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Coach Valverde to leave Bilbao at end of season / Photo: ANDER GILLENEA - AFP
Coach Valverde to leave Bilbao at end of season
Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde is to step down at the end of the season after a hugely successful third spell in charge, he announced Friday.
The 62-year-old, who ended Bilbao's 40-year trophy drought when his side won the Copa del Rey in 2024, said he had been considering the move for some time.
"It is a decision I have thought about for a long time, and it was discussed and agreed upon with the club's management," Valverde said in a video posted on the club's website.
He added that with Bilbao currently 10th in La Liga and six points off the European places, he would remain focused on the job until the end of the season.
"We still have 10 games ahead of us, and there is a lot to gain," he said.
His announcement will bring down the curtain on a long association with the Basque club.
He played 170 times for Bilbao in the 1990s and has had three tenures as coach, with this current spell which started in 2022 the most successful.
The season after their Copa del Rey triumph, Bilbao reached the Europa League semi-finals before losing to Manchester United.
Bilbao then returned to the Champions League for the first time since 2014/15 this term but won just two of their eight league-phase games and failed to make the knock-out stage.
Sunday's match against Real Betis will be his 495th in charge, more than any other Bilbao coach.
He also led Barcelona to the domestic double in 2017-18, winning La Liga with them again the following year.
U.Neumann--BlnAP
