Valverde returns to Bilbao. Will it lead him to Europe again?

Athletic Bilbao have officially announced their new coach Ernesto Valverde. He is the coach who has coached more games on the Bilbao bench than anyone else in the club’s history. He will therefore lead the Basque club for the third time in his career.

Valverde has previously taken Athletic to Europe in five of his six seasons in charge of Los Leones, reaching the Champions League in one of them. He is the Athletic coach who has managed the most European games in the club’s history, with 42.

He also ended a 31-year wait for a trophy when he led Athletic to victory in the Spanish Super Cup in 2015.

Valverde was last at Barcelona, whom he coached from 2017 to 2020.

During his time at Camp Nou, he won four trophies – La Liga twice, the Copa del Rey and the Super Cup.

The 80-year-old coach has also had spells in charge of Espanyol, Olympiakos, Villarreal and Valencia.

Source: Athletic Bilbao