Coaches

FÉLIX DE PAZ

A Coruña (1889)

A Coruña (enero de 1966)

3

A player in Deportivo’s first ever XI in 1906. He was the coach for the Club’s first foreign tour, in 1925, and presided from the dugout over the victory in the 1927-28 Galician Championship.

coaches

José MONEGAL Sorondo

Melo, Uruguay (25/07/1892)

Montevideo, Uruguay (04/11/1968)

1

The first foreigner and South American in the Club’s history. He had formally worked in Uruguay, Brazil and in Spain (at Sporting Gijón). He was in the dugout when Deportivo achieved their greatest ever win in the Cup (9-0 against Fortuna of Gijón). He worked as a journalist in A Coruña under the pen name “Wanderers”, writing for both La Voz de Galicia and El Ideal Gallego, where he was head of the Sports section. In 1928 he left for Uruguay, where he worked as a writer, poet and painter.

coaches

Félix GILA Esteban

San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa (20/11/1895)

Unknown place / Unknown date

8

Coach of Deportivo for a total of four different spells. He won three Galician championship titles (1926-27, the first in the Club’s history, 1930-31 and 1932-33). He was also the coach who knocked Madrid out of the Cup in 1932. Masseur for Spain.

coaches

Ferenc István VOGGENHUBER

Budapest, Hungría (01/07/1894)

Budapest, Hungría (16/01/1942)

1

The Club’s first coach from another European country. He played internationally for Hungary. Immediately prior to Dépor he was at Victoria in Las Palmas and brought four players with him, including the legendary Hilario. He trained 18 clubs in 12 countries, as well as the Latvian national team.

coaches

Tomás Iglesias
Lloreda-Maristany

Unknown place / Unknown date

A Coruña (mayo de 1944)

1

A senior physical education teacher and Captain of Infantry at the A Coruña Garrison, he organised gym circuits lasting three hours.

coaches

Andrés BALSA Antón

Mugardos, A Coruña (11/03/1883)

Madrid (16/12/1973)

1

Before taking up football, he was a successful boxer and wrestler in the United States. The first to move from Celta to Dépor, and also the first to manage the Club in a League match.

coaches

Francisco González Galán, PACO GONZÁLEZ

A Coruña (14/02/1897)

A Coruña (09/02/1976)

1

A former Real Madrid player (at the same time as Bernabéu), who spent a very short spell at Deportivo. A cultured man, he wrote poetry and composed music.

coaches

José PLANAS Artés

Barcelona (14/04/1901)

Barcelona (09/04/1977)

2

Three times a Cup-winner with Barça as a player, he moved from Racing Ferrol as coach, having previously managed Celta. His half-season in charge did not prove a success.

coaches

Fernando
FARIÑA Barros

Vigo, Pontevedra (14/01/1905)

Ferrol, A Coruña (25/08/1978)

2

Legendary former player and captain of Deportivo, he took over the team twice halfway through the League, once in the Second (1934), and again in the First Division (1953). On the first occasion, he managed to turn the Club’s fortunes around, while the second time he moved from Arsenal in Ferrol, resigning at the start of the relegation play-offs in favour of Helenio Herrera, who managed to avoid the drop.

coaches

Dezsö GENCSY

Budapest, Hungría (02/11/1897)

Oporto, Portugal (08/04/01977)

1

He played as an international for Hungary, and coached only Portuguese clubs (including Porto) and Deportivo, who were saved from relegation to the Third Division when another team folded.

coaches

Eduardo González Valiño, CHACHO

A Coruña (14/04-/1911)

A Coruña ( 21/10/1979)

2

A legendary player, he gave up the game temporarily after winning the 1936-37 Galician Championship with the team. He began the 1942-43 season as coach in the First Division, but resigned after a few games, having clashed with the board. In the 1951-52 season he kept Deportivo in the top flight, during a period of economic crisis at the Club.

coaches

Manuel Ponte Patiño, PLONGEÓN

A Coruña / Unknown date

A Coruña (12/04/1976)

2

He began his career as a journalist in Buenos Aires before returning to the city of A Coruña, first coaching Coruña, and later Deportivo. He handed Acuña his debut.

coaches

Francisco GRAÑA García

A Coruña (03/09/1911)

A Coruña (17/04/1988)

2

Civil Guard officer. Honorary president of the Cátedra de Mus supporters club. As a coach, he won the last ever Galician championship (1939-40) and took the team to the brink of the First Division, before ultimately losing the promotion play-off against Celta. He later took over from Hilario halfway through the 1946-47 League season, but was unable to avoid relegation to the Second Division.

coaches

Juan Marrero Pérez, HILARIO MARRERO

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (08/12/1905)

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (14/02/1989)

4

Legendary forward. Player-coach when Dépor were first promoted to the top flight (1941), but only coach the second time (1946). In the 1958-59 season he secured the team’s place in the Second Division.

coaches

Celso MARIÑO Ferreira

Pontevedra (14-07-1910)

Unknown place (06-04-1992)

2

He twice won the Spanish decathlon championship, and the javelin on one occasion. He was the first Dépor coach to give tactical marking instructions. The team rose to the occasion for his first season in the dugout in the First Division, finishing fourth. He was not there at the start of the following season, but did return at the close, keeping the team in the top division after beating the champions, Athletic.

coaches

Ramón de la Fuente Leal, LAFUENTE

Bilbao, Vizcaya (31/12/1907)

Madrid (15/09/1973)

2

An industrial engineer, he had played at the international level, and was a key figure at Atlético Madrid. In his first season, the team avoided relegation to the Second Division in the play-offs. The next season was his last, and marked the move to the Riazor stadium, but the club were relegated. He did not return to coaching.

coaches

Luis URQUIRI Urain

Deba, Guipúzcoa (01/09/1906)

Unknown place (01/05/1979)

1

The coach for the third promotion to the First Division, subsequently achieving the same feat with Malaga and Oviedo.

coaches

Gabriel ANDONEGUI Múgica

Nájera (14/11/1911)

Unknown place (28/2/1975)

1

He was surprisingly sacked three games before the end of the League season, with the team struggling against relegation.

coaches

José Torres Mourelle, PEPE TORRES

Ourense (8/10/1901)

A Coruña (19/01/1988)

1

A former Deportivo player who had been a star in Cuba, he was a director when he took over the unpaid role of coach for just the last three games of the 1948-49 League season. With the help of Cuqui Bienzobas as physical trainer, the team kept their place in the First Division.

coaches

Alejandro SCOPELLI Casanova

La Plata, Argentina (12/05/1908)

Ciudad de México, México (29/10/1987)

1

A noted former player, nicknamed ‘Rabbit’ (an outstanding forward at Estudiantes de la Plata, and World Cup runner-up with Argentina in 1930), he was the coach of the first Súper Dépor, the team that were in first place in the League for four minutes of the last game of the 1949-50 season. He then had a lengthy coaching career in Spain (Espanyol, Celta, Granada and Valencia) and Latin America, where he was appointed to manage the Chilean national team.

coaches

Osvaldo Gerónimo
Díaz, OSO DÍAZ

Barrancas, Argentina (13/10/1905)

Unknown place / Unknown date

1

International goalkeeper for Argentina. Nicknamed ‘Bear’ for his voracious appetite, he led the famous ‘Canaro Orchestra’ front line of Corcuera, Oswaldo, Franco, Moll and Tino. The team were as spectacular as they were unpredictable. He was sacked before the final game, but remained in the dugout for administrative reasons, although the board of directors picked the starting XI. Deportivo won, and avoided the drop to the Second Division.

coaches

Manuel CASAL Rey

A Coruña (05/08/1898)

Unknown place / Unknown date

1

Born in A Coruña, he had coached in Argentina (Lanús and Newell’s Old Boys), Chile (winning the League with Unión Española) and Mexico (claiming the Cup with España). He had a modest season in the First Division with Deportivo, before having to give up his coaching role because of illness.

coaches

Ubaldo Botana Pedreira, WALDO BOTANA

Rutis, A Coruña (22/12/1919)

A Coruña (20/6/1998)

2

He coached the team for friendly fixtures in 1952, after the sacking of Chacho. He once again took up the role on a caretaker basis for two First Division matches in the 1952-53 season, when the coach Casal fell ill, managing one win and one defeat.

coaches

HELENIO
HERRERA Gavilán

Buenos Aires, Argentina (10/04/1910)

Venecia, Italia (09/11/1997)

1

Originally from Argentina, he had been a successful coach with Atlético in Spain (winning two League titles), before arriving at Riazor. Hired for the First Division relegation play-offs, he achieved his goal following a great win against Celta at Balaídos (1-3). After twice winning the European Cup at Inter, with Luis Suárez the star of the team, he then won two League titles with Barça, a Cup and the Fairs Cup.

coaches

Carlos María
ITURRASPE Cuevas

San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa (10/06/1909)

Valencia (10/08/1981)

2

In his first season he combined illustrious veterans (Pahiño and Zubieta) with up-and-coming stars (Arsenio and Luis Suárez, giving the latter his debut), as the team claimed an outstanding seventh place in the First Division. He returned some years later, in the Second Division, saving Deportivo from relegation in the play-offs.

coaches

Eduardo TOBA Muíño

Muxía, A Coruña (14/05/1923)

A Coruña (03/08/2001)

2

In 1954-55 he trained the team in the First Division, with Zubieta as both player and technical director, proving a success: Deportivo finished seventh. He then began the 1958-59 season, as no definitive coach had been appointed. He managed the national teams of both Costa Rica and Spain.

coaches

RODRIGO García Vizoso

A Coruña (27/02/1909)

A Coruña (02/06/2009)

2

A legendary Dépor goalkeeper, it was he who discovered Luis Suárez. In his first spell as Deportivo coach, he achieved two milestones: winning the Club’s first ever Teresa Herrera Trophy (1955), and the first victory at the Bernabéu. In his second spell (1962-63) he took over as caretaker in the First Division, but could not turn the tide.

coaches

Manuel Joaquín Fernández Fernández, PAHÍÑO

San Paio de Navia, Pontevedra (21/01/1923)

Madrid (12/06/2012)

1

He was player-coach for three League matches in the First Division, achieving two defeats and one draw, following which he resigned.

coaches

Ángel
ZUBIETA Redondo

Galdakao, Vizcaya (17/07/1918)

Buenos Aires, Argentina (28/10/1985)

2

As player-coach, his Deportivo fought to the last to avoid the First Division relegation play-offs in the 1955-56 season. He was sacked the following season, with the team at the bottom of the table. He also took charge of Deportivo on their first tour of the Americas (1954), standing in for the coach Iturraspe.

coaches

Diego VILLALONGA Montoya

Utrera, Sevilla (16/02/1917)

Unknown place (20/12/1986)

1

Two-time Cup winner, and League champion with Sevilla as a player. At Riazor, he was given the tricky task of avoiding the drop into the Second Division in the 1956-57 season, having taken over with the team in last place. Deportivo improved, but could not achieve their target.

coaches

ROBERTO Rodríguez-OZORES Fernández

Vigo, Pontevedra (6/02/1918)

Unknown place (2007)

1

It was at Deportivo that he made his late return to the dugout, after half a season at Celta, six years later. He was still competing as an athlete when he trained the team in its Golden Jubilee season, aiming for a return to the First Division. He left the Club in December, near the bottom of the table.

coaches

Ernesto PONS Forns

Mataró, Barcelona (19/01/1920)

Unknown place / Unknown date

1

An athletics star in his youth, he won the Spanish high jump and triple jump championship nine times. His time at Deportivo in the Second Division achieved only modest success, and proved controversial as the fans could not understand why he got rid of Amancio.

coaches

Jesús BARRIO Álvarez

Gijón, Asturias (21/10/1916)

Gijón, Asturias (03/10/2002)

2

He believed in players from Galicia and those who had come up through the youth ranks. His two seasons were spent in the Second Division, almost winning promotion both times: on the first occasion they finished fourth, and ended up in third place the second time.

coaches

Juan Ochoantezana Milucua, OCHOA

Plentzia, Vizcaya (25/10/1912)

Getxo, Vizcaya (10/02/1998)

2

He had coached Racing Santander and Zaragoza in the First Division before his arrival at Riazor. Assisted by the goalscorers Amancio and Veloso, he won promotion to the top flight in 1962, in a hard-fought battle with Valladolid. His second season (1964-65) began very well, winning the Teresa Herrera Trophy against Porto and Sporting Lisbon, although he was sacked after seven defeats and just two wins, leaving the club at the foot of the First Division.

coaches

José Enrique
RABASSA Llompart

Barcelona (19/04/1920)

Barcelona (29/12/1980)

1

A Catalan who had been deputy coach at Barça, he was chosen to lead the Club in its fourth spell in the First Division. His greatest achievement was to win the Teresa Herrera Trophy against Benfica, the current European champions. He was sacked in December, with the team in the relegation zone.

coaches

Rogelio Santiago García, LELÉ

Marín, Pontevedra (19/04/1911)

Unknown place (15/03/1984)

1

The third and last coach of the 1962-63 season. Deportivo lost in the play-offs to Levante, his previous team, and were relegated to the Second Division.

coaches

Roque Germán Olsen Fontana, ROQUE OLSEN

Viale, Argentina (09/09/1925)

Sevilla (14/06/1992)

2

He won the European Cup twice and the League three times playing for Real Madrid, and signed for Deportivo as coach after guiding Córdoba to promotion. He also took A Coruña into the First Division, with one of the most prolific goalscoring teams in the Club’s history. In his second spell he was sacked with the team in the First Division promotion places, making way for Arsenio Iglesias, the coach of the Fabril reserve team at the time.

coaches

Luis Antonio
CARNIGLIA

Olivos, Argentina (04/10/1917)

Unknown place (22/06/2001)

1

In his coaching career, he had won two European Caps and a League title with Real Madrid. Highly conservative in his approach, and a devotee of catenaccio, he oversaw the worst season in the Club’s history, ending at the bottom of the First Division, with four wins in 21 matches.

coaches

Enrique ORIZAOLA Velázquez

Santander, Cantabria (26/03/1922)

Santander, Cantabria (10/06/2013)

3

Coach of Barça in the European Cup final they lost in 1961. In his first season at Riazor, 1965-66, he won promotion to the top flight. The following season he submitted his definitive resignation on 6 February 1967, with the team in last place. He was the third of four coaches in the 1973-74 season, which ended with relegation to the Third Division.

coaches

Dagoberto MOLL Sequeira

Montevideo, Uruguay (12/07/1927)

1

As a player, he was a member of the League runner-up team of 1950 and of the ‘Canaro Orchestra’. He took over as coach of Deportivo with the team in last place and just eleven League matches left, and was unable to turn things around.

coaches

Pedro
EGUILUZ Lamarca

Madrid (14/06/1921)

1

As a player, he won the League and Cup with Sevilla. Following a long career coaching in the Second Division and just one spell in the First, he ended up at Deportivo, winning promotion in the 1967-68 season but spending just one year in A Coruña.

coaches

José María Martín Rodríguez, CHECHÉ MARTÍN

A Coruña (25/04/1924

A Coruña (23/06/2006)

4

A former player in the Deportivo team who finished runners-up in the League in 1950. As a coach, he succeeded in stopping the elevator: after four consecutive promotions and three relegations, the team maintained its place in the First Division in 1968-69, after Arsenio was chosen as second-in-command. The following season, the team was relegated. He returned in 1976 to replace Naya for the final matches of the Second Division season. The next season (1976-77) he replaced Rial and revived the team’s fortunes, but gave up coaching for good in March 1977, because of health problems. He was 52 years old.

coaches

ARSENIO Iglesias Pardo

Arteixo, A Coruña (24/12/1930)

A Coruña (05/05/2023)

12

A noted Deportivo player in the 1950s, he served as coach for more games (568) than any other in the history of the Club. He achieved two promotions to the First Division: 1971 and 1991. He was in the dugout when the team avoided collapse in 1988 with a redeeming goal from Vicente. He took the Club into Europe for the first time, in 1993. In 1994, the team missed out on the League by just a penalty kick. His last match as Dépor coach was the Cup final victory of 1995. The most beloved and iconic coach in the history of Deportivo.

coaches

Fernando José
RIERA Bauzá

Santiago de Chile, Chile (27/06/1920)

Santiago de Chile, Chile (23/09/2019)

1

His greatest coaching achievements were third place in the 1962 World Cup, with Chile, and a runners-up medal in the 1963 European Cup with Benfica, with whom he won two League titles. In A Coruña he proved a failure: he was sacked after eight games with the team at the bottom of the Second Division in 1973-74 when the aim of the recently relegated team was to return to the top flight.

coaches

CARLOS TORRES Barallobre

A Coruña (17/01/1934)

A Coruña (30/10/2020)

1

Son of Pepe Torres, former footballer and director, and former coach of Deportivo. He also played for the white-and-blues. He was in charge of the reserves, Fabril, before switching to the same role with the first team, as the second of four coaches in the 1973-74 season, which ended with the team dropping into the Third Division.

coaches

José Antonio
IRULEGUI Garmendia

Oria, Guipúzcoa (01/04/1937)

2

A Pontevedra player of the gritty ‘Hai que roelo’ tradition, he was the fourth and last coach of the season when the team was first relegated to the Third Division. When he took over, Deportivo’s fate was already almost sealed, and he was unable to save them. He redeemed himself the following season, taking them back up to the Second Division.

coaches

José Antonio NAYA Mella

A Coruña (30/04/1934)

A Coruña (10/12/2024)

1

A coach with a fiery character, he was a former soldier with a deserved reputation for turning teams around. He was in charge of around twenty clubs, including his beloved Deportivo, and the opportunity beckoned to take them back up to the First Division, until they came up against Pes Pérez and Burgos. A poor run of results after that defeat cost him his job.

coaches

José HÉCTOR
RIAL Laguía

Pergamino, Argentina (14/10/1928)

Madrid (24/02/1991)

1

Five times European Cup-winner as a Real Madrid forward, in his coaching career he made his name as the architect of the best Pontevedra team in history. His time at Dépor proved unsuccessful, and he was sacked after managing just three wins in the first 13 matches of the 1976-77 season.

coaches

JOSÉ LÓPEZ Rodríguez

Ferrol, A Coruña (22/03/1943)

1

Coach of the Fabril reserves, he took over the first team between the resignation of Cheché Martín and the signing of Arza, with scant success: three games, three defeats. During the following two decades he coached practically all the classic Galician teams: Racing Ferrol, Lugo, Compostela and Pontevedra.

coaches

Juan ARZA Íñigo

Estella, Navarra (18/06/1923)

Sevilla (17/07/2011)

2

One of the great Sevilla Legends (415 matches and 206 goals), he also helped them win promotion as a coach. He arrived at Riazor after being in charge at Celta, to salvage something of the close of the 1976-77 season. The following year he kept the team up easily, but with the promotion places a long way off, and did not remain in A Coruña.

coaches

Enrique MATEOS Mancebo

Madrid (15/07/1934)

Sevilla (06/07/2001)

1

Scorer of a goal for Madrid in the 1959 final of the European Cup, he won the trophy five times with the club. The ‘Fifirichi’ period in the Deportivo dugout was a brief one, although two years earlier he had won promotion with Cádiz. Just two wins in the first ten fixtures of the 1978-79 season, and four consecutive defeats, led to his sacking.

coaches

LUIS
SUÁREZ Miramontes

A Coruña (2-5-1935)

Milán, Italia (9-7-2023)

1

A legend of Spanish football, prior to Rodri, the A Coruña local was the first Spanish-born winner of the Balon d’Or. He took over and saved a team that was set for relegation to Second Division B. He was in charge for 31 games as coach, more than the 17 in his playing career. He later won the European Under-21 Championship with Spain for the first time.

coaches

Francisco Javier
GARCÍA-VERDUGO
Garrido

Madrid (06/07/1934)

Talavera de la Reina, Toledo (09/06/2017)

1

A member of the Deportivo side in his last season as a player (1967-68), a decade later he took charge of the team, after winning promotion to the First Division with Rayo for the first time in club history. He was nonetheless sacked after 30 games in charge, with the team in the Second Division B relegation places.

coaches

José Iglesias
Fernández, JOSEÍTO

Zamora (23/12/1926)

Granada (12/07/2007)

1

Another Real Madrid legend, where he won four European Cups and League titles apiece. He was appointed to the Deportivo dugout to avoid the drop into Second Division B, but was unable to do so, despite winning four games out of eight.

coaches

José
MARTÍNEZ Palomar

Valencia (08/10/1939)

2

A former Valencia goalkeeper (twice winner of the Fairs Cup), he saw the team promoted to the Second Division in his first season, as group runner-up behind Celta. He was sacked the following season.

coaches

Luis RODRÍGUEZ VAZ

Vilardevós, Ourense (07/02/1942)

2

A soldier by profession, in his first spell (1981-82) he easily saw the team to safety in the Second Division. In his second term (1987-88), which ended with the goal by Vicente and Arsenio in the dugout, he managed only 17 wins, but gave Fran and José Ramón their debuts.

coaches

Jesús ARANGUREN Merino

Portugalete, Vizcaya (26/12/1944)

Barakaldo, Vizcaya (21/03/2011)

1

A refereeing ‘outrage’ in Oviedo cost Dépor their promotion to the First Division.

coaches

Eusebio
RÍOS Fernández

Portugalete, Vizcaya (30/03/1935)

Portugalete, Vizcaya (10/05/2008)

2

The referee Díaz Vega awarded an imaginary penalty against Alvelo of Celta, frustrating the team’s hopes of promotion in the 1987 play-offs.

coaches

Marco Antonio
BORONAT Gimeno

San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa

1

He was Dépor’s first coach in the top flight after the barren spell known as the ‘longa noite de pedra’. He was sacked with eight games to go, and the team in the relegation places.

coaches

John Benjamin
TOSHACK

Cardiff, Gales (22/03/1949)

2

The legendary Liverpool player won a Cup coaching Real Sociedad, and a League title with Real Madrid. The winner of the first Supercup in the Club’s history (1995), he took Deportivo to the semifinals of the Cup Winners’ Cup. His style never won over the Dépor fans.

coaches

José Manuel CORRAL García

A Coruña (08/12/1952)

2

In 1997, Deportivo sunk to the relegation places under his management, before recovering despite numerous injuries, comfortably maintaining their place in the First Division.

coaches

CARLOS ALBERTO SILVA

Bom Jardim de Minas, Brasil (14/08/1939)

Belo Horizonte, Brasil (20/01/2017)

2

He arrived late in the season, at a Dépor team with five Brazilian players, bringing an outstanding performance from Rivaldo and qualifying for the UEFA Cup. He was sacked at the start of his second season after a poor opening in the League and Europe.

coaches

Javier Iruretagoyena Amiano, IRURETA

Irun, Guipúzcoa (01/04/1948)

7

The most decorated coach in Deportivo’s history: one League, one King’s Cup and two Supercups. After qualifying Celta for the UEFA Cup, he spent seven consecutive seasons in the dugout, a Club record. The team competed in the Champions League on five consecutive occasions, and were close to the final in 2004, as well as playing one season in the UEFA Cup.

coaches

Joaquín de Jesús CAPARRÓS Camino

Utrera, Sevilla (13/10/1955)

2

He was given the task of managing Deportivo in the post-Irureta era, and easily maintained their place in the First Division. The real blot was a Cup semifinal loss against ‘his’ Sevilla.

coaches

Miguel Ángel LOTINA Oruechebarria

Meñaka, Vizcaya (18/06/1957)

4

He had three very decent seasons (qualifying the Club for Europe for the last time in 2008), but in the fourth, Deportivo were relegated to the Second Division, after 20 consecutive years in the top flight. The drop came with a points score (43) that had never seen any other club in the history of the 20-team League relegated.

coaches

José Luis OLTRA Castañer

Burjassot, Valencia (24/03/1969)

2

Promotion to the First Division in 2012 bore his hallmark of attacking football. The team set a second-flight points record (91) which still stands to this day. The following season he was sacked, with the team propping up the First Division.

coaches

DOMINGOS José Paciência Oliveira

Leça da Palmeira, Portugal (02/01/1969)

1

The Portuguese was one of the shortest-serving coaches in Deportivo history: six League matches and just one win, before resigning. That season’s squad included nine Portuguese and three Brazilians.

coaches

FERNANDO
VÁZQUEZ Pena

Castrofeito, A Coruña (24/10-/953)

4

The Santiago-born coach revived Deportivo’s fortunes in 2013, but was unable to avoid the drop to the Second Division. The following season he took them back up to the First. In 2020 he once again revived a team who seemed to be heading for Second Division B, but was ultimately unable to avoid the drop, thanks to the Fuenlabrada Covid incident.

coaches

VÍCTOR FERNÁNDEZ Braulio

Zaragoza (28/11/1960)

1

As coach, he won the Cup Winners’ Cup with Zaragoza, and was in charge of the great EuroCelta side featuring numerous Russian players. He was sacked by Deportivo eight games from the end of the season, following a draw against the last-placed side, and with the team just above the relegation zone.

coaches

VÍCTOR
SÁNCHEZ del Amo

Madrid (23/02/1976)

2

A former player who had won four trophies at the Club, his first spell as a professional team coach came at Deportivo. A comeback win in the last game of the season at the Camp Nou against Barça, who had already secured the title, saved the Club from the drop into the Second Division. The next year he kept the team up in the First, but his fate was sealed by a poor second half to the season.

coaches

GAIZKA
GARITANO Aguirre

Derio, Vizcaya (09/07/1975)

1

The architect of two consecutive promotions, taking Eibar into the First Division for the first time Despite his attractive football, the results refused to follow. A run of seven games without a win, topped by a 4-0 defeat at Leganés, cost him his job.

coaches

José Mel Pérez,
PEPE MEL

Madrid (28/02/1963)

2

He took over a Deportivo in crisis, but outside the relegation zone. Having turned the tide, he avoided the drop in the last game of the season. He was sacked the following year, with the team two points outside the relegation places.

coaches

CRISTÓBAL Parralo Aguilera

Priego de Córdoba, Córdoba (21/08/1967)

1

He was promoted from the Fabril reserves, having taken them to the top of Group 1 in Second Division B after 10 games, to become the second Dépor coach of the 2017-18 season. He took over a team at risk of relegation to the Second Division, and left it in the relegation zone. Two wins in thirteen games earned him the sack.

coaches

Clarence Clyde
SEEDORF

Paramaribo, Surinam (01/04/1976)

1

While playing for Milan, he was on the wrong end of a 4-0 thrashing at Riazor in the Champions League. As coach, he took over just three points from relegation, with 16 games left in the 2017-18 League season: he won two, and avoided the drop by 14 points.

coaches

José Ignacio González Sáenz, NATXO GONZÁLEZ

Vitoria, Álava (29/07/1966)

1

Two promotions to the Second Division with Alavés and Reus earned him the task of returning Dépor to the top flight. The team performed well in the first half of the season before tailing off, and he was sacked after a defeat by Rayo Majadahonda at Riazor in the 33rd fixture of the season.

coaches

José Luis Martí Soler, PEP MARTÍ

Palma de Mallorca (28/04/1975)

1

A local-born Mallorca legend, he was in charge on St John’s day when the Balearic team won promotion to the First Division in the play-offs with a comeback victory (3-0) against Deportivo in Palma, after losing the away fixture 2-0.

coaches

Juan Antonio
Albacete ANQUELA

Linares, Jaén (11/09/1957)

1

A coach with extensive Second Division experience, he had also won promotion to the division with Alcorcón. He was sacked after managing just one win in ten, leaving the team in the Second Division B relegation zone.

coaches

Luis Ángel César Sampedro, LUIS CÉSAR

Vilagarcía de Arousa, Pontevedra (03/05/1966)

1

One win in eleven games. Of Dépor’s three coaches in the 2019-20 season, which ended with relegation to Second Division B, he managed the lowest points tally.

coaches

Rubén DE LA BARRERA Fernández

A Coruña (18/01/1985)

2

The Club’s first coach to have been born in the city in a quarter of a century. During his first spell, he avoided the disaster of being relegated to the fourth flight for the first time ever. In his second term, he was unable to win promotion to the Second Division in the play-offs, losing against Castellón.

coaches

BORJA JIMÉNEZ Sáez

Ávila (21/01/1985)

2

The defeat at Riazor against Albacete in the Second Division promotion play-off final proved a disappointment. He was sacked the next season, with the team in the play-off positions.

coaches

Óscar Pedro Cano Moreno, ÓSCAR CANO

Granada (06/11/1972)

1

He was sacked with the team in the play-off positions for promotion to the Second Division, but far behind the goal of first place, the only route to direct promotion.

coaches

Joseba IMANOL
IDIAKEZ Barkaiztegi

San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa (14/03/1972)

2

The coach who won promotion to the Second Division after four seasons in the third flight. He then won the third-tier RFEF Primera division title.

coaches

Óscar Manuel GILSANZ González

Betanzos, A Coruña (04/01/1973)

1

A Spanish Youth Champion with Deportivo in 2021. After winning promotion for the Fabril reserves, following several seasons in the Third Division, he took over the first team coaching role when Idiakez was sacked, keeping the team in the Second Division following his return.

coaches

ANTONIO HIDALGO Morilla

Granollers, Barcelona (06/02/1979)

1

After a successful spell at Huesca, Deportivo once again called on his services for a second season in the Second Division, following relegation from the third-tier RFEF Primera division, with the aim of being in the promotion battle.