Madrid (Spain), May 23 (IANS) Athletic Bilbao on Friday announced that coach Ernesto Valverde has agreed on a one-year contract extension until June 2026. The news means the former player will complete a decade in the dugout at the San Mames Stadium over three spells in charge.

Valverde has agreed to his new contract after leading Athletic to the Champions League after a fourth-place finish in La Liga this season, as well as reaching the semifinal of the Europa League. Last season, he took the club to fifth place and ended a 40-year wait to win the Copa del Rey.

The 61-year-old Valverde, who has also coached FC Barcelona, Espanyol, Valencia, Villarreal, and Greek outfit Olympiacos, returned to Athletic for his third spell in charge in 2022 and has always maintained that he prefers to review his contract on a year-by-year basis.

He has coached Athletic for a record 451 matches.

“It is an important challenge. I feel responsible here, with the team and the people I work with. We all work together to make a strong team, and we will see how far we can go. We will continue to compete, which is something Athletic has always done,” Valverde was quoted as saying by the club’s website.

Valverde also looked ahead to the club’s return to the Champions League. “It’s a great excitement and a really tough competition, which I hope we can all enjoy,” he said.

Second-half goals from Gorka Guruzeta and Dani Vivian saw Athletic Bilbao win 2-0 at Getafe to ensure a place in next season’s Champions League. The result keeps the Basque side in fourth place, three points clear of Villarreal.

A scrappy game opened up when Oihan Sancet came on as a second-half substitute for Athletic in the second half, with Guruzeta scoring from outside the area after 76 minutes and Vivian prodding home following a corner a minute from time.

A former player who played as a forward, Valverde has an extensive spell as a manager, including being in charge of big clubs in Spain with four stints at Athletic Bilbao, including the present one, which started in 2022. He also coached Espanyol (2006–2008), Olympiacos (2008–2009 and 2010–2012), Villarreal (2009–2010), Valencia (2012–2013) and Barcelona (2017–2020).

–IANS

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