The Gipuzkoa Phenomenon: From Arteta To Emery, How A Tiny Basque Province Conquered World Football Dugouts

On May 19, Mikel Arteta led Arsenal to their first English Premier League title in 22 years. The next day, Unai Emery won the UEFA Europa League with Aston Villa, their first major trophy in 30 years. Other than the groundbreaking success that these two Spaniards have enjoyed, there’s another common link between the two, some thousand miles away from England, in the tiny province of Gipuzkoa.

If you take a map of Western Europe and trace your fingers along the rugged northern coast of Spain, just shy of the French border, you will find Gipuzkoa. It is, in many ways, an anomaly in the world of Spanish football.

It’s the smallest province in the country by geographical area, home to just over 730,000 people. It is considered a manufacturing hub, with the primary exports being heavy machinery and automotive parts. It is also a fiercely Basque region, with half of the people speaking that language in their day-to-day lives.

Yet, Gipuzkoa has one more export, something prized not only in Spain but around Europe, and even worldwide: football managers. Some of the biggest managerial names in the world trace their roots back to this small province, including four in the Premier League and one going to the World Cup. For a province with less than 1.5% of Spain’s population, this is an astonishing statistic.

Gunners’ Golden Boy

The one under the spotlight, for the moment, is Arteta. The former Arsenal midfielder returned to north London as manager in December 2019, looking to return the Gunners to the glory days of the Invincibles.

Since then, it has been six years of building the club’s foundation and identity. Still, Arsenal had only one FA Cup to show for all their efforts and money spent. Yet, the fans kept faith in Arteta, one of their own, who adopted the phrase “trust the process” and almost turned it into a meme.

On Tuesday, the man from San Sebastian delivered. The change that he promised when he joined the club was finally complete; the Gunners were crowned champions of England following Manchester City’s draw at Bournemouth.

The ghost of the Invincibles was finally exorcised, and Pep Guardiola’s City train was halted. In the process, Arteta became the youngest Arsenal manager to win the league title, and the third-youngest in Premier League history.

Lord of the Europa

Then there’s Emery, a midfielder from the coastal town of Hondarribia, who rose from playing in Spain’s second division to dominating the UEFA Europa League as a manager. Aston Villa’s 3-0 win over Freiburg in the final marked the fifth time that Emery lifted Europe’s second-tier trophy, making him by far the most successful manager in the tournament.

There’s a brilliant piece of trivia attached to Emery’s Europa League conquest. He first won it three times in a row with Sevilla before winning it again with Villarreal. Now, having done the same with Aston Villa, he has successfully won the title with three clubs with the word “villa” in it.

When Emery joined Aston Villa in 2022, they were three points above the relegation zone. Now, they are a continental champion. Emery has solidified his name as a true West Midlands legend.

Mid-Table Revolutionary

Arteta and Emery might be adding to their club’s trophy cabinets, but another manager from Gipuzkoa has revolutionised a Premier League club’s fortunes. Since joining in 2023, Andoni Iraola has turned Bournemouth from relegation candidates to a solid mid-table team.

Hailing from Usurbil, a town of just 6,000 people, Iraola has settled down on the coast of Bournemouth like a proverbial duck to the water. He has turned the Cherries into one of the most exciting outfits to watch, employing an aggressive brand of football rarely seen among the smaller sides.

The high-risk football brought with it high rewards too, with Bournemouth ending last season with a club-record 56 points and a ninth-placed finish. This season has been even more successful, with the Cherries currently locked in a battle to secure Champions League football, entering the final day of the season.

While it has been confirmed that Iraola will be leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season, the 43-year-old head coach is sure to end up at a much bigger club. He will be a name to keep an eye on in the summer.

Tactical Prodigy on the Move

While Iraola might be on his way out of the Premier League, another manager from Gipuzkoa is coming in. Following his dismissal from the Real Madrid job, Xabi Alonso has been confirmed as the new Chelsea head coach from next season, taking the place of the sacked Liam Rosenior.

Alonso’s return to Madrid may not have gone to plan, but the Tolosa native remains one of the most exciting managerial prospects in world football. After a stint with the reserve side of Real Sociedad, Alonso moved to Bayer Leverkusen and led them to an unprecedented run two years ago.

The young Leverkusen side, well-drilled by Alonso, went unbeaten on their way to winning the Bundesliga title, ending the domestic dominance of Bayern Munich, while also lifting the DFB-Pokal. Their historic treble run fell just short after losing to Atalanta in the Europa League final. However, the world had taken notice of Alonso the manager.

His tenure at Real Madrid was, to say the least, acrimonious. Yet, Alonso’s stock remains high, and Todd Boehly has taken a chance on him. Alonso will be tasked with steadying the ship at Chelsea, one of the most dysfunctional clubs in Europe at the moment. Alonso, coming from a family of footballers and growing up with a three-time La Liga-winning father, has the temperament and talent to do just that.

A Nation’s Hope

Julen Lopetegui’s career is a fascinating one. Born in the town of Asteasu, which has a population of just over 1,500, Lopetegui enjoyed a fairly decent playing career, being one of the rare footballers to play for both Real Madrid and Barcelona.

After retirement, he built up a solid reputation as a youth team coach before making the switch to senior manager. His managerial CV has a lot of big names on it: Real Madrid, Sevilla, Porto, West Ham, and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Yet, he has never won a league title and has often been dismissed while facing relegation troubles.

Still, Lopetegui’s tactical acumen is unmatched, and he will have a chance to show it on the biggest stage of all as he leads Qatar in the FIFA World Cup 2026. The tiny Middle Eastern country is making its first appearance at the tournament on merit, and the entire nation will rest their hopes on Lopetegui.

The Basque Boy

Another manager who is all too aware of being the harbinger of hopeful days for a fanbase is Imanol Alguacil. Born in Orio and a former teammate of Arteta, Alguacil spent 14 years coaching various teams at Real Sociedad, the flagship football club of Gipuzkoa.

After taking charge of the senior side in 2018, Alguacil led La Real to the 2020 Copa del Rey title, their first trophy since 1987. Next year, he helped Sociedad qualify for the Champions League for the first time in a decade.

His departure in 2025 truly marked the end of an era for the Basque hometown hero, and Alguacil will go down as one of the most successful managers in Real Sociedad’s history.

He isn’t the only manager from Gipuzkoa to enjoy success in Spanish football. Jagoba Arrasate, who is currently in charge of the Basque Country national team, led minnows Osasuna to the Copa del Rey final three years ago.

Juan Manuel Lillo, also from Tolosa, is one of the most influential coaches in Spanish football and is considered a tactical mentor to Pep Guardiola. Interestingly, he is the one who replaced Arteta as Manchester City’s assistant coach following the latter’s move to Arsenal.

All these men, from Arteta to Emery to Alonso to others, are united by their roots – not just the geographical aspects, but the cultural ones too. The sense of community that runs through Basque veins, especially in Gipuzkoa, manifests itself in the tactical discipline of these managers. That, precisely, is how a small place in Spain has carved such a big niche in world football.