basque Country	1	(0)
Teams managed
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
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Ernesto Valverde Tejedor, born on February 9, 1964, is a famous Spanish football manager and former player. He used to play as a forward, scoring goals for his team. Currently, he is the manager of the La Liga club Athletic Bilbao.

During his playing career, Valverde played over 264 games in La Liga, scoring 68 goals. He also played 55 matches and scored nine goals in the Segunda División. He spent 14 years as a professional player, playing for six different teams. These included well-known clubs like Espanyol, Barcelona, and Athletic Bilbao.

After retiring as a player, Valverde became a successful manager. He has coached all three of his former clubs. He achieved a "double" (winning both the league and cup) with Olympiacos in Greece in 2009 and 2012. He also won a double with Barcelona in Spain in 2018.

Ernesto Valverde's Playing Career

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

In 1986, he moved to Español and made his La Liga debut. This was the top football league in Spain. 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 sadly lost the final on penalties to Bayer Leverkusen.

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

In 1990, Valverde moved to Athletic Bilbao. Even though he was born in Extremadura, he was allowed to play for Athletic. This is because he moved to the Basque Country when he was a baby. He played for Athletic for six seasons. He scored 20 league goals between 1992 and 1994. During his time at Athletic, he was called Txingurri, which means "ant" in the Basque language.

After Athletic, 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.

Valverde also played one game for the Spanish national team. This was in 1990 during a qualifier for UEFA Euro 1992. Spain won 2–1 against Iceland.

Ernesto Valverde's Coaching Journey

Valverde with Olympiacos in 2012

Right after he stopped playing, Valverde started his coaching career. He began in the youth teams of Athletic Bilbao. Four years later, he became an assistant coach for the main team. He also helped create the club's women's team.

In 2002, he became the head coach of Bilbao Athletic, the club's B team. The next year, he was promoted to coach the first team. In the 2003–04 season, his team finished fifth in the league. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup.

After a year away from football, Valverde joined Espanyol, another club he played for. In his first season there, Espanyol reached another UEFA Cup final. This was 19 years after their last one. They lost on penalties again, this time to Sevilla.

On May 28, 2008, Valverde became the coach of Olympiacos in Greece. In his first season, he won the Super League Greece and the Greek Football Cup. This meant he won "the double." However, in May 2009, the club decided not to keep him. This was due to a disagreement about money. Many players and fans wanted him to stay.

On June 2, 2009, Villarreal announced Valverde as their new coach. He signed a one-year deal. But on January 31, 2010, he was fired. This happened after the team lost at home to Osasuna.

Valverde returned to Olympiacos on August 7, 2010. He replaced their previous coach. In his second time with the club, he again led them to win the league championship. They also reached the quarter-finals of the domestic cup.

In April 2012, Valverde helped Olympiacos win the league again. But he announced he would leave for family reasons. On December 3, he returned to Spanish football. He became the coach of Valencia until the end of the season. His first game was a 1–0 win against Osasuna.

Returning 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 them qualify for the Champions League. They also reached the final of the 2015 Spanish Cup.

On August 17, 2015, Valverde led Athletic Bilbao to their first trophy in 31 years. They beat Barcelona 5–1 over two games to win the Spanish Supercup. On May 23, 2017, he announced he would leave the club. His former teammate, José Ángel Ziganda, took over.

Valverde managed Athletic Bilbao for 306 matches in total. This is a club record, beating the previous record set by Javier Clemente. He also managed 228 league matches, which is another record. He was on the bench for 42 European matches, which is also a record.

Coaching FC Barcelona

On May 29, 2017, Valverde became the new manager of Barcelona. His time there started with a loss to their rivals, Real Madrid, in the Spanish Supercup.

However, the team then went on an amazing 29-match unbeaten streak. This lasted from August 2017 to January 2018. They lost to Espanyol in the Spanish Cup quarter-finals. This was Barcelona's first loss at Espanyol's stadium since it opened in 2009. They recovered and continued their cup run. But they lost to Roma in the Champions League quarter-finals in April. Roma won 3–0, meaning they went through on the away goals rule.

Barcelona was undefeated for 43 matches in the Spanish League. But they lost their second-to-last game of the 2017–18 season. This happened on May 13, 2018, when they rested Lionel Messi. They were beaten 5–4 by Levante. Still, they finished the season winning both the league and the cup. They beat Sevilla 5–0 in the Copa del Rey final.

The 2018–19 season started with a 2–1 win over Sevilla. This won them the domestic supercup. In February 2019, Valverde signed a new contract for another year. His team then went on a 23-match unbeaten run. They won 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. But they were eliminated after a 4–0 defeat at Anfield in the second game. Many people then called for him to be dismissed. He also guided the team to another Spanish Cup final. This time, they lost 2–1 to Valencia.

Valverde stayed in charge for the start of the 2019–20 season. The team won their Champions League group. They were also top of the league table by the new year. However, they had some poor performances in December and January. They won only one out of five matches. This put pressure on his job again. On January 13, 2020, Barcelona fired him. 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

On June 30, 2022, Valverde returned to Athletic Bilbao for a third time. This was under the new president Jon Uriarte. In his second season back, he won the club's first major trophy in 40 years. They beat Mallorca on penalties to win the Spanish Cup. They also finished fifth in the league, which qualified them for European competitions.

Ernesto Valverde's Life Outside Football

Valverde is also a very keen photographer. His photos have been shown in exhibitions and published in books. His younger brother, Mikel, is a cartoonist.

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Awards

As a Player

Espanyol

• UEFA Cup runner-up: 1987–88

Barcelona

• Copa del Rey: 1989–90
• European Cup Winners' Cup: 1988–89

As a Manager

Espanyol

• UEFA Cup runner-up: 2006–07

Olympiacos

• Super League Greece: 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12
• Greek Football Cup: 2008–09, 2011–12

Athletic Bilbao

• Copa del Rey: 2023–24; runner-up: 2014–15
• Supercopa de España: 2015

Barcelona

• La Liga: 2017–18, 2018–19
• Copa del Rey: 2017–18
• Supercopa de España: 2018

Individual Awards

• Super League Greece Manager of the Year: 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

Images for kids

• 

  Valverde managing Athletic Bilbao in 2014

• 

  Valverde with Olympiacos in 2012

• 

  Valverde with Athletic Bilbao in 2014

See also

In Spanish: Ernesto Valverde para niños