Atlético Madrid

Irureta was born in Irun, Gipuzkoa, making his senior debut for local Real Unión in 1965. Two years later he helped them reach the second division play-offs, before joining Atlético Madrid later that year. During his time at the club he was part of a team that won two La Liga titles and a Copa del Rey, playing alongside the likes of Adelardo, Luis Aragonés and José Eulogio Gárate.^[1]

The Colchoneros also reached the European Cup final in 1974, but after the winners, Bayern Munich, declined to participate in the Intercontinental Cup, they were invited as runners-up: facing Independiente of Argentina the side won 2–1 on aggregate, with Irureta scoring one of the goals in the 2–0 second-leg home victory.^[2]

Athletic Bilbao

After eight seasons at Atlético, Irureta returned to the Basque Country and signed for Athletic Bilbao. The highlight of his career there was winning two runners-up medals in 1977 – Spanish and UEFA Cups, as among his teammates were veteran José Ángel Iribar and an emerging José Ramón Alexanko.^[3][4]

Irureta retired in 1980 aged 32, with more than 400 official matches to his credit and nearly 100 goals.

Spain

Irureta won six caps for Spain in a three-year span (exactly two years and 11 months). However, he did not experience a successful time with the national side, and never took part in any major tournament; his debut came on 23 May 1972 in a 2–0 friendly win with Uruguay, in Madrid.

Towards the end of his playing career, Irureta also played one game for the Basque Country national team.

Early years and Deportivo

As a coach, Irureta started with lowly Sestao Sport Club and joined Logroñés four years later,^[5][6] then led Real Oviedo^[7] to a sixth-place finish in the 1990–91 season, with subsequent qualification to the UEFA Cup – he repeated the feat with Celta Vigo (where he was awarded Manager of the Year titles by both Don Balón and El País)^[8] in 1998. In 1994–95 he briefly returned to Athletic Bilbao,^[9][10] then coached neighbours Real Sociedad.^[11]

However, Irureta's greatest successes came with Deportivo de La Coruña^[12] where he spent seven years,^[13] winning another Don Balón coaching accolade in 2000. In his second year he led Depor to its first ever league title,^[14] adding runner-up finishes in 2001 and 2002 and third-places in the following two years while also reaching the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in 2001 and 2002 and the semi-finals in 2004; in 2002 they also won the domestic cup, beating Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.^[15]

Betis

Irureta was appointed at Real Betis in June 2006 on a one-year contract,^[16] being sacked on 21 December after the team's poor start to the campaign. He stated: "My contract has been rescinded by mutual agreement but I made the first move. We could have continued like this for much longer but it wasn't good".^[17][18]

Later career

In October 2007, Irureta put his name forward to be the new coach of English club Bolton Wanderers, but lost out in the running to Gary Megson, and was also touted by December as possible replacement for Real Sociedad's Chris Coleman.^[19]

Eventually, he took over at Real Zaragoza, after replacing Víctor Fernández.^[20] However, on 3 March 2008, after merely one and a half months in charge, he resigned, arguing that never as a manager had he lost four games in a row,^[21] and that he did not feel up to the task of stopping the Aragonese side's slump into the relegation zone (eventually, they dropped down a tier). He was quickly replaced by former Zaragoza goalkeeper Manolo Villanova, whom at the time was in charge of Huesca.^[22]

Player

Atlético Madrid

• La Liga: 1969–70, 1972–73
• Copa del Generalísimo: 1971–72; runner-up: 1974–75
• Intercontinental Cup: 1974
• European Cup runner-up: 1973–74

Athletic Bilbao

• UEFA Cup runner-up: 1976–77
• Copa del Rey runner-up: 1976–77

Manager

Deportivo

• La Liga: 1999–2000
• Copa del Rey: 2001–02
• Supercopa de España: 2000, 2002

Individual

• Don Balón Award: Best Coach 1999–2000^[30]