Where Middlesbrough FC's best paid player from 10 years ago is right now | OneFootball

2014/15 was a memorable season for Boro supporters, but who was the highest paid player in Aitor Karanka's squad, and where is he now?

A decade is a long time in football, but for Middlesbrough supporters, memories of the 2014/15 season still live fresh in the mind.

Having been appointed as the club's first-ever foreign manager in November 2013, the 2014/15 season would see Aitor Karanka take charge of his first full season in management.

Guiding the club to a mid-table finish the previous term following his mid-season arrival at the Riverside Stadium, there were signs that José Mourinho's former Real Madrid assistant coach could be the one to bring Boro out of the gloomy Gordon Strachan era and build upon the solid foundations his predecessor Tony Mowbray had laid.

Karanka's boys would take the Teesside faithful on a rollercoaster campaign, with his cult-hero laden squad finishing fourth in the Championship, before a two-legged play-off semi-final triumph over Brentford would set up their date with destiny at Wembley Stadium.

Unfortunately, however, Middlesbrough wouldn't get their fairytale ending, as they fell to a 2-0 defeat to Norwich City in the play-off final. Still, that season breathed new life and a much-needed wave of optimism into the football club, and with Karanka at the helm once again, Boro would win automatic promotion the following season.

But who was Middlesbrough's highest-paid player in that 2014/15 campaign, and where are they now? Football League World investigates.

Fulham loanee and play-off hero Fernando Amorebieta was Middlesbrough's highest-paid player in 2014/15 season

Middlesbrough supporters may only have caught a glancing glimpse at Fernando Amorebieta during the 2014/15 season but the Venezuelan defender provided them with a moment that will live on in the memory of many Teessiders.

Signed on a short-term loan deal from fellow Championship rivals Fulham in March 2015, the versatile left-back - who could also play centre-back - would reunite with his former Athletic Bilbao teammate Karanka, providing the Boro boss with an extra piece of defensive cover.

Having made over 250 appearances for Athletic Club, Amorebieta brought quite the pedigree with him to the Riverside, as he'd enjoyed eight seasons with the Basque Country outfit racking up bags of La Liga and European football experience.

He'd also appeared in 23 Premier League games for Fulham in the 2013/14 season but had struggled to carve out a meaningful role at Craven Cottage by the time he'd put pen to paper on his Middlesbrough move.

After making just four Championship appearances between the time of his arrival and the end of the 2014/15 season, he would start the play-off semi-final first leg away at Brentford on the bench. But, with the scores level at 1-1 with just over 15 minutes to go, Karanka made what appeared to be the strange decision to replace attacking midfielder Lee Tomlin for his sparsely seen defender.

Deep into added time at the end of the game, Middlesbrough swung a corner into the Bees' box hoping for a late sting in the tail, and that's exactly what Amorebieta provided. The ball was nodded towards the penalty spot by George Friend before Boro's big defender swung a left boot at the bouncing ball which would ricochet off a Brentford defender and into the corner of the net.

Thus, in an instant, he justified as to why - as per figures from Capology which are an estimate - he was Boro's highest-paid player on the books that season, with a weekly wage of £25,500.

Fernando Amorebieta is now assistant coach at Arenas Club de Gexto

Amorebieta would sign for Middlesbrough on loan once again for the 2015/16 season but returned to parent club Fulham in February 2016 before he could see through the automatic promotion-winning campaign on Teesside that he'd contributed 13 Championship appearances towards that season.

From there he would spend the final few months of that term back at Craven Cottage, before making a permanent transfer to La Liga side Sporting Gijon in the summer of 2016.

He would spend one season with the Spanish side, before moving back closer to home with Argentinian outfit Independiente in the summer of 2017.

Come January 2019, he'd make his final transfer of his playing career, having left Independiente on a free transfer to sign for Paraguayan side Cerro Porteno. He'd remain there until October 2020, before retiring at 35.

Since then, he's enjoyed a number of roles off the pitch. From spending time as a youth scout for Venezuela in 2022 to spending time as a sporting director with lower-league Basque side Club Portugalete from 2022-2023, Amorebieta now appears to be pursuing a career in coaching.

He spent a brief period in a dual role as the Dominican Republic's U23 and senior national team's assistant manager between February and June 2024, before moving into his current role as assistant manager with Basque side Arenas Club de Gexto.

So, who knows Middlesbrough fans? Maybe one day he will make his Riverside Stadium return in the dugout?