Ernesto Valverde lands a new job, two years after Barcelona exit

The former Barcelona manager returns to football management for the first time since January 2020.

Ernesto Valverde has become the new manager of Athletic Club in La Liga.

The 58-year-old replaces the departed Marcelino in the San Mames dugout for the 2022/23 campaign after Jon Uriarte beat Inaki Arechabaleta and Ricardo Barkala in the club’s presidential elections last Friday.

As Valverde was Uriarte’s candidate to coach Athletic, his appointment was only a matter of time. The Basque club will present him to the media on Thursday evening.

How did Valverde do at Athletic Club last time out?

This is the third time Athletic Club have appointed Ernesto Valverde as their head coach. The Spaniard was previously in charge between 2002 to 2005 and 2013 to 2017. He also played for the Lions in the 90s.

In 304 matches, Valverde led Athletic to 137 victories, 68 draws, and 99 defeats. His moment of glory came in 2015, when the Basque side beat Barcelona 5-1 on aggregate in the Spanish Super Cup. It ended a 31-year trophy drought at the San Mames.

He also got Athletic into Europe in five of his six seasons before coaching Barcelona from 2017 until 2020.

In his time at Camp Nou, Valverde won four trophies, including back-to-back La Liga titles. He won 97 of his 145 games in charge of the Catalan giants, drawing 32 times and losing the other 16.

The Spanish tactician has also coached Espanyol, Olympiacos, Villarreal, and Valencia.