Iraola Never has been able to against the Barça: three finals, three defeats

It is predictable to imagine what went through the mind of the technician of the Ray Vallecano when the draw of the Glass of Rey determined that his rival would be the FC Barcelona. Andoni Iraola Always remained to the doors to top like player in the Athletic of Bilbao, as it always finish bumping with the Barcelona group. It was not one, not even in two, but thrice; in the three finals of Glass that played -and that lost- as footballer, in 2009, 2012 and 2015.

In the two last opportunities, contested the finals with the band of captain of the Athletic, but were Xavi Hernández in 2012 and Andrés Iniesta in 2015 those who went up to the loge to collect the Glass. It was in the same 2015 when the Athletic finally could resarcirse and celebrate like this his first title in 31 years, the Supercopa of Spain in front of the Barça, but Iraola no longer was. It had abandoned the Basque club some months backwards.

With bitter flavour, said him 'goodbye' to Bilbao

His last party like player in the Athletic was precisely the final of Glass of 2015, celebrated in the Camp Nou. Previously it said him 'goodbye' to Saint Mamés with all the honours, marking a goal in front of the Villarreal, heaved in shoulders by his mates and accompanied by a scandalous ovation of the present public. 'The footballer that all does it very' or 'sacks a 'gentleman' were some of the headlines that reviewed the press the next day. His colleagues asked him that it remained by a year more, but Iraola insisted in changing of airs. Backwards they remained 510 parties with the T-shirt of the Athletic, only surpassed by Iribar, Txetxu Red and Etxeberria.

The starts of Iraola had been in the Antiguoko of San Sebastián (club that has an agreement of collaboration with the Athletic) and before arriving to the first team played in the Baskonia, of Third division, and the Bilbao Athletic. It was a player with characteristics dreamed by any trainer: versatile (was extreme, inner, half centre, mediapunta and in his last years, to the orders of Ernesto Valverde, lateral), with some capacity goleadora, discreet and silent leader. Only it suffered an expulsion in his twelve seasons in the first team of the Athletic, in front of Valencia. When it measured in front of the Barça in 2004, Ronaldinho said that he had been the footballer that better had marked it "because it did not conform with removing me the balloon, but it turned it into an action of danger".

Of United States to Cyprus

The initial offer was to form part of 'one-club man', but finally accepted the offer of the New York City, where played a season (2015-16) before withdrawing . It hanged the boots and immediately took the blackboard and assumed the control of a group with amazing naturalidad: it returned to the Antiguoko to train to the juvenile team and few months afterwards presented him the opportunity to give the jump to Cyprus, where trained to the AEK of Larnaca, tol that classified for the Europe League and with which won the Supercopa Cypriot. In January of 2019 was destituido and six months later signed like trainer of the Mirandés, team where exploded his dowries like strategist of very first level.

It drove to the group burgalés to the semifinals of Glass after deleting to three teams of first: Celtic, Seville and Villarreal, and catapulted it to the equator of the table, squeezing to the maximum one of the most scarce budgets of Spanish football. A campaign in Second served him to turn into the most pretended technician of the category, had offers of: Leganés, Saragossa and Mallorca but remained with the Ray Vallecano, team to the that keeps in positions of 'playoff' of promotion to First in spite of the difficult institutional situation of the club.

Really his career like technician has not done but despegar, and expects that like Xavi in the Barça, some day cual son pródigo return to Saint Mamés to direct to the Athletic of Bilbao. But for the moment, at the front it has to the that has been always his hangman, the Barcelona, that for the first time will confront seated in the bench.