Aitor Karanka

Aitor Karanka de la Hoz ([aiˈtoɾ kaˈɾaŋka]; born 18 September 1973) is a Spanish former footballer who played mainly as a central defender (on occasion, he occupied the left back position), and a manager.

Save for a brief spell in the United States, at the age of 32, he played solely in Spain for Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid, appearing in 275 La Liga matches over 13 seasons and winning a total of six honours with the latter.

Karanka started a managerial career in the late 2000s, notably working as an assistant at Real Madrid and in his own right at Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest.

Club

Athletic / Real Madrid

Born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, Karanka played as a youth with hometown club Deportivo Alavés and finished his formation with Basque neighbours Athletic Bilbao. He made his senior debut with the reserves of the latter in 1992, competing in the Segunda División.

Karanka was promoted to the main squad by Jupp Heynckes in 1993, following the departure of Rafael Alkorta. He made his La Liga debut on 7 November in a 1–1 away draw against RC Celta de Vigo (90 minutes played), going on to feature in exactly 100 league matches in his three full seasons before joining the German coach at Real Madrid in 1997 (replacing Alkorta who had just moved back to Bilbao).

Karanka was used mostly as a backup with the capital-based team but appeared in 33 UEFA Champions League matches for them, including the final of the 1999–2000 edition against Valencia CF (3–0 win). He missed the vast majority of the 1998–99 campaign, due to a heart condition.

Athletic return / USA

For 2002–03, Karanka returned to Athletic Bilbao on a three-year contract with a €40 million buyout clause. He helped the Lions qualify for the UEFA Cup in his second year, after a fifth place in the league.

Karanka switched to Major League Soccer and the Colorado Rapids in 2006. In his only season in the United States he helped his team to the Western Conference play-off final, despite having his attempt saved by Darío Sala in the penalty shootout victory over FC Dallas in the semi-finals.

International

Karanka only played once for Spain at senior level, on 26 April 1995 against Armenia for the UEFA Euro 1996 qualifiers, in Yerevan (2–0 win). He made 14 appearances for the under-21s, and was a member of the team that finished runners-up at the 1996 European Championship in a final lost to Italy.

Karanka also represented the nation in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, playing in four matches in an eventual quarter-final exit.

Real Madrid

In June 2010, Karanka was appointed assistant manager at former side Real Madrid, by newly-appointed manager José Mourinho. Three years later he left the club following the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti, who brought his own coaching staff.

Middlesbrough

On 13 November 2013, Karanka was appointed manager of Championship club Middlesbrough, replacing Tony Mowbray. His first game in charge ended in a 1–2 away defeat against Leeds United, ten days later.

On 25 April 2015, in the club's penultimate game of the season away to Fulham, Karanka sent goalkeeper Dimitrios Konstantopoulos forward for an added-time corner kick, with the score 3–3: with the goalkeeper out of position, the opponents scored a winner through Ross McCormack, which sent Watford into the Premier League and jeopardised Middlesbrough's own chances of promotion. He did qualify his team to the play-off final after a 5–1 aggregate win over Brentford, but they lost the decisive match 0–2 to Norwich City at Wembley Stadium.

On 7 August 2015, Karanka signed a new four-year contract. Boro were consistently in high positions during the campaign, but on 11 March 2016 he unexpectedly left the training ground after an argument and considered his future at the club; responsibilities for the subsequent match, at Charlton Athletic, were handed to his assistant Steve Agnew, but the Spaniard returned to lead the team to the top division after a seven-year absence, as runners-up.

In 2016–17, Karanka led Middlesbrough to the last eight of the FA Cup, where they were eliminated by Manchester City. He was sacked on 16 March 2017, with the team three points from top-flight safety and without a league win in the new year (while their defence was the fifth-best in the division, their attack was the worst with just 19 goals from 27 games, and he had disagreements with players, fans and the board); club and manager parted ways by mutual consent, as the latter believed he could take the team no further.

Nottingham Forest

On 8 January 2018, Karanka returned to the Championship after being appointed as manager of Nottingham Forest. One year and three days later, he departed the City Ground after having asked to be released from his contract; he left the team in seventh position, four points behind the play-off places.

Karanka's younger brother, David, was also a footballer. A striker, he also appeared for Athletic's first team but with much less impact, going on to spend the vast majority of his professional career in the second level or the lower leagues.

Club

As of match played 5 January 2019

Player

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 2000–01
• Supercopa de España: 1997, 2001
• UEFA Champions League: 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2001–02

Spain U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 1996; third place: 1994

Manager

Middlesbrough

• Football League Championship runner-up: 2015–16

Individual

• Football League Championship Manager of the Month: January 2015, September 2015, December 2015