LifeBogger presents the Full Story of a Football Manager best known by the nickname “Txingurri”.

Our Ernesto Valverde Childhood Story plus Untold Biography Facts bring you a full account of notable events from his childhood time to date.

The analysis involves his early life, family background, life story before fame, rise to fame story, relationship and personal life, etc.

Yes, everyone knows about his rapid rise as a former Athletic Bilbao manager. However, only a few consider Ernesto Valverde’s Biography, which is quite interesting. Now, without further ado, let’s begin.

Ernesto Valverde Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:

For starters of, the manager’s Bio, his full names are Ernesto Valverde Tejedor. Ernesto Valverde was born on the 9th day of February 1964 in Viandar de la Vera, Spain.

Ernesto Valverde’s family has their roots from the Castile and León Spanish ethnic group where his hometown Viandar de la Vera, is located. He also has Basque family blood.

The Castile and León represent 5.69% of the population of Spain, and its vast territory covers almost a fifth of the total area of the country.

Little is known about Ernesto Valverde’s parents. However, it is possible his parents relocated to the Basque country when he was a child.

There exists this photo of Ernesto and a woman in her 70s who could possibly be his mum or wife. You can tell she is the mother of the Viandar de la Vera Manager from their facial resemblance.

Young Valverde grew up with a passion for writing, photography and soccer. He took soccer more seriously, which paid dividends, leading to a career.

Ernesto Valverde Biography – Early Career Life:

Valverde’s passion for soccer saw him enrolling into the roster of CD San Ignacio, an academy located in the Basque Country, Northern Spain.

Early on, Ernesto had that steely determination to make his professional dreams come true, and his ambitions to move to a bigger academy weren’t just a passing fancy.

Such determination saw him moving to Alavés, the third most successful team in the Basque Country after Athletic Club of Bilbao and Real Sociedad de Futbol.

At Alavés, Ernesto Valverde continued to mature as he saw himself settling well into life at the academy. He made serene progress through the age groups and found his way into the club’s senior team.

Ernesto Valverde Bio – The Journey to Fame:

Valverde journeyed his way into Sestao and Espanyol before being called by FC Barcelona, where he became their number 1 forward and goal poacher.

Ernesto Valverde was lucky to have the pleasure of playing under legends like Johan Cruyff, the former Barca coach who was responsible for shaping the club’s identity in the 1980s.

Did you know?… Valverde contributed to the Barcelona squad that won the UEFA Winner’s Cup in 1989.

During his playing days at Barcelona, he continued living his other childhood dreams. He enrolled as a student of photography at the Institut d’Estudis Fotografics de Catalunya.

Ernesto Valverde Bio – Rise to Fame Story:

After FC Barcelona, Ernesto went on to play for other La Liga clubs, including Athletico Bilbao and Mallorca.

Immediately after retiring, he began a managerial career in the youth department of Athletic Bilbao, a club he scored 44 goals during his playing time.

He was known to have a managerial philosophy that lies in organizing his defence and tightening his backlines.

Later on, Ernesto moved to Olympiacos, where he won the Greek title in 2009 with a team that conceded only 14 league goals.

Back to Spain:

After a successful spell at Olympiacos, Valverde returned back to Athletic Bilbao. At the club, he set a club record by leading his players to a 4th place La Liga finish. Valverde did that thanks to the striking abilities of Inaki Williams and his teammates.

Valverde later led the Lions to their first trophy in 31 years after a 5–1 aggregate defeat of Barcelona for the Supercopa de España glory.

Also, his performance in Europe also saw him being named the best coach in La Liga by UEFA.

On 29 May 2017, the little man known as ‘Txingurri’ (little ant in Basque) got a return ticker to Barça, a club he left for 27 years. The rest, as they say, is history.

Ernesto Valverde Relationship Life with Juncal Díez:

Behind the successful manager, there exists a wonderful woman named Juncal Díez, a lady whom the Spanish media is yet to get her photo at the time of writing.

The unknown face of his wife, Juncal Diez, and children make his family sort of a mystery. According to FabWags, Both couples have been married for nearly 20 years, and his children are 3 in number.

Personal Life away from coaching:

Getting to know Ernesto Valverde’s Personal Life would help you get a complete picture of him.

Judging from information written on his relationship life, you can easily guess that Ernesto Valverde’s family like their spaces and lives very private lives.

Valverde is a shy person who likes his space and enjoys moments alone. When he arrives home, he disconnects from football and embraces photography.

Did you know?… Besides managing football clubs, he is a keen photographer who is shocking camera shy. Valverde is an intelligent, calm man who sees photography as one of his favourite activities in his spare time.

Asides from being a photographer, Ernesto Valverde is also an author and Medio Tiempo (Half time) is his first publication.

Ernesto Valverde Lifestyle:

Without being told, Ernesto isn’t the type of football manager who lives the Lavish Lifestyle. Instead of living large and showcasing his wealth, he prefers to stroll down through any city’s landscape taking pictures with his camera at hand.

Untold Facts:

In the final section of Ernesto Valverde’s Biography, we’ll unveil truths you might not know about him. Without further ado, let’s begin.

1. His Affairs with Technology:

Ernesto Valverde is vast in the use of technology in football management.

Once upon a time, FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu described him as a hard worker and a man with vast experience with the application of technology in training and managing matches.

Ernesto uses a smartphone application to track performance and fitness stats and reduce pesky admin work.

2. Not a Fan of the Third Half:

According to Sports-English, Ernesto isn’t a big fan of the “third half” which covers much of the discussions in the game after the first half or before/during extra time.

In the dressing room, he prefers listening to speaking. Sports-English Report.

3. Listens with Gestures Rather than Talking:

Right from his days with Barcelona, Ernesto has been remembered as a classic striker who likes to listen with gestures rather than talking.

Managing FC Barcelona has been the biggest challenge of his career. When things get tough, his Basque veins stand out.

Fact Check:

Thanks for reading our Ernesto Valverde Childhood Story plus Untold Biography Facts.

At LifeBogger, we strive for accuracy and fairness as we tell you the Life History of Spanish Football Managers. Surely, the story of Quique Setien will excite you.

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