Andoni Iraola took Bournemouth into Europe, then Liverpool came calling
In his final league game for Athletic Bilbao, Andoni Iraola was offered a penalty by striker Aritz Aduriz and turned it down. Four minutes later the pair combined and he scored from open play instead. As a coach he later carried the same generosity-plus-intensity into Bournemouth's first-ever European qualification.
Born in Usurbil in the Basque Country on 22 June 1982, Iraola played youth football at Antiguoko alongside Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and Aduriz before rising through Athletic's academy at Lezama. A combative right-back with a good pass, he made 510 competitive appearances over 12 seasons, never playing fewer than 30 league games in a campaign. Athletic reached three Copa del Rey finals and the 2011–12 Europa League final in that time without winning any. He captained the side in his farewell, the 2015 cup final lost to Barcelona, then spent a season with New York City FC before retiring in November 2016.
Spain capped him under Vicente del Bosque, starting in 2008 as a late substitute for Sergio Ramos against Denmark, though injury cost him a place at Euro 2012. He also turned out for the Basque representative side for a decade.
His coaching career began at AEK Larnaca in 2018, where he won the Cypriot Super Cup but was sacked after a two-month winless run. At Mirandés he reached the Spanish Cup semi-finals, only the second time in the club's 92 years, knocking out Celta, Sevilla and Villarreal. Rayo Vallecano followed: promotion through the playoffs in his first season, then a cup semi-final, Rayo's first in 40 years.
Bournemouth appointed him in June 2023. His side set a club record of 48 points in 2023–24, ended Manchester City's 32-game unbeaten league run that November, and in 2025–26 went 18 matches unbeaten to finish sixth and reach the Europa League. Days after beating leaders Arsenal away in April 2026 he announced his departure, and in June he signed a two-year deal to replace Arne Slot at Liverpool. Shaped by playing under Marcelo Bielsa, his teams press hard and attack vertically.
Source: Andoni Iraola
