Javier Clemente
Javier Clemente Lázaro ( born March 12, 1950 in Barakaldo, Bizkaia, Basque Country ) is a former Spanish footballer and current coach.
- 3.1 Spain
- 3.2 Serbia
- 3.3 Iran
- 3.4 Cameroon
- 3.5 Libya
Playing career
Between 1968 and 1971, denied Clemente 47 games in La Liga Athletic Bilbao, scoring six goals. He was also a member of the team that won the 1969 Copa Del Generalísimo.
Club career
With not even 22 years, he had to end his playing career due to injury and started a trainer at Arenas Club de Getxo, CD Baskonia and eventually Athletic Bilbao before he first was in 1981 head coach of the club.
Primera División champions of
The mix of experienced actors like Daniel Ruiz Bazán and Andoni Goikoetxea with young players such as Andoni Zubizarreta, Miguel de Andrés, Ismael Urtubi and Estanislao Argote Clemente one of the most successful teams in the club's history of Athletic Bilbao together. In 1983 the club won La Liga and in the next year along with the championship and the Copa del Rey. During his first coach station is a fierce rivalry between Athletic Bilbao and FC Barcelona developed. The trigger was the criticism of Barcelona coach César Luis Menotti at the hard and mostly defensive play of Clemente's team. Clemente called Menotti then as " outdated hippie ". The insults intensified after a Primera División - game at Camp Nou on September 24, 1983, when the defender Goikoetxea, also known as the Butcher of Bilbao ( engl. The butcher from Bilbao ) is known, Diego Maradona seriously injured by a foul. On 5 July 1984, the two teams met each other again in the final of the Copa del Rey and the game ended in a huge brawl between the players of both teams.
Return to Athletic Bilbao
Clemente's first appointment as manager of Athletic Bilbao ended in 1986. However, he came back to coach the club in the seasons 1990/91 and 2005/ 06. On both occasions, he could not repeat the success of his first vocation. Nevertheless, he helped Athletic Bilbao to avoid relegation in 2006. In January 2006, he accused Samuel Eto'o of spitting in the match between FC Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao and was therefore involved in the then-current racism controversy in Spain.
RCD Espanyol
After being dismissed Clemente at Athletic Bilbao in 1986, he was appointed coach of Espanyol. In the first season he led the club to 3rd place in the Primera División and for the qualification for the UEFA Cup. There he led the team to the final. In the final against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, they won the first game 3-0. However, Leverkusen succeeded in the second leg, a 3-0 and the game went into Elfemerschiessen which Espanyol lost with 2:3. Clemente ended his career as head of Espanyol in 1989. Having during the 1989/90 season in second place in the Primera División brought Atlético Madrid, he came back to Espanyol. A decade later, he moved for the third time to the dugout Espanyol and remained there until 2004.
Other clubs
Clemente also coached several other clubs from the Primera División, as Real Betis, Real Sociedad and CD Tenerife. In the 2000 /01 season he had the coaching job at the French club Olympique Marseille.
Real Murcia
In March 2008, he signed a contract with the relegation-threatened Spanish side Real Murcia as the successor of Lucas Alcaraz.
Career as a coach
Spain
In 1992, Clemente coach of the Spanish national football team. During his tenure, the team remained unbeaten in 31 games in a row. His first game was a 1-0 victory over England on 9 September 1992. He coached the team during the World Cup in 1994 and 1998 and at the European Championships in 1996., He was often criticized by the local media as he banns many Basque players. After 62 games under his responsibility, resigned after a 3-2 defeat against Cyprus on 5 September 1998.
Serbia
Clemente was on 21 July 2006 as the first foreign coach head coach of the Serbian national football team. The first game on 16 August 2006 ended with a 3-1 win against the Czech Republic. In September 2007 he caused a stir when he was chauffeured around 2300 km by car from his home in Bilbao to Belgrade for the European Championship qualifier against Serbia Finland. Reason for this was that he had broken his collarbone in a fall the and four ribs, a rib easily bored into the lungs. Then the doctors treating him, forbade any travel by plane and Clemente had to use the car. He was released in November 2007 by the failure of Serbia to the European Championship qualification in 2008.
Iran
On 24 January 2008 it was announced that Clemente will sign a three year contract as national coach of the Iranian team. His achievements would have been paid under the contract with a monthly salary of 30,000 euros. Without having one game, Clemente was replaced as Iranian team boss again on 20 February 2008. He had refused to live while working in Iran.
Cameroons
On August 17, 2010, Clemente successor of Paul Le Guen as head coach of the Cameroon national team. After he had missed with Cameroon to qualify for the African Nations Cup in 2012, he was released in October 2011 from his duties.
Libya
In September 2013, the Libyan Football Federation announced the commitment Clemente as its new coach.
Achievements
Player Athletic Bilbao
- Copa del Generalísimo: 1x 1969
Trainer Athletic Bilbao
- Spanish Champion: 2x 1982/83, 1983/84