Spanish retired footballer (born 1961)
In this
Spanish name , the first or paternal
surname is
Mendilibar and the second or maternal family name is
Etxebarria .
José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria (born 14 March 1961) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder , currently manager of Super League Greece club Olympiacos .
He played no higher than Segunda División , making 290 appearances and scoring 34 goals mainly for Sestao . He also represented Logroñés in that league.[ 1]
Mendilibar managed for over 15 years in La Liga for Athletic Bilbao , Valladolid , Osasuna , Levante , Eibar , Alavés and Sevilla , winning the second division with Valladolid in 2006–07 , the Europa League in 2023 with Sevilla and the Conference League in 2024 with Olympiacos.
Playing career
Mendilibar was born in Zaldibar , Basque Country . He enjoyed an average career as a player, never appearing for a club in La Liga and successively representing Bilbao Athletic , Logroñés , Sestao and Lemona .[ 2]
Mendilibar was a key player in midfield for Sestao during the side's Segunda División years – playing eight seasons with them in that level and appearing in nearly 300 competitive matches – narrowly missing out on promotion in 1986–87 under Javier Irureta .[ 3] [ 4] [ 5]
Coaching career
Early years
After retiring in 1994, Mendilibar worked in the youth categories of Athletic Bilbao before having spells as head coach at Aurrerá de Vitoria ,[ 6] Lanzarote and Eibar .[ 7] His success with the latter in the second division, on a very limited budget, translated into a narrow miss on promotion in 2005 .[ 8]
Athletic Bilbao
Mendilibar returned to Athletic in June 2005.[ 9] His debut was the first European match of his career, a 1–0 away loss against Romania's CFR Cluj on 2 July in the second round of the UEFA Intertoto Cup (aggregate draw, elimination on penalties ).[ 10] [ 11] His first top-flight game was a 3–0 home win over Real Sociedad in the Basque derby on 27 August.[ 12]
Having not added any more victories in the ensuing nine games of the season , Mendilibar was its first manager to be sacked. He was replaced by Javier Clemente on 31 October.[ 13]
Valladolid
In June 2006, Mendilibar was appointed at Real Valladolid in the second division.[ 14] His team won promotion as champions in his first season , earning a record 88 points and going on a 29-game unbeaten run to secure their place in the top flight with eight fixtures remaining.[ 15] In the same campaign , they reached the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey with aggregate victories over Gimnàstic de Tarragona and Villarreal from the league above.[ 16]
Mendilibar's team retained their league status from 2007 to 2009 . On 1 February 2010, after a 1–1 home draw against Almería left them one point above the relegation places, he was dismissed.[ 17]
Osasuna
In February 2011, Mendilibar returned to work, replacing the fired José Antonio Camacho at Osasuna on a deal until June of the following year.[ 18] His first game in charge was a 4–0 home defeat of Espanyol on 20 February,[ 19] and the Rojillos stayed up on the final day of the campaign with a 1–0 win over Villarreal also at the El Sadar Stadium .[ 20]
Mendilibar added a further year to his contract in March 2012,[ 21] and again in May of the following year.[ 22] On 3 September 2013, he was relieved of his duties after three losses in as many matches to kickstart the new season .[ 23]
Levante
On 29 May 2014, Mendilibar was appointed at Levante , signing a one-year contract with an option for a second season.[ 24] On 20 October, after only one win in eight games, and no goals scored and 14 conceded from four home fixtures, he was dismissed.[ 25]
Eibar
Mendilibar returned to Eibar on 30 June 2015, replacing Gaizka Garitano .[ 26] In 2016–17 , he led the team to a best-ever quarter-final finish in the domestic cup before an injury-stripped squad lost 5–2 on aggregate to Atlético Madrid ;[ 27] he and Asier Garitano of Leganés were joint recipients of the year's Miguel Muñoz Trophy for best manager.[ 28] The following year they came ninth in the league, again a club record.[ 29]
In May 2021, shortly after the team's relegation , Mendilibar announced that he would not renew his contract.[ 30]
Alavés
At the turn of the calendar year, Mendilibar returned to the top division at relegation-threatened neighbours Alavés .[ 31] He was fired less than four months later, with the side in last place.[ 32]
Sevilla
On 21 March 2023, Mendilibar replaced Jorge Sampaoli at the helm of Sevilla .[ 33] In the first European games of his career since Athletic's Intertoto elimination by Cluj in 2005,[ 34] his team beat Manchester United 5–2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League ;[ 35] they eventually won the competition, defeating Roma in Budapest 4–1 on penalties following a 1–1 draw.[ 36]
On 8 October 2023, Mendilibar was dismissed after winning only two of eight league matches of the new season .[ 37]
Olympiacos
Mendilibar signed as manager of Olympiacos on 12 February 2024.[ 38] He made his debut three days later, defeating Ferencváros 1–0 in the play-off round of the UEFA Conference League .[ 39] The following week, he managed a 4–1 away win against rivals PAOK in the Super League Greece , taking the opposition from the top of the table.[ 40] He guided the Piraeus -based team to the first UEFA competition semi-final in their history ;[ 41] there, he defeated Aston Villa of compatriot Unai Emery 6–2 on aggregate to qualify a Greek team to a continental final for the first time since Panathinaikos in 1971 .[ 42] He eventually led the club to their first-ever European title by beating Fiorentina 1–0 in the decisive match .[ 43]
Managerial statistics
As of match played 24 November 2024
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team
Nat
From
To
Record
Ref
Arratia
1 July 1994
30 June 1996
76
41
14
21
126
67
+59
0 53.95
[ 44]
Basconia
30 June 1997
31 May 1999
82
39
27
16
123
79
+44
0 47.56
[ 45]
Athletic Bilbao Β
31 May 1999
1 July 2000
38
15
10
13
45
35
+10
0 39.47
[ 46]
Basconia
1 July 2000
30 June 2001
38
16
8
14
65
59
+6
0 42.11
[ 47]
Aurrerá
30 June 2001
1 July 2002
38
12
18
8
38
33
+5
0 31.58
[ 48]
Lanzarote
1 July 2002
1 July 2004
95
40
25
30
145
110
+35
0 42.11
[ 49]
Eibar
1 July 2004
21 June 2005
43
20
14
9
53
39
+14
0 46.51
[ 50]
Athletic Bilbao
21 June 2005
31 October 2005
13
3
3
7
12
16
−4
0 23.08
[ 51]
Valladolid
20 June 2006
1 February 2010
156
62
43
51
210
206
+4
0 39.74
[ 52]
Osasuna
14 February 2011
3 September 2013
102
33
26
43
110
147
−37
0 32.35
[ 53]
Levante
29 May 2014
20 October 2014
8
1
2
5
4
20
−16
0 12.50
[ 54]
Eibar
30 June 2015
25 May 2021
248
76
66
106
299
353
−54
0 30.65
[ 55]
Alavés
28 December 2021
4 April 2022
12
1
4
7
9
23
−14
00 8.33
[ 56]
Sevilla
21 March 2023
8 October 2023
28
10
11
7
44
33
+11
0 35.71
[ 57]
Olympiacos
12 February 2024
Present
40
26
6
8
77
38
+39
0 65.00
[ 58]
Total
1,017
395
277
345
1,370
1,258
+112
0 38.84
—
Honours
Basconia
Valladolid
Sevilla
Olympiacos
Individual
See also
References
^ Miñón, Iñigo (23 November 2019). "Mendilibar y Garitano, futbolistas modestos, se asientan como entrenadores de élite" [Mendilibar and Garitano, modest footballers, settle as elite managers]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 June 2023 .
^ Rodrigálvarez, Eduardo (24 June 2005). "Futbolista blando, entrenador duro" [Soft player, hard manager]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 October 2019 .
^ Alcaide, Jesús (16 February 1986). "3–2: Amarró los dos puntos el Castilla" [3–2: Castilla bagged two points]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 February 2021 .
^ Soler, Jaume (22 October 1990). "Palamós dió por bueno el punto" [Palamós happy with point]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 February 2021 .
^ Hoyos, Javier (22 November 1992). "El Mallorca sentencia al final" [Mallorca decider in the end]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 February 2021 .
^ Hurtado, José Luis (29 May 2023). "Mendilibar, el genio normal: "Nunca le vi vestido con un traje"; "me decía 'pichafría' por hacer sólo un cañito" " [Mendilibar, the normal genius: "I never saw him wearing a suit"; "he called me 'yellow' for performing just one nutmeg"]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 June 2023 .
^ Lorenzo, José Luis (1 July 2004). "Me costó mucho llegar y no quiero defraudar" [It was very hard for me to get here, i don't want to disappoint] (PDF) . Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 May 2013 .
^ "Mendilibar ha dirigido 300 partidos entre Primera y Segunda" [Mendilibar has coached 300 matches between Primera and Segunda ]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 20 October 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2019 .
^ "Mendilibar gets Athletic chance" . UEFA. 21 June 2005. Retrieved 6 May 2018 .
^ "El Athletic se olvida de Europa por la vía rápida" [Athletic forget about Europe on the fast track]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 10 July 2005. Retrieved 29 July 2017 .
^ Gil del Pozo, Gema (5 August 2015). "Ecomax, el rival que acabó con el sueño del Athletic" [Ecomax, the opponent that ended Athletic’s dream] (in Spanish). Vavel . Retrieved 29 July 2017 .
^ "Los 400 partidos de Mendilibar en Primera División" [Mendilibar's 400 games in Primera División ]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 20 September 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2023 .
^ "Clemente vuelve al Athletic" [Clemente returns to Athletic]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 31 October 2005. Retrieved 23 March 2023 .
^ "El Valladolid confirma a José Luis Mendilibar como nuevo técnico para la próxima temporada" [Valladolid confirm José Luis Mendilibar as new manager for next season]. Super Deporte (in Spanish). 20 June 2006. Retrieved 23 March 2023 .
^ a b Ortega, José Miguel (10 November 2018). "El día en el que Mendilibar jugó contra el Real Valladolid" [The day Mendilibar played against Real Valladolid]. El Norte de Castilla (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 October 2019 .
^ Posada, Artuto (25 January 2021). "El Real Valladolid no alcanza los cuartos de Copa desde hace 14 años" [Real Valladolid have not reached the Cup quarter-finals for 14 years]. El Norte de Castilla (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 March 2023 .
^ "Onesimo takes reins from Mandilibar [sic ] at Valladolid" . ESPN Soccernet . 2 February 2010. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2010 .
^ "Mendilibar sustituye a Camacho" [Mendilibar replaces Camacho]. El País (in Spanish). 14 February 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2019 .
^ "Nekounam at the double" . ESPN Soccernet. 20 February 2011. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2011 .
^ Zariquiegui, F. (22 May 2011). "Osasuna respira con su victoria ante el Villarreal" [Osasuna breathe with their victory against Villarreal]. Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 March 2023 .
^ "Mendilibar renueva con Osasuna para una temporada más" [Mendilibar renews with Osasuna for one more season]. Super Deporte (in Spanish). 30 March 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2023 .
^ "Mendilibar renueva una temporada con Osasuna" [Mendilibar renews for a season with Osasuna]. Hoy (in Spanish). 4 June 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023 .
^ "La Liga: Osasuna name former Almeria boss Javi Gracia as their new coach" . Sky Sports . 4 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013 .
^ "Levante appoint Mendilibar as new coach" . FIFA. 29 May 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014 .[dead link ]
^ "El Levante rescinde el contrato a Mendilibar" [Levante terminate Mendilibar contract] (in Spanish). Levante UD. 20 October 2014. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014 .
^ "José Luis Mendilibar nuevo entrenador de SD Eibar" [José Luis Mendilibar new manager of SD Eibar] (in Spanish). SD Eibar. 30 June 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015 .
^ "Atletico Madrid reaches final 4 of Copa del Rey" . EFE . 25 January 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2020 .
^ a b "Mendilibar y Garitano reciben el premio Miguel Muñoz: "Muchas gracias a MARCA" " [Mendilibar and Garitano receive the Miguel Muñoz Trophy: "Thank you so much MARCA"]. Marca (in Spanish). 18 December 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2021 .
^ "Eibar sign off for season with terrific point following 2–2 draw at Atlético" . SD Eibar. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2020 .
^ "Mendilibar no seguirá en el Eibar tras el descenso a Segunda" [Mendilibar will not continue at Eibar after relegation to Segunda ] (in Spanish). RTVE . 25 May 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021 .
^ Rivas, Jon (27 December 2021). "Mendilibar reemplaza a Calleja en el Alavés" [Mendilibar replaces Calleja at Alavés]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 January 2022 .
^ Lekuona, Javier (4 April 2022). "Mendilibar, destituido; Velázquez, nuevo entrenador del Alavés" [Mendilibar, dismissed; Velázquez, new manager of Alavés]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 April 2022 .
^ "José Luis Mendilibar, nuevo entrenador del Sevilla FC" [José Luis Mendilibar, new manager of Sevilla FC] (in Spanish). Sevilla FC. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023 .
^ "Sevilla manager Jose Luis Mendilibar relishing prospect of facing Manchester United" . RTÉ . 12 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023 .
^ "Ten Hag blasts Man United players after Sevilla thrashing" . France 24 . 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023 .
^ a b Lowe, Sid (31 May 2023). "Montiel edges Sevilla to seventh Europa League triumph with win over Roma" . The Guardian . Retrieved 31 May 2023 .
^ "Mendilibar deja de ser entrenador del Sevilla FC" [Mendilibar is no longer manager of Sevilla FC] (in Spanish). Sevilla FC. 8 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023 .
^ "José Luis Mendilibar is the new coach of Olympiacos" . Olympiacos F.C. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024 .
^ Augustakis, Kostas (15 February 2024). "Ολυμπιακός – Φερεντσβάρος 1–0: Ένα και να καίει, ο Ελ Κααμπί έδωσε προβάδισμα πρόκρισης στους ερυθρόλευκους" [Olympiakos – Ferencvaros 1–0: In spite of heat, El Kaabi gave red-and-whites the lead in tie] (in Greek). Sport 24. Retrieved 20 February 2024 .
^ "ΠΑΟΚ – Ολυμπιακός 1–4: Η μεγαλύτερη εντός έδρας ήττα του Λουτσέσκου στην Ελλάδα" [PAOK – Olympiacos 1–4: Lucescu's biggest home loss in Greece] (in Greek). Gazzetta. 18 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024 .
^ "Batalla española en las semifinales: Mendilibar vs Emery" [Spanish battle in the semi-finals: Mendilibar vs Emery] (in Spanish). Onda Cero . 2 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024 .
^ "Olympiakos make history by reaching Europa Conference League final" . France 24. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024 .
^ "Olympiacos 1–0 Fiorentina (aet): El Kaabi swoops to secure Greece's first major European trophy" . UEFA. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024 .
^ "Regional Preferente Vizcaína 1994–95" [Regional Preferente Vizcaína 1994–95] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 17 February 2016 . "Regional Preferente Vizcaína 1995–96" [Regional Preferente Vizcaína 1995–96] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 17 February 2016 .
^ "Tercera División (Grupo 4) 1997–98" [Tercera División (Group 4) 1997–98] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 17 February 2016 ."Fase de ascenso a Segunda División 1997–98 (Grupo B3)" [Promotion phase to Segunda División B (Group B3) 1997–98] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 17 February 2016 ."Tercera División (Grupo 4) 1998–99" [Tercera División (Group 4) 1998–99] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 17 February 2016 .
^ "Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 .
^ "Tercera División (Grupo 4) 2000–01" [Tercera División (Group 4) 2000–01] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 17 February 2016 .
^ "Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 .
^ "Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 ."Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 .
^ "Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 .
^ "Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 .
^ "Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 ."Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 ."Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 ."Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 .
^ "Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 ."Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 ."Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 ."Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 .
^ "Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 .
^ "Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 ."Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 1 February 2017 ."Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 August 2017 ."Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 April 2019 ."Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 December 2019 ."Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 28 December 2021 .
^ "Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 28 December 2021 .
^ "Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 21 March 2023 ."Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 15 February 2024 .
^ "Olympiakos CFP: Matches" . Soccerway. Retrieved 15 February 2024 .
^ Oyarzabal, Eduardo (1 June 2023). "Mendilibar y la bendita tómbola para el sevillismo" [Mendilibar and the holy bingo for Sevilla]. Deia (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 April 2024 .
^ Fitzpatrick, Peter (29 May 2024). "Olympiacos defeat Fiorentina to win Europa Conference League" . OneFootball . Retrieved 29 May 2024 .
^ "Jose Luis Mendilibar named LaLiga Santander Manager of the Month for February" . La Liga . 10 March 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2024 .
External links
Awards
UEFA Cup era UEFA Europa League era