MADRID (AP) – Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde announced Friday that he will leave the club at the end of the season.
Valverde has coached more matches than any other player in Athletic history. He will wear No. 495 for the northern Spanish club for Sunday’s La Liga game against Real Betis.
Valverde, whose contract expires at the end of June, did not give a specific reason for his departure.
“I have been mulling over this decision for some time,” he said in a video posted on the club’s social media channels.
Valverde, a former player, has led Athletic for three different periods: from 2003 to 2005, from 2013 to 2017 and from 2022 onwards. He led the club, which boasts only players born in or near the Basque Country, to the 2024 Copa del Rey title.
He also led Barcelona to two Spanish league championships in 2017 and 2018.
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