Football Daily - Andoni Iraola - The Football Interview

Episode Date: September 27, 2025

AFC Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola sits down with Kelly Somers to talk about falling in love with football and growing up in the Basque region of Spain. From playing with Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso at school, learning from Marcelo Bielsa and moving to New York, it’s been quite a journey to the English south coast for the former Athletic Club man. He also discusses his life away from the pitch, switching off from football and the how he wants to be remembered when he leaves Bournemouth.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Bring more gear, carry more passengers, face greater challenges. Welcome to the world of Defender, with seating up to eight, ample cargo space and legendary off-road capability. It's built to make the most of every adventure. Learn more at landrover.ca. The Football Interview on the Football Daily podcast and BBC Eye Player. Summers and this season I'll be interviewing some of the biggest names in football, asking them the questions they don't normally get asked as I try to find out more about the person behind the player.

The first half will be on football, the second on their life away from the pitch. This isn't just any interview, this is the football interview, and this episode is with Bournemouth Boss and Donie Iroola. And don't let's start by you telling me your name, where you're from, and your coffee order. My name is Andoni Iraola. I'm from Usurville, that is a small town next to San Sebastian in the vast country. And my coffee order here, especially since I live abroad, now I ask for a flat white always. Oh, flat white, good choice. That's mine as well. That seems to be very common in football circles we've noticed. Let's start by talking about football, because that's

why you're here. What does football mean to you? I think football was my hobby. And it has become now a professional thing. You know, I still love the game, but once you become professional and, you know, it's not just poor passion, I think it changes a little bit. You know, you see like football like an ideal world when you are out of the game and you would love to work there. And when it becomes your everyday work, it's just a work also. But you still love it. Yes. What's your earliest memory of playing football?

I think probably my best memories are on the beach, on the beach in San Sebastian. We used to play there in the school with the school team. I don't know, we started five, six, seven year old and you can play every two weeks because of the sea. One weekend you cannot play there is no beach and the next one there is beach and you can play. Because of the tides in the sea? Wow. So we have to play there once every two weeks and for us was the all the time, the game of the month. You know, every time we could play there and we could play there.

could play there and we had to go there and it's lovely memories yes you talked there about playing on the beach but can you remember the first proper team that you played for what was it called I started with the school team let's say the first like proper team is Antigoko he's also a neighborhood team there not a big club and then I moved to athletic club once I was 16 already so I didn't grow up thinking I was going to become a football player it came quite late I was decent obviously it was good but no until until I wasn't 16 I didn't really realize okay this can be a little bit more than just your hobby and maybe you

have a chance so I think it was good yeah can you remember that moment where you thought yes I can have a chance yes yes I was worried when when I had this opportunity I live more or less one hour from Bilbao I had to move also and had to change schools and leave alone, let's say, in their academy. And I was a little worried, like, maybe I don't have the level, no, to play with these guys. And when I arrived there and I could see, okay, I could, I can survive here, probably. It's well, maybe I have a chance. But I think it was quite late, yes.

Early on in your career, you kind of crossed paths and played with some pretty famous other managers. Can you tell us about that? Yes, now it's incredible, no, because when we were, seven, eight, nine, no? I played with Michael Arteeta, I played with Shavia Alon, so we are more or less the same age. Playing sometimes against because I was in a school, they were in other schools when we were playing there in the beach. And then after we played together in a small club also in Antigoco, and now it's amazing that we see each other in the football pitchers, I don't know, 30, almost 40 years later, yes.

Are there any managers in particular that have had a big impact on your career? Yes, in my case, there is especially Ernesto Valverde, a very clear one, because he was the one when I moved there to Athletic Club with 16, in the under 18s. He was the manager. He was also my manager when I was in the second team of Athletic Club. He was the first one who gave me the chance to do my debut. And even after he was my manager when I left the club, I don't know, 12, 13, 14 years later, he came back after. managing other clubs and he has been really influential in my career and today still is our manager. Athletic Club is my team and for me it has been probably the key

figure if we talk about like a manager that has influenced your career. You've mentioned Valved but if I could push you for three, who asked? Three was difficult. I've had very good managers, no? A lot of people ask me about Marcelo Bielsa. I feel very lucky to have had him for two seasons, someone that watches the game in a different way. And I think it's very useful when you are going to transition to the managerial career. And then I always, I've never had him,

but I've always liked when we face them Carlo Angeloti. For someone who has been so brilliant, has won so many things in big clubs, is very normal. When you speak with him, when you face him, how everyone talks very well about him, the players, and it's someone that I, I, I always had a good feeling with him, yes.

You've managed in a number of different countries during your playing and managerial career, but which one would you say has perhaps had the biggest impact on you as a manager? I would say probably my year and a half I spent in America. Really? Probably not the biggest league,

not the best moments of my career because I was probably already on my decline as a player. But it was the moments where I realized I was going to Red Fire and I started thinking the game in a different way. I had also Patrick Veer as a coach. He showed me a different style of play because he was coming from the city academy, a more positional play.

I was used to a different style of play and probably it was an experience that has helped me a lot after in management. And yes, I feel lucky to have had that experience at the end, yes. The Monday Night Club on the Football Daily. Join myself Mark Chapman, Rory Smith and Chris Sutton to look back at the biggest stories from the weekend's football. I think that's a really measured mature assessment of the situation. But this is football shepherds, so we should probably find someone to shout at.

I think that's the way to go. Well, Chris looks like he's about to shout to you for describing that point as mature and measure. The Monday night club, only on the Football Daily. Listen on BBC Sounds. The Football Interview on the. Let's go away from football a little bit and talk about Andoni Uriola as a person. Let's go back to the very beginning as well.

What was it like growing up at home? Talk to me about your family and the environment you were in. I used to go to school always on the train. Since I was 10, 11 years old, I used to go alone. There I took the train every morning and go to San Sebastian to the school. And after the school normally had to take a bus also to go to the train. training place and after I finished the training is when my father normally came to take me and both of my parents were working they have been working always and yes I've been used also

to move myself and since I was quite young and I think this has been good also for my independence you know even when I moved I was 16 I had to go to a new place kind of living alone and it's not the easiest thing but I think it has been good for me. Did you have any brothers or sisters or anyone else at home? Ask you an only child. Who are you playing football with at home then? Or was it just out on the beach?

Just on the beach, you know what happens? In Spain, when you have school, you have your morning, you have your lunch, and then you have two hours. That is free. Some people go home, back home, and then they come from the afternoon evening classes. So it's like two halves of the day. And then in between, I used to play football all the time.

It's two hours, and I stay there, because I couldn't go back home, so I stayed there playing football and just good moments. You mentioned there that football has obviously been a massive part of your life forever. But finish this sentence for me, if I hadn't been a professional footballer or a manager, I would have been.

I started two careers. I haven't finished any. I had to left them both. I started engineering, too ambitious, because I was already playing football. I moved to low. I've done more than half of the career, but I didn't finish it also,

but I didn't really enjoy any of them. Tell me how you escape from football. When you're not here, when you're not thinking about it, how do you get away from them? For me it's quite easy, because I have my wife and two kids and they are not matching to football. And you will be surprised that once I leave

this work environment, I go home and sometimes we don't speak anything about football all the day. Is that good for you? It's very good for me. And even the off day, already they have the plans for me. You know, with the kids, we have to go somewhere or even if the kids have school,

we have to go to eat in this restaurant or to buy something, that place, because my wife is kind of waiting for my off day and everything is set normally and the plans are already done, yes. I read that they've travelled around with you wherever you've been, because of course you've been in different countries.

Is that why it's so important for you to have them with you? Yes, my family for me is very important. I think they are sacrificing a lot because at the end I'm living my dream let's say of going from country to country to the best clubs I have the opportunity to go and they have to come with me I have very clear that I couldn't do this without them

if they tell me one day no I want to go back home I'm living it doesn't matter where I am it doesn't matter and we will go back home and I know that there will be a moment in my career that I will have to be like not the protagonist and probably when my kids are older and they want to have their own you know you won't be the boss anymore and I won't be the boss anymore and I would be happy and we will go back home and I will I will be like yes like a behind a supporting thing behind and

and I know that this this moment will will arrive okay so say there was one day where your wife didn't plan anything for you yes on your day off what would you do for yourself I live in a place. Bournemouth is for nature, for walks, for, it's one of the best places probably on the country, no? I read that you are big into reading. Yeah, I'm big reading. Is that still a way you escape? Yes. For me, reading is a big help because you, you forgot a little bit about everything else that is happening around you. You are into the book and whatever, you read 30 minutes. hour, two hours, whatever. Normally, if you are at the end of the books, you go on a longer

read. At the beginning, normally the books are a little bit more difficult, but it's something that has helped me, I think, even from the mental side, I think I use the reading and I use the bike. Sometimes when I am too... Not the same time. I need... No, yeah, but I, it's the two ways I kind of forget a little bit about the problems that you always have. When you are a manager, there are always problems and I think are my two ways of, yes, for getting a little bit about the football staff. What are you most proud of? Probably about the good relationship I have right now with all the clubs I've been. As a player, as a manager, I go back now to every of the clubs that I've been and would be a lovely moment.

you know to see good people I've been lucky and I think the most important thing when I come to a new club is this when I leave I hope everyone like has like good things to say about me when I come back ten years later have still relationship with people inside the club and it has happened like this in I would say in all the clubs I've been and I hope I can continue it like this is so you want to be known as a good manager a good person Yes, because you are not going to be successful every time, you know. Sometimes it's going to work, sometimes it's not going to work.

But even in places that it's not going to work, I hope, no, I live like good relationships. Tell me one thing about yourself that will surprise me. This is the most difficult one, I think. For me, I do quite normal things. People get surprised how I go on holidays, for example. I go on holidays we go with rent a car and we go knowing the city and sometimes we don't have a hotel at night you know so we go like day to day even with my wife with the kids and I enjoy to visit the countries like this you know without not a like a fixed plan

and a little bit more more open and probably is the first time the first thing I would think of yeah so I guess you like living quite a normal life outside of football Because football can be quite different. Very, very normal. If you could only achieve one more thing in your career, Antoni, what would it be? Football-wise. Whatever. Go where you want with it.

Maybe there's another career that you're still looking at. I wouldn't go football. I would go probably to the personal life. I think especially when you are a father, now your focus is more on your kids. I would be, I would love that my kids have a good life, you know. They've been now following me some years and I hope I can give them, yes, a good life, or at least prepare them for life as good as I can. This would be my biggest desire, yes.

And Johnny, thank you so much. That was really insightful.