Alberto Ormaetxea

Alberto Ormaetxea Ibarlucea (7 April 1939 – 28 October 2005) was a Spanish football full back (right and left flanks) and coach.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ormaetxea and the second or maternal family name is Ibarlucea.
Alberto Ormaetxea
Bust of Ormaetxea at Anoeta Stadium
Personal information
Full name Alberto Ormaetxea Ibarlucea
Date of birth (1939-04-07)7 April 1939
Place of birth Eibar, Spain
Date of death 28 October 2005(2005-10-28) (aged 66)
Place of death San Sebastián, Spain
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Full back
Youth career
Urko
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1958–1959 Eibar 3 (0)
1959–1962 San Sebastián 29 (0)
1959–1960 → Eibar (loan)
1962–1974 Real Sociedad 239 (2)
Teams managed
1974–1978 Real Sociedad (assistant)
1978–1985 Real Sociedad
1986 Hércules
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

His career was closely associated to Real Sociedad, as both a player and a manager. He was in charge of the team when they won their only two La Liga titles in the 80s.

Playing career

Born in Eibar, Gipuzkoa, Ormaetxea started his senior career with local SD Eibar, with whom he was relegated from Segunda División in 1958. The following year, he was purchased by Real Sociedad, who immediately loaned him to his previous club.[1]

Ormaetxea started playing as a right back, but eventually switched flanks. In the summer of 1962, after two seasons with the reserves, he was promoted to the first team that had just been relegated from La Liga, helping them return to the competition at the end of the 1966–67 campaign.[2]

Ormaetxea's best year in the top level was 1969–70, when he started in all his 28 league appearances and scored twice to help the Txuriurdin finish in seventh position. He retired in 1974 at the age of 35 after several injury problems, having appeared in 280 games in all competitions.[2]

Coaching career

Immediately after retiring, Ormaetxea joined Real Sociedad's coaching staff as an assistant manager. In 1978, he replaced José Antonio Irulegui at the helm of the main squad, taking them to national championship conquests in 1981 and 1982 as well as the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey in 1982 and 1983.[2] Additionally, in 1979–80, the club trailed Real Madrid by only one point and, taking the previous season into account, established a record of 38 matches without defeat that stood for several decades.[3]

Ormaetxea left Hércules CF in September 1986 after only one month in charge, and retired from professional football, going on to work with Real's veterans and write for El Diario Vasco.[4] In 2005, he supported Miguel Ángel Fuentes as the latter ran for president of Sociedad.[2]

Death

Ormaetxea died on 28 October 2005 in San Sebastián, after a long battle with illness. He was 66 years old.[2]

Honours

Player

Real Sociedad

Manager

Real Sociedad

References
  1. Alberto Ormaetxea: "Hemen, entrenatzaile onak eta konpetenteak daude" (Alberto Ormaetxea: "Here, we have some good and competent coaches"); Argia, 9 November 1986 (in Basque)
  2. Alberto Ormaetxea, técnico bicampeón de la Real (Alberto Ormaetxea, Real's two-time champion coach); El Mundo, 31 October 2005 (in Spanish)
  3. El récord de imbatibilidad vuelve a estar a buen recaudo (Record for games without defeat still safe); Mundo Deportivo, 4 December 2013 (in Spanish)
  4. Muere Alberto Ormaetxea (Alberto Ormaetxea dies); El País, 29 October 2005 (in Spanish)
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