Javier Irureta facts for kids
Irureta in 1973
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Javier Iruretagoyena Amiano | ||
| Date of birth | 1 April 1948 | ||
| Place of birth | Irun, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1965–1967 | Real Unión | 48 | (14) |
| 1967–1975 | Atlético Madrid | 208 | (48) |
| 1975–1980 | Athletic Bilbao | 136 | (22) |
| Total | 392 | (84) | |
| International career | |||
| 1969–1971 | Spain U23 | 4 | (0) |
| 1967 | Spain amateur | 4 | (2) |
| 1972–1975 | Spain | 6 | (0) |
| 1979 | Basque Country | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1984–1988 | Sestao | ||
| 1988–1989 | Logroñés | ||
| 1989–1993 | Real Oviedo | ||
| 1993 | Basque Country | ||
| 1993–1994 | Racing Santander | ||
| 1994–1995 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| 1995–1997 | Real Sociedad | ||
| 1997–1998 | Celta Vigo | ||
| 1998–2005 | Deportivo La Coruña | ||
| 2006 | Real Betis | ||
| 2008 | Real Zaragoza | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Javier Iruretagoyena Amiano (born on April 1, 1948), known as Irureta, is a Spanish former football player and manager. He was a talented attacking midfielder during his playing days.
Irureta had a great career playing for important teams like Atlético Madrid and Athletic Bilbao. He played in 344 games in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league, and scored 70 goals.
After retiring as a player, Irureta became a successful coach. He managed many Spanish clubs, with his most famous time being at Deportivo. He is special because he coached both of the main teams from the Galician region (Deportivo and Celta Vigo) and both of the main teams from the Basque region (Athletic and Real Sociedad).
Contents
Playing Career: A Star on the Field
Early Days and Success with Atlético Madrid
Irureta was born in Irun, a town in Gipuzkoa, Spain. He started his senior football career in 1965 with his local team, Real Unión. After two years, he helped them get close to the second division.
Later in 1967, he joined Atlético Madrid, a very big club. While playing for Atlético, he helped the team win two La Liga titles and one Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup). He played alongside famous players like Luis Aragonés.
Atlético Madrid also reached the European Cup final in 1974. Even though they lost, they were invited to play in the Intercontinental Cup because the winners, Bayern Munich, couldn't go. Atlético Madrid won this cup in 1974, beating Independiente from Argentina. Irureta scored a goal in the second game, helping his team win 2–1 overall.
Time at Athletic Bilbao
After eight seasons with Atlético Madrid, Irureta moved back to the Basque Country. He signed with Athletic Bilbao. A big moment for him there was reaching two cup finals in 1977: the Spanish Cup and the UEFA Cup. He played with legendary goalkeeper José Ángel Iribar and a young José Ramón Alexanko.
Irureta stopped playing football in 1980 when he was 32 years old. He had played over 400 official matches and scored almost 100 goals in his career.
Playing for the Spanish National Team
Irureta played six games for the Spanish national team over three years. His first game was on May 23, 1972, in a friendly match against Uruguay in Madrid. He did not play in any major international tournaments.
Towards the end of his playing career, Irureta also played one game for the Basque Country national team.
Coaching Career: Leading Teams to Victory
Starting as a Coach and Early Success
Javier Irureta began his coaching career with smaller clubs like Sestao Sport Club. He then moved to Logroñés. He led Real Oviedo to a great sixth-place finish in the 1990–91 season, which meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup.
He achieved this again with Celta Vigo in 1998. For his excellent work at Celta Vigo, he was named Manager of the Year by two important Spanish sports magazines, Don Balón and El País. He also coached Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad.
Golden Years with Deportivo La Coruña
Irureta's most successful time as a coach was with Deportivo de La Coruña. He spent seven years there, from 1998 to 2005. In his second year, the 1999–2000 season, he led Depor to win their first-ever La Liga title! This was a huge achievement for the club. He also won another Don Balón coaching award in 2000.
After winning the league, Deportivo continued to be very strong. They finished second in La Liga in 2001 and 2002, and third in the next two years. Irureta also guided them to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in 2001 and 2002, and even to the semi-finals in 2004. In 2002, they won the Copa del Rey by beating Real Madrid in their own stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
Later Coaching Roles
In June 2006, Irureta became the coach of Real Betis. However, he left the club in December of the same year because the team was not performing well. He said it was a mutual agreement to end his contract.
In 2008, he took over as coach of Real Zaragoza. But after only about a month and a half, he resigned. He explained that he had never lost four games in a row as a manager before, and he felt he couldn't stop the team from falling into the relegation zone. Zaragoza later dropped to a lower league.
Honours: Trophies and Awards
As a Player
Atlético Madrid
- La Liga: 1969–70, 1972–73
- Copa del Generalísimo: 1971–72
- Intercontinental Cup: 1974
Athletic Bilbao
- UEFA Cup runner-up: 1976–77
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 1976–77
As a Manager
Deportivo
- La Liga: 1999–2000
- Copa del Rey: 2001–02
- Supercopa de España: 2000, 2002
Individual Awards
- Don Balón Award: Best Coach 1999–2000
See also
In Spanish: Javier Irureta para niños
