Ernesto Valverde to step down as Athletic Club coach at end of season

[p]Valverde's third spell in charge of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ath-bilbao/IP5zl0cJ/"]Athletic Club[/a] now has an end date. The coach from Cáceres will step down from the San Mamés bench after the last of the 10 remaining matches in the 2025/26 LaLiga season.[/p][p][i]The 62-year-old [/i]is the manager who has led the [i]Lions[/i] the most times and will reach 500 games in charge of the Bilbao side before the season ends - he currently has 494.[/p][embed guid="836a5eec-acfc-4a11-994b-7997087a0804" url="https://x.com/Athletic_en/status/2034955613751713857" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"Next season I won't be Athletic's coach. It's a decision I've thought about for a long time, discussed with the Club, and I wanted to share it with you"[/b], Valverde said directly in his statement.[/p][p][b]"At the same time, I want to highlight that we still have 10 important league games left, starting this Sunday against Betis. 10 matches in which we want to achieve our goals, where there's a lot at stake, where we'll give everything, and undoubtedly, if we all stick together, we can achieve it, no question"[/b], he added.[/p][p]This decision comes after a historic season in which Valverde led the Lions to compete in the Champions League.[/p]