José Mari Bakero

Spanish footballer
The basics

Quick Facts

IntroSpanish footballer
PlacesSpain
isSports official Athlete Football player Association football player Association football manager
Work fieldSports
Gender
Male
Birth11 February 1963, Goizueta
Age61 years
The details

Biography

José María Bakero Escudero (born 11 February 1963) is a Spanish retired footballer, and a current manager. Having played mainly for Real Sociedad and Barcelona, he began his career as a forward (not being a prolific goalscorer) but was converted into an attacking midfielder, who possessed passing and netting ability (with both his right foot and his head, the second despite his short stature) and great leadership skills.
During a 17-year professional career, Bakero amassed La Liga totals of 483 games and 139 goals, winning a total of 18 titles. In the 2000s, he embarked on a coaching career. A Spanish international during seven years, he represented the nation in two World Cups and one European Championship; in 1999 he began working as a manager, mainly in Poland.

Club career

Bakero training with Spain in 1994

Born in Goizueta, Navarre, Bakero made his senior debut with Real Sociedad on 6 September 1980 when only 17, coming from the bench in a 2–3 loss at Valencia CF, and finished his debut season with 27 appearances but no goals. Appearing only in two games in 1981–82, he was however part of the Basque sides which won back-to-back La Liga titles, his teammates including Luis Arconada, Jesús María Satrústegui and Jesús María Zamora.

In 1988, Bakero signed for FC Barcelona, where he was joined by several other Real and Basque players: Txiki Begiristain, Luis López Rekarte, with Julio Salinas coming from Atlético Madrid but having also played with Athletic Bilbao, as another Real player, Ion Andoni Goikoetxea, joined two years later – they would form the backbone of the legendary Dream Team. Between 1988 and 1997 he (who scored 47 league goals in his first four years combined) played 329 matches overall for the Catalans, being instrumental in their league conquests from 1990 to 1994 and also appearing in the historic 1992 European Cup Final; in the latter tournament, as his team was trailing 0–2 at 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the second round after a 3–1 home win, his 90th-minute header secured qualification.

Having appeared scarcely during 1996–97, his last game coming on 18 November 1996 in a 6–1 home thrashing of Real Valladolid in which he scored, Bakero retired later that campaign after a small abroad stint with Mexico's Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz; he also had unsuccessful trials with Middlesbrough and Norwich City.

Bakero moved into coaching after retiring in 1997, first as an assistant under both Lorenzo Serra Ferrer and Louis van Gaal. He also worked as a sports adviser with the Generalitat de Catalunya and, in 2004–05, had his first head coaching experience, joining Málaga CF's B-side in January 2005 and helping them narrowly escape relegation from the second division.

In August 2005, Bakero was appointed director of football at Real Sociedad, and would be promoted to coach towards the end of 2005–06. Seven games into the following season, he was sacked.

In October 2007, Bakero joined Ronald Koeman's (another Barcelona teammate) coaching staff at Valencia, being dismissed in April 2008. On 10 November 2009, more than a year after his last job, he signed with Polonia Warsaw, again as head coach. While the team was last in the league at that point, not only did he manage to prevent relegation but also led them to a win against city neighbours Legia Warsaw, the first in ten years; he was sacked on 13 September 2010, after suffering the first loss of the campaign.

On 3 November 2010, Bakero signed with another club in the Ekstraklasa, Lech Poznań. In his official debut he led the side to a 3–1 win against Manchester City, in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League.

On 25 February 2012, following a 0–3 away loss against Ruch Chorzów, Bakero was relieved of his duties. In 2013 he moved to South America to coach Juan Aurich from Peru, being fired in September of that year due to poor results.

In 2015, Venezuelan club Deportivo La Guaira hired Bakero as interim technical director, to help the new coaching staff by running training sessions.

International career

Bakero earned 30 caps for Spain, netting on seven occasions. His debut came on 14 October 1987 during an UEFA Euro 1988 qualifier against Austria: he replaced future Barça teammate Francisco Carrasco in a 2–0 home win.

Bakero would subsequently represent the nation at Euro 1988, as well as in two FIFA World Cup editions, 1990 and 1994.

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.18 November 1987Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain Albania1–05–0Euro 1988 qualifying
2.18 November 1987Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain Albania2–05–0Euro 1988 qualifying
3.18 November 1987Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain Albania5–05–0Euro 1988 qualifying
4.19 December 1990Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain Albania9–09–0Euro 1992 qualifying
5.20 February 1991Parc des Princes, Paris, France France0–13–1Euro 1992 qualifying
6.16 December 1992Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain Latvia1–05–01994 World Cup qualification
7.24 February 1993Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain Lithuania2–05–01994 World Cup qualification

Personal life

Bakero was the third of eleven children. His brothers Santiago and Jon were also footballers, and both forwards: the former played five seasons in the first division, with Hércules CF and Real Sociedad (where he coincided with José Mari from 1986 to 1989), while the latter did not appear in higher than the second level (where he played mostly for FC Barcelona B). After he joined Polonia as a coach he was accompanied, at his request, by Jon as an assistant.

Bakero's sister, Itziar, was also a footballer, who played at international level.

Honours

Real Sociedad
  • La Liga: 1980–81, 1981–82
  • Copa del Rey: 1986–87
  • Supercopa de España: 1982
Barcelona
  • European Cup: 1991–92
  • UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1988–89, 1996–97
  • UEFA Super Cup: 1992
  • La Liga: 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94
  • Copa del Rey: 1989–90,
  • Supercopa de España: 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996

Managerial statistics

As of 8 September 2013.
TeamFromToCompetitionRecord
GWDLWin %GFGAGD
PueblaJuly 1999September 1999Liga MX7000800000000000000♠87000100000000000000♠17000300000000000000♠37000400000000000000♠47001125000000000000♠12.50611–5
Total7000800000000000000♠87000100000000000000♠17000300000000000000♠37000400000000000000♠47001125000000000000♠12.50611–5
Málaga BJanuary 2005August 2005Segunda División7001220000000000000♠227000600000000000000♠67000600000000000000♠67001100000000000000♠107001272700000000000♠27.271325–12
Total7001220000000000000♠227000600000000000000♠67000600000000000000♠67001100000000000000♠107001272700000000000♠27.271325–12
Real Sociedad23 March 200626 October 2006La Liga7001160000000000000♠167000300000000000000♠37000500000000000000♠57000800000000000000♠87001187500000000000♠18.751824–6
Copa del Rey7000100000000000000♠15000000000000000000♠05000000000000000000♠07000100000000000000♠105000000000000000000♠0.0014–3
Total7001170000000000000♠177000300000000000000♠37000500000000000000♠57000900000000000000♠97001176509999900000♠17.651928–9
Polonia Warsaw10 November 200913 September 2010Ekstraklasa7001220000000000000♠227000900000000000000♠97000600000000000000♠67000700000000000000♠77001409109999999999♠40.912320+3
Total7001220000000000000♠227000900000000000000♠97000600000000000000♠67000700000000000000♠77001409109999999999♠40.912320+3
Lech Poznań3 November 201025 February 2012Ekstraklasa7001390000000000000♠397001180000000000000♠187000800000000000000♠87001130000000000000♠137001461500000000000♠46.155327+26
Polish Cup7000700000000000000♠77000400000000000000♠47000200000000000000♠27000100000000000000♠17001571400000000000♠57.14137+6
Europe7000500000000000000♠57000300000000000000♠37000100000000000000♠17000100000000000000♠17001600000000000000♠60.0064+2
Total7001510000000000000♠517001250000000000000♠257001110000000000000♠117001150000000000000♠157001490200000000000♠49.027238+34
Juan Aurich5 January 20137 September 2013Peruvian Primera División7001310000000000000♠317000800000000000000♠87000900000000000000♠97001140000000000000♠147001258100000000000♠25.813839–1
Copa Sudamericana7000200000000000000♠25000000000000000000♠05000000000000000000♠07000200000000000000♠205000000000000000000♠0.0026–4
Total7001330000000000000♠337000800000000000000♠87000900000000000000♠97001160000000000000♠167001242400000099999♠24.244045–5
Career totalsLeague7002138000000000000♠1387001450000000000000♠457001370000000000000♠377001560000000000000♠567001326100000000000♠32.61151146+5
Cup7000800000000000000♠87000400000000000000♠47000200000000000000♠27000200000000000000♠27001500000000000000♠50.001411+3
Europe7000500000000000000♠57000300000000000000♠37000100000000000000♠17000100000000000000♠17001600000000000000♠60.0064+2
South America7000200000000000000♠25000000000000000000♠05000000000000000000♠07000200000000000000♠205000000000000000000♠0.0026–4
Total7002153000000000000♠1537001520000000000000♠527001400000000000000♠407001610000000000000♠617001339900000000000♠33.99173167+6

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