Andoni Iraola’s Journey from NYCFC to Liverpool Manager: How New York Shaped the New Reds Boss

Andoni Iraola returns to Yankee Stadium today as head coach of Liverpool. Ten years ago, this was the place where he finished his playing career and quietly began shaping the coach he would become.

Between 2015 and 2016, Iraola spent the final chapter of his professional life at New York City FC. He arrived as a seasoned right-back from Athletic Club, where he had made more than 500 appearances and captained the side. In New York he lined up alongside Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and David Villa. The environment was star-studded, but those who shared the dressing room remember Iraola less for his name and more for how he thought about the game.

A Player Who Already Thought Like a Coach

Former teammates and coaches frequently described Iraola as unusually analytical for a player still active. Andrea Pirlo publicly praised his technical intelligence. Others simply said it felt like having an extra coach on the field. He asked questions, studied details, and already carried the habits of someone preparing for life after football.

Iraola has since confirmed that New York was the moment he seriously began planning his coaching path. While still playing, he started viewing matches and training sessions differently. The experience of sharing a locker room with elite veterans accelerated that shift.

He retired in November 2016 after just over a season and a half with NYCFC. Within two years he was managing AEK Larnaca in Cyprus. From there the route ran through Mirandés, Rayo Vallecano, Bournemouth, and finally Liverpool.

An Earlier Liverpool Connection

The link with Liverpool actually predates his time in New York. In late 2013 the club monitored him as a potential right-back under Brendan Rodgers. After careful consideration, Iraola chose to stay at Athletic Club. What stood out to Liverpool’s recruitment staff was the letter he sent afterward — polite, humble, and unusually thoughtful. Those who received it never forgot the gesture.

More than a decade later, the same club that once wanted him as a player has now appointed him as head coach.

Full Circle in the Bronx

Today Iraola walks back into Yankee Stadium in a different role. The stadium that once marked the end of his playing days now marks the beginning of his first pre-season as Liverpool manager. For those who knew him in New York, the appointment feels consistent with the player they remember: quiet, demanding of himself, and always thinking one step ahead.

New York City FC was never the longest chapter of Iraola’s career. But it may have been one of the most important. It was the place where the player finished and the coach began to take shape.