Name Gaizka Garitano Weight 78 kg | Years Team Height 1.84 m Playing position Role Footballer | |
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Full name Gaizka Garitano Aguirre Date of birth (1975-07-09) 9 July 1975 (age 40) Similar People Jose Luis Mendilibar, Asier Garitano, Eusebio Sacristan | ||
Rueda de prensa de gaizka garitano 27 02 2017
Gaizka Garitano Aguirre (born 9 July 1975) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder, and the current manager of Bilbao Athletic.
Contents
- Rueda de prensa de gaizka garitano 27 02 2017
- Rueda de prensa de gaizka garitano 24 02 2017
- Playing career
- Managerial career
- Managerial statistics
- References
Over the course of 11 seasons he amassed Segunda División totals of 315 games and 37 goals, mainly with Bilbao Athletic and Eibar. In La Liga he represented Real Sociedad, during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons.
In 2009 Garitano entered coaching with Eibar, and became the first team coach in 2012. He won consecutive promotions in his first two seasons, and reached the top division with the club in 2014.
Rueda de prensa de gaizka garitano 24 02 2017
Playing career
Garitano was born in Bilbao, Basque Country. Grown through the ranks of Athletic Bilbao the nephew of another famed club midfielder, Ander Garitano, would however never make it past the reserves, also serving loans with modest clubs. In 1999, he joined Segunda División B team CD Ourense.
Garitano finally settled at SD Eibar in Segunda División – his second spell – and, in the 2004–05 season, as club captain, led the side to a fourth place in the league, with chances of an historical La Liga promotion until the last matchday.
Incidentally, Garitano would make his first top flight appearances with Real Sociedad, his debut coming on 27 August 2005 in a 0–3 away derby loss (he was already aged 30). After three seasons as an important first-team member he joined neighbours Deportivo Alavés, retiring in June 2009 at 34 after the club's relegation into the third division.
Managerial career
Immediately after retiring, having appeared in more than 300 matches in Spain's second level, Garitano moved into coaching, serving as assistant at also freshly relegated Eibar. He was appointed first-team manager for the 2012–13 campaign, which ended in promotion.
Garitano repeated the feat the following season, leading Eibar to the first position and the subsequent top flight promotion, a first ever for the club. In June 2014, he renewed his contract.
In 2014–15, 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 over Córdoba CF in the last matchday (being later reinstated at the expense of Elche CF). Subsequently, Garitano presented his resignation, stating he did not merit to continue.
On 6 July 2015, Garitano was appointed at the helm of Real Valladolid, replacing fired Rubi. On 21 October, as the side ranked dead last, he was sacked.
On 10 June 2016, Garitano replaced Víctor Sánchez as Deportivo de La Coruña manager. Eight months later, as the team was placed inside the relegation zone, he was sacked.
In summer 2017, Garitano was appointed head coach of Bilbao Athletic, replacing José Ángel Ziganda who had been promoted to manager of the first team.