Liverpool vs Villarreal is about more than Champions League points for Andoni Iraola. On Tuesday night at Anfield, the Reds boss will face his closest friend in football, Villarreal head coach Inigo Perez, as Liverpool look to build on two wins from two in the league phase.
Iraola has known Perez since the early days of his playing career at Athletic Club in Bilbao, and the pair have since formed a close friendship. He appointed the 38-year-old as his assistant at Rayo Vallecano in 2022. A year later, he tried to bring him to AFC Bournemouth, but an unsuccessful work permit application got in the way.
“A privilege” to face a friend
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon, Iraola made clear how much the occasion means to him.
“For me it’s a special game because Inigo is my friend.
“We’ve known each other since the academy years at Athletic Club, we played with each other in the first team, and as soon as he retired I was quick enough to grab him to help me as an assistant.
“We’ve been through a lot of things together, so it is also a privilege for me to face him in a Champions League game.
“He knows me very well, he knows everything, but also it is a team I follow, I know the players and it is going to be little bit strange, yes, but in a good way.”
Radio silence before kick-off
Have the two friends spoken in the build-up? Iraola says the answer is no, and that is deliberate.
“It is the thing that happens, it is not good for relationships when these things happen. I talk to him a lot, but when you know you are going to face each other you stop talking because you kind of leave some distance. So, lately, it’s probably a moment when we’ve talked less. We normally call time to time to talk about La Liga, the Premier League, about football, about other stuff, our families, but now when the game gets closer we haven’t been in touch.”
The Bournemouth work permit blow
In 2023, Iraola tried to take Perez to England as his assistant. He believes the setback ended up helping his friend’s career.
“I think so. We tried to take him to England, he was here but he couldn’t work because he didn’t receive the work permit. We tried to do everything to convince, I think there is a panel who decides if you are good enough, but they considered he was not good enough to be an assistant coach. I complained in that moment because I was coming with just two guys – Pablo [de la Torre] and Inigo – but it has worked very well for him also because he could take Rayo Vallecano, he’s done very well and now he is coaching in the Champions League with Villarreal and I am so, so happy for him.”
A difficult, uncertain wait
Iraola also described how hard it was to manage the situation at the time.
“It was very difficult because everything was very provisional. He wanted to work here for us at Bournemouth, but if you don’t have the work permit you cannot do anything. You cannot put the kids in a school. There was a moment when we realised it was not going to be possible. We were waiting because there is a process that takes some time when a panel analyses if you are good enough, or you are worth a visa, but once they told us it looked very difficult, he was denied.
“Luckily for all, because it was an uncomfortable situation, he could go and manage Rayo Vallecano and also, for me, I think it was a place where I could work with Tommy [Elphick] and Shaun [Cooper] and they probably assumed more responsibility. I honestly had the chance to choose someone else coming from Spain to be my assistant, but I considered Tommy and Shaun – they were doing a great job and I finished really happy with them.”
A fairytale farewell at San Mames
Iraola’s personal link to Spanish football runs deep. He scored the final goal of his career in his farewell home game with Athletic Club in May 2015, and he remembers it fondly.
“Lovely goal, hey? A lovely goal! Last game in San Mames for me, very special. I think I had one of the best last days you can ask for. We qualified for Europe in that game. I think it was also the game before the Copa del Rey final, which was my last match. I scored, we won 4-0 and everyone was happy, but it has been a long time, a lot of years ago. I remember very well that day, yes.”