Valverde bows out at Lezama, admits European dream eluded him | OneFootball

Ernesto Valverde used his final media appearance at Lezama as Athletic coach to reflect on 10 seasons across three spells. According to El Correo, the farewell came before Saturday’s trip to Real Madrid, after what he called a very hard year.

The Bernabéu match starts at 21:00, with nothing riding on it, though meetings of two Liga classics still carry weight. He first led Athletic at San Mamés against Barcelona almost 23 years ago, and will sign off against Madrid.

Valverde reviewed 504 games and said he had aimed to reach 500 when he renewed. A European title remained his great ambition, and he felt last year’s semi-final against Manchester United was a missed chance.

Champions League qualification was significant, yet he viewed it as incompatible with chasing a continental trophy, and he would have liked to leave the side in the Conference. He said his goodbyes around San Mamés and Lezama and hopes to drop in occasionally.

He will stop next season without ruling out a return, and has turned down three firm offers since announcing in March that he would leave. Results rule, he added, and had he left then he might have thought himself a genius.

He warned success is never automatic, picked lifting the Cup as his happiest moment, and wants fans to remember games they enjoyed. On successor Edin Terzic, he hoped for the best and stressed his strong bond with the dressing room, adding the job rests on convincing 25 young players to believe.

Source: El Correo