
Photo: Giovanni Batista Rodriguez from San Sebastian-Donostia, España / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Jose Luis Mendilibar is the kind of manager I have a soft spot for: a player who never rose above Spain's second division yet built a far bigger name on the touchline. As a midfielder he spent most of his career with Sestao, grinding out appearances and goals well outside the spotlight. That long apprenticeship in the lower tiers seems to feed his pragmatic, hard-working coaching style. Watching him land at a club like Olympiacos in Greece, I think there is something quietly inspiring about a Basque journeyman who turned persistence into a managerial career most flashier ex-pros never reach.
Overview
José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria (born 14 March 1961) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, currently manager of Super League Greece club Olympiacos. He played no higher than Segunda División, making 290 appearances and scoring 34 goals mainly for Sestao. He also represented Logroñés in that league.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- José Luis Mendilibar
- Name (Japanese)
- ホセ・ルイス・メンディリバル
- Reading
- ほせ・るいす・めんでぃりばる
- Born
- March 14, 1961 (age 65)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Ox
- Origin
- Zaldibar, Biscay, Spain
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 2 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- association football player / association football coach
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Association football player — see all → · Association football coach — see all → · More people from Spain →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.