On the beach with Arteta and love of reading - Iraola in his own words

The Football Interview is simply a caller bid successful which nan biggest names successful athletics and intermezo subordinate big Kelly Somers for bold and in-depth conversations astir nan nation's favourite sport.

We'll research mindset and motivation, and talk astir defining moments, profession highs and individual reflections. The Football Interview brings you nan personification down nan player.

Interviews will driblet connected Saturdays crossed BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds and nan BBC Sport website. This week's question and reply will beryllium broadcast connected BBC One from 23:55 BST connected Saturday, 27 September (and aft Sportscene successful Scotland).

Andoni Iraola did not person nan highest floor plan erstwhile he became Bournemouth head successful June 2023, but 2 years connected he is 1 of nan hottest properties successful world football.

Iraola started his shot acquisition astatine renowned Basque nine Antiguoko alongside Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta - now managers of Real Madrid and Arsenal respectively.

In his 4 seasons arsenic skipper of Athletic Club, he reached 2 Copa del Rey finals, a Europa League last and qualified for nan Champions League.

After moving into management, he worked astatine AEK Larnaca, Mirandes and Rayo Vallecano earlier moving to England and guiding Bournemouth to their highest Premier League points tally successful a season.

The 43-year-old has been linked pinch Real Madrid, Tottenham and Manchester United successful caller months - highlighting really precocious his banal has risen.

Iraola sat down pinch Kelly Somers to talk astir his childhood, nan main influences connected his managerial career, and his emotion of reading.

Kelly Somers: What does shot mean to you?

Andoni Iraola: Football was my hobby and it has go now a master thing. I still emotion nan game, but erstwhile you go master it's not conscionable axenic passion, I deliberation it changes a small bit. You spot shot for illustration an perfect world erstwhile you are retired of nan crippled and you would emotion to activity there, and erstwhile it becomes your mundane work, it's conscionable a workhorse.

Kelly: But you still emotion it?

Andoni: Yes.

Kelly: What's your earliest representation of playing football?

Andoni: I deliberation astir apt my champion memories are connected nan formation successful San Sebastian. We utilized to play location pinch nan schoolhouse team. I don't cognize if we started five, six aliases 7 years old, and you tin play each 2 weeks [because of nan tide]. One play you cannot play because location is nary beach. And nan adjacent 1 location is nan beach, and you can. Every clip we would play there. It's beautiful memories.

Kelly: Can you retrieve nan first squad that you played for?

Andoni: I started pinch nan schoolhouse squad and past nan first due squad was a neighbourhood team. Then I moved to Athletic Club erstwhile I was 16, truthful I didn't turn up reasoning I was going to go a shot player. It came rather late. I was decent, obviously. I was good, but until I was 16, I didn't really realise that this tin beryllium a small spot much than conscionable your hobby and possibly I person a chance.

Kelly: Can you retrieve that infinitesimal wherever you thought, 'yes, I tin person a chance'?

Andoni: Yes, I was worried erstwhile I had this opportunity... I lived much aliases little 1 hr from Bilbao. I had to move and I had to alteration schools and unrecorded unsocial successful nan academy. And I was a small worried, reasoning possibly I don't person nan level to play pinch these guys. When I arrived there, I could spot I could survive... possibly I person a chance. But I deliberation it was rather late, yes.

Kelly: Early connected successful your career, you crossed paths and played pinch immoderate beautiful celebrated different managers. Can you show america astir that?

Andoni: Yes. It's unthinkable because erstwhile we were seven, eight, nine, I played pinch Mikel Arteta, I played pinch Xabi Alonso. We are much aliases little nan aforesaid age, playing sometimes against each different because I was successful a schoolhouse and they were successful different schools erstwhile we were playing connected nan beach. Then aft we played together successful a mini club, besides successful Antiguoko, and now it's astonishing that we spot each different connected nan shot pitches almost 40 years later.

Kelly: Are location immoderate managers successful peculiar that person had a large effect connected your career?

Andoni: Yes, successful my lawsuit location is particularly Ernesto Valverde - a very clear 1 because he was nan 1 erstwhile I moved to Athletic Club astatine 16. In nan under-18s he was nan manager, and he was besides my head erstwhile I was successful nan 2nd squad astatine Athletic Club. He was nan first 1 who gave maine nan chance to person my debut. Even aft that, he was my head erstwhile I near nan nine astir 13 years later - he came backmost aft managing different clubs and has been really influential successful my profession and coming still is our manager. Athletic Club is my squad and for maine he has been astir apt nan cardinal fig if we talk astir a head who has influenced your career.

Kelly: You've mentioned Valverde. If I could push you for three, who else?

Andoni: I've had very bully managers. Now a batch of group inquire maine astir Marcelo Bielsa and I consciousness very fortunate to person had him for 2 seasons. He is personification that watches nan crippled successful a different way, and I deliberation it's very useful erstwhile you are going to modulation to nan managerial career. I've ne'er him had arsenic a manager, but I've ever liked erstwhile we faced Carlo Ancelotti. For personification who has been truthful brilliant, has won truthful galore things successful large clubs, he is very normal erstwhile you speak pinch him, erstwhile you look him. It's personification that I ever had a bully emotion with.

Kelly: You've managed and played successful a number of different countries, but which 1 would you opportunity had nan biggest effect connected you arsenic a manager?

Andoni: I would opportunity astir apt nan twelvemonth and a half I spent successful America. It is astir apt not nan biggest convention - not nan champion moments of my profession because I was astir apt already connected my diminution arsenic a player, but it was nan infinitesimal wherever I realised I was going to discontinue and I started reasoning astir nan crippled successful a different way. I besides had Patrick Vieira arsenic a coach. He showed maine a different style of play because he was coming from nan Manchester City academy, wherever location was much positional play and I was utilized to a different style of play. It was an acquisition that has helped maine a batch successful management. I was fortunate to person had that astatine nan extremity of my playing career.

Kelly: What was it for illustration increasing up? Talk to maine astir your family.

Andoni: Since I was 10 aliases 11 years old, I ever utilized to spell to schoolhouse connected nan train unsocial to San Sebastian. After school, I took a autobus to training, and aft I vanished training my begetter came to return me. Both of my parents were moving - they person been moving always. I americium utilized to moving myself since I was young, which has been bully for my independence. When I moved, I was 16 and had to spell to a caller place. I was surviving unsocial which is not nan easiest thing. But I deliberation it has been bully for me.

Kelly: Did you person immoderate brothers aliases sisters?

Andoni: No.

Kelly: Who did you play shot pinch increasing up?

Andoni: In Spain, erstwhile you person a school, you person your morning, you person luncheon past you person 2 hours free. Some group spell home, and past they travel for nan day and evening classes, truthful it was 2 halves of nan day. In betwixt I utilized to play shot each nan time. I couldn't spell backmost location truthful I stayed location playing football.

Kelly: If you hadn't been a master footballer aliases manager, what would you person done?

Andoni: I started 2 careers. I haven't vanished any! I started engineering - excessively eager because I was already playing football. I did much than half of nan profession but I didn't decorativeness it.

Kelly: How do you flight football?

Andoni: For me, it is rather easy. I person my woman and 2 kids and they are not overmuch into football. Once I time off nan activity situation I spell location and sometimes we don't speak thing astir football. It's very bully for me. When I person a time disconnected my woman puts tons of plans successful place!

Kelly: Your family person travelled astir pinch you. Is it important to person them pinch you?

Andoni: My family is very important. They are sacrificing a lot. I americium going from state to state to nan champion clubs I person nan opportunity to go, and they person to travel pinch me. I americium very clear I couldn't do this without them. If they show maine 1 time 'I want to spell backmost home', I americium leaving. We will spell backmost home. I cognize location will beryllium a infinitesimal successful my profession erstwhile I will person to not beryllium nan protagonist, erstwhile my kids are older and I won't beryllium nan leader immoderate more. I will beryllium happy and we will spell backmost location and I will beryllium nan supporting squad behind. I cognize this infinitesimal will arrive.

Kelly: If your woman didn't scheme thing for your time off, what would you do for yourself?

Andoni: I unrecorded successful a spot for quality and walks - Bournemouth is 1 of nan champion places successful nan country.

Kelly: I publication you are large into reading. Is that a measurement you escape?

Andoni: Yes. For me, reference is simply a large help. You hide a small spot astir everything other happening astir you. It's thing that has helped maine from nan intelligence side. I usage reference and I usage nan bike. They are nan 2 ways I hide astir nan problems you ever person erstwhile you are a manager.

Kelly: What are you astir proud of?

Andoni: Probably astir nan bully narration I person correct now pinch each nan clubs I person been at. As a player, arsenic a manager, if I spell backmost to each nine it would beryllium a beautiful infinitesimal to spot bully people. I person been lucky. The astir important point erstwhile I travel to a caller nine is this. When I leave, I dream everyone has bully things to opportunity astir me. When I travel backmost 10 years later, I still person relationships pinch group wrong nan clubs. This has happened successful each nan clubs I person been and I dream it continues.

Kelly: You want to beryllium known arsenic a bully manager, but a bully personification first?

Andoni: Yes, you are not going to beryllium successful each time. Even successful places that it's not going to work, I dream I time off pinch bully relationships.

Kelly: Tell maine 1 point astir yourself that will astonishment me.

Andoni: This is nan astir difficult one. I do rather normal things. People get amazed pinch really I spell connected holiday, for example. Every clip I spell connected holiday, we rent a car, we spell successful nan metropolis - sometimes we don't cognize which edifice we will beryllium staying in. We spell time to day, pinch my woman and nan kids. I bask visiting countries for illustration this, not pinch a fixed plan, a small much open.

Kelly: So you for illustration surviving a normal life?

Andoni: Very, very normal.

Kelly: If you could only execute 1 much point successful your career, what would it be?

Andoni: Football-wise?

Kelly: Whatever... spell wherever you want pinch it.

Andoni: I wouldn't spell football, I would spell to my individual life. Especially erstwhile you are a father, your attraction is much connected your kids. I would emotion that my kids person a bully life. They person been pursuing maine for immoderate years and I dream I tin springiness them a bully life, aliases astatine slightest protect them for life arsenic bully arsenic I can. That would beryllium my biggest desire.