Aritz López Garai

Aritz López Garai (born 6 November 1980) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a central midfielder, and is a current manager.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is López and the second or maternal family name is Garai.
Aritz López Garai
López Garai as a Celta player in 2009
Personal information
Full name Aritz López Garai
Date of birth (1980-11-06) 6 November 1980
Place of birth Barakaldo, Spain
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1997–1998 Indartsu
1998–1999 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2001 Basconia 68 (5)
2001–2002 → Gernika (loan) 33 (0)
2002–2005 Conquense 107 (2)
2005–2007 Salamanca 77 (4)
2007–2009 Castellón 75 (4)
2009–2011 Celta 78 (1)
2011–2013 Córdoba 82 (6)
2013–2014 Sporting Gijón 14 (0)
2014 → Córdoba (loan) 9 (0)
2014 Córdoba 6 (0)
2015 Rapid București 17 (0)
2015 Doxa 13 (0)
2016–2017 Reus 56 (1)
Total 639 (22)
Teams managed
2017–2018 Reus
2018–2019 Numancia
2019 Tenerife
2020 Albacete
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He amassed Segunda División totals of 325 matches and 13 goals over nine seasons, in representation of six clubs. In La Liga, he played six games with Córdoba.

In 2017, López Garai started working as a manager.

Playing career

López Garai was born in Barakaldo, Biscay. An unsuccessful youth graduate of Athletic Bilbao, he spent the vast majority of his professional career in the second and third divisions.

López Garai represented CD Basconia (Bilbao's farm team), Gernika Club, UB Conquense, UD Salamanca, CD Castellón, RC Celta de Vigo, Córdoba CF – two spells – and Sporting de Gijón, rarely settling with a team but being always first-choice. He signed with Andalusia's Córdoba for the second time in summer 2014 following a short loan spell with the same club from Gijón,[1] and made his La Liga debut on 25 August 2014 at the age of 33, starting in a 0–2 away loss against Real Madrid.[2]

On 28 January 2015, López Garai terminated his contract with the Blanquiverdes.[3] Less than one month later he moved abroad for the first time in his career, joining Romania's FC Rapid București.[4]

Coaching career

For the 2015–16 campaign, López Garai represented Doxa Katokopias FC in Cyprus and CF Reus Deportiu, achieving promotion to the second level with the latter side. On 15 June 2017, they announced the 36-year-old would retire and become its head coach with immediate effect, replacing Real Zaragoza-bound Natxo González.[5]

On 24 June 2018, López Garai was appointed manager of CD Numancia after terminating his contract with Reus.[6] He signed a new contract with the former club the following 19 February,[7] but reached an agreement to leave on 11 June.[8]

On 21 June 2019, López Garai was named at the helm of CD Tenerife still in the second tier.[9] On 17 November, he was dismissed.[10]

López Garai took over second division side Albacete Balompié on 14 October 2020 after nearly one year of inactivity, replacing the dismissed Lucas Alcaraz.[11] He was himself relieved of his duties on 6 December, after only winning three points out of the last 27.[12]

Club statistics
As of 29 September 2015
Club Season League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Basconia 1999–00[13] Tercera División 313——313
2000–01[13] Segunda División B 372——372
Total 685——685
Gernika 2001–02[14] Segunda División B 330——330
Conquense 2002–03[14] Segunda División B 341——341
2003–04[14] Segunda División B 32130—351
2004–05[14] Segunda División B 370304[lower-alpha 1]0440
Total 103260401132
Salamanca 2005–06[14] Segunda División B 362104[lower-alpha 1]0412
2006–07[14] Segunda División 37210—382
Total 7342040794
Castellón 2007–08[14] Segunda División 39400—392
2008–09[14] Segunda División 36010—370
Total 75410—764
Celta 2009–10[14] Segunda División 40160—461
2010–11[14] Segunda División 360102[lower-alpha 1]0390
Total 7617020851
Córdoba 2011–12[14] Segunda División 390402[lower-alpha 1]0450
2012–13[14] Segunda División 41660—476
Total 80610020926
Sporting Gijón 2013–14[14] Segunda División 14000—140
Córdoba (loan) 2013–14[14] Segunda División 60003[lower-alpha 1]090
Córdoba (loan) 2014–15[14] La Liga 6020—80
Total 1202030170
Rapid București 2014–15[15] Liga I 17000—170
Doxa 2015–16[15] Cypriot First Division 13000—130
Reus 2015–16[14] Segunda División B 150004[lower-alpha 1]0190
2016–17[14] Segunda División 37100—371
Total 5212000561
Career total 6162328019066338
  1. Appearances in Promotion Play-offs

Managerial statistics
As of 6 December 2020
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record Ref
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Reus 15 June 2017 23 June 2018 41 11 15 15 29 42 −13 026.83 [16]
Numancia 24 June 2018 11 June 2019 43 11 16 16 45 52 −7 025.58 [17]
Tenerife 21 June 2019 17 November 2019 16 3 6 7 18 21 −3 018.75 [18]
Albacete 14 October 2020 6 December 2020 12 2 4 6 8 14 −6 016.67 [19]
Total 112 27 41 44 100 129 −29 024.11 —

References
  1. "Los héroes del ascenso" [The promotion heroes]. ABC (in Spanish). 23 June 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  2. "Slow start from Real Madrid". ESPN FC. 25 August 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  3. "López Garai se desvincula del Córdoba C.F." [López Garai cuts ties with Córdoba C.F.] (in Spanish). Córdoba CF. 28 January 2015. Archived from the original on 31 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  4. "Artist nou în Teatrul Giuleşti. Cine e Aritz Lopez Garai, al patrulea spaniol de la Rapid" [New artist at Giuleşti Theater. Who is Aritz Lopez Garai, Rapid's fourth Spaniard] (in Romanian). ProSport. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  5. "Aritz López Garai serà el nou entrenador del CF Reus" [Aritz López Garai will be the new manager of CF Reus] (in Catalan). Televisió de Catalunya. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  6. "López Garai, nuevo entrenador del C. D. Numancia" [López Garai, new manager of C. D. Numancia] (in Spanish). CD Numancia. 24 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  7. "López Garai signs new deal to continue as Numancia manager". CD Numancia. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  8. "C. D. Numancia y López Garai acuerdan la resolución del contrato que unía a ambas partes" [C. D. Numancia and López Garai agree to resolution of the contract which tied up both parts] (in Spanish). CD Numancia. 11 June 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  9. "Aritz López Garai, nuevo entrenador del CD Tenerife" [Aritz López Garai, new manager of CD Tenerife] (in Spanish). CD Tenerife. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  10. "Aritz López Garai, destituido como técnico del CD Tenerife" [Aritz López Garai, dismissed as manager of CD Tenerife] (in Spanish). CD Tenerife. 17 November 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  11. "Aritz López Garai, nuevo técnico del Albacete Balompié" [Aritz López Garai, new manager of Albacete Balompié] (in Spanish). Albacete Balompié. 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  12. "Gracias, Aritz" [Thank you, Aritz] (in Spanish). Albacete Balompié. 6 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  13. "Aritz López Garai". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  14. "López Garai: Aritz López Garai". BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  15. "López Garai". Soccerway. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  16. "López Garai: Aritz López Garai". BDFutbol. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  17. "López Garai: Aritz López Garai". BDFutbol. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  18. "López Garai: Aritz López Garai". BDFutbol. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  19. "López Garai: Aritz López Garai". BDFutbol. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
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