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 the second of those teams in
2006–07 and the
Europa League in
2023 with the last.
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 Europa Conference League .
[39] The following week, he managed a 4–1
derby away win against
PAOK in the
Super League Greece , taking the opposition from the top of the table.
[40]
Managerial statistics
As of match played 28 April 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
[41]
Basconia
30 June 1997
31 May 1999
82
39
27
16
123
79
+44
0 47.56
[42]
Athletic Bilbao Β
31 May 1999
1 July 2000
38
15
10
13
45
35
+10
0 39.47
[43]
Basconia
1 July 2000
30 June 2001
38
16
8
14
65
59
+6
0 42.11
[44]
Aurrerá
30 June 2001
1 July 2002
38
12
18
8
38
33
+5
0 31.58
[45]
Lanzarote
1 July 2002
1 July 2004
95
40
25
30
145
110
+35
0 42.11
[46]
Eibar
1 July 2004
21 June 2005
43
20
14
9
53
39
+14
0 46.51
[47]
Athletic Bilbao
21 June 2005
31 October 2005
13
3
3
7
12
16
−4
0 23.08
[48]
Valladolid
20 June 2006
1 February 2010
156
62
43
51
210
206
+4
0 39.74
[49]
Osasuna
14 February 2011
3 September 2013
102
33
26
43
110
147
−37
0 32.35
[50]
Levante
29 May 2014
20 October 2014
8
1
2
5
4
20
−16
0 12.50
[51]
Eibar
30 June 2015
25 May 2021
248
76
66
106
299
353
−54
0 30.65
[52]
Alavés
28 December 2021
4 April 2022
12
1
4
7
9
23
−14
00 8.33
[53]
Sevilla
21 March 2023
8 October 2023
28
10
11
7
44
33
+11
0 35.71
[54]
Olympiacos
12 February 2024
Present
17
12
1
4
39
19
+20
0 70.59
[55]
Total
994
381
272
341
1,322
1,239
+83
0 38.33
—
Honours
Basconia
Valladolid
Sevilla
Individual
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 .
^
"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 .
^
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^
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^
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^
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^
"Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 .
"Mendilibar: José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria" . BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 February 2016 .
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^
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^
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"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 .
^
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^
"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 .
^
"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