Athletic Club fans remember Barça coach Valverde with a lot of affection
Valverde is returning to San Mames as the opposition coach
He spent the last four seasons in charge the Basque club
Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde returns to San Mames after leaving Athletic Club. But his spell at the club did not end on a bad note, given he was the coach that returned them to the Champions League after a 16-year absence. In addition, Athletic also won the Spanish Super Cup under him, beating Barça 5-1 on aggregate in 2015.
The supporters have fond memories of El Txingurri and had many positive things to say about him before Barça visit on Saturday. "It's a shame that he's left," "with Valverde you play good football," "I hope Valverde comes back again" and "he was a good coach and he didn't have to leave Athletic" were some of the phrases.
Despite Valverde's decision to leave Athletic, the fans don't have any bad feelings. They supporters of the Basque club are aware that his talent as a coach meant it would have been a mistake not to take on the top job at Camp Nou.
Barcelona offered him a new adventure and Valverde accepted despite his feelings for Athletic. After spending six years there as a player and a year a B team coach, he managed the ifrst team between 2003 and 2005 and then a gain between 2013 and 2017. No other coach has taken charge of more Athletic games than he has.
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