Rafael Iriondo

Rafael Aurtenetxea Iriondo ( born October 24, 1918 in Gernika ) is a former Spanish footballer and coach.

Career

As a player

Iriondo changed in 1940 over Atletico Tetuan to Atlético Bilbao spearheaded in the following 13 years, one of the most successful periods in their history. On 29 September 1940 he made ​​his debut in the Primera División and formed together with his teammates Agustín Gaínza, Telmo Zarra and José Luis Panizo soon after a legendary forward line. So Iriondo won the Spanish Cup with the Basques in the 1942/43 season under coach Juan Urquizu the Spanish Championship and in the years 1943, 1944, 1945 and 1950. On June 23, 1946 he made his debut in the Spanish national team, as they were beaten 0-1 against Ireland. In his second and final international match, Spain lost 1:4 against Portugal; Iriondo it scored the only goal of the Spaniards. In 1953, Iriondo left after 115 goals in 323 official matches Atlético Bilbao and then played for two other Basque representatives: 1953 briefly for the second division FC Barakaldo and 1953-1955 for the first division club Real Sociedad. Then he ended his active career at the age of 37 years.

On December 17, 2011 Iriondo received at the age of 93 years before the league match between Athletic Bilbao and Real Zaragoza on the lawn of San Mames for his services to the club from the Basque Country official honors.

Achievements

  • Spanish Champion 1943
  • Spanish Cup winners: 1943, 1944, 1945, 1950
  • Copa Eva Duarte: 1950

As a coach

Directly after the end of his active career hit Iriondo a career as a football coach and a trained first 1955-1962 unterklassige Basque clubs like Deportivo Alavés and FC Barakaldo. For the 1968/69 season he took over Atlético Bilbao for the first time a first division team. While he ended up with the club in the league only to a disappointing eleventh place in the table, he pulled in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1968/69 after wins against Liverpool, Panathinaikos Athens and Eintracht Frankfurt to the quarter- finals, before being eliminated against the Glasgow Rangers. In addition, Iriondo won with Bilbao in the Copa del Generalísimo 1969 with a 1-0 victory against Elche CF Spanish Cup. Despite the considerable Cup results, he left the Basques after only one year, and then supervised the second division RCD Español. Although he rose with the Catalans in La Liga, Iriondo decided to be a stay in the second division by taking over the coaching reins at Real Zaragoza. After he had risen in the 1970/71 season with the club from Aragon, he returned to the Basque country and became the season 1971/72 the new coach of the first division club Real Sociedad.

From 1974 to 1976 Iriondo trained again Athletic Bilbao and qualified with the club in the 1975/76 season in fifth for the UEFA Cup. Then Iriondo Betis was signed. The club from Andalusia then was 1976/77 fifth and won the Spanish Cup for the first time in club history. Iriondo Then took the club participate in the European Cup Winners' Cup 1977/78, in which, however, does not it past after wins against AC Milan and FC first locomotive Leipzig over the quarter-final opponents FK Dynamo Moscow. At the end of the season 1977/78 the club rose beyond the Segunda División, whereupon Iriondo was dismissed. After one and a half year break, he returned in February 1980 on matchday 20 of the season 1979/80 as manager of relegation-threatened Rayo Vallecano in the Primera División back and imagined himself by five wins in the first ten games already on the right path, before the club due to had still take four defeats in their last four games the way into the second division.

In the 1981/82 season he coached again Betis Sevilla, left the club, who qualified for the UEFA Cup at the end of the season, but after 29 matches and then went into retirement.

Achievements

  • Spanish Cup winners: 1969, 1977
  • Promotion to the Primera División: 1970, 1971
Real Betis Copa del Rey 1977–78 European Cup Winners' Cup A.C. Milan
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