Imanol Alguacil

Imanol Alguacil Barrenetxea (born 4 July 1971), known simply as Imanol as a player, is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who played as a right-back. He is currently the manager of La Liga club Real Sociedad.

He made 121 appearances in La Liga over nine seasons, playing for Real Sociedad and Villarreal. In 2014, he started working as a manager, with a four-year spell with Real Sociedad B. He briefly coached the club's senior team in spring 2018 and later returned to take full charge in the winter of the same year.

Playing career
Born in Orio, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Imanol was a Real Sociedad youth graduate. He made his senior debut with the reserves, spending two full seasons in the Segunda División B.

On 29 September 1990, Imanol made his first-team – and La Liga – debut, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 away loss against Real Oviedo. He was promoted to the main squad in the summer of 1991, featuring regularly during the following campaigns.

Imanol scored his first professional goal on 20 September 1992, tying an eventual 2–1 away win over Albacete. He was used rarely in the final years of his stint at the Anoeta Stadium as he dealt with several injury problems, leaving the club in 1998 after playing only four matches during the season.

In the 1998 off-season, Imanol joined Villarreal also of the top division, appearing sparingly in his first year and suffering relegation. After returning to the top flight in 2000, he was released, and moved to Segunda División's Real Jaén.

Imanol then resumed his career in the third tier, representing Cartagena and Burgos. He retired with the latter side in 2003, aged 32.

Coaching career
On 26 July 2011, Alguacil returned to his first club Real Sociedad, being appointed manager of the youth setup. On 17 June 2013 he was named reserve team coach Asier Santana's assistant, and was also in charge of the main squad along with Santana in November 2014 following Jagoba Arrasate's dismissal.

After the arrival of David Moyes in November 2014, Alguacil was included in the first team staff, but he was appointed manager of the B side later that month. On 19 March 2018, he replaced the fired Eusebio Sacristán at the helm of the main squad until the end of the season.

In the summer of 2018, Alguacil returned to the reserves and Asier Garitano took over the senior role, but in December of the same year the latter was dismissed following a poor sequence of results and the former again became the first team coach. Following a strong start to the 2019–20 campaign, he was given a one-year contract extension.

Alguacil led Real to their first trophy since 1987 on 3 April 2021, with a 1–0 victory against Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao in the 2020 Copa del Rey final (postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic). In the post-match press conference, he celebrated by putting on a team jersey and scarf and chanting in joy.

On 14 November 2022, Alguacil extended his contract to 2025. The following 17 January, with a 1–0 home win over Mallorca in the last 16 of the cup, he reached 100 victories for Real in 205 games; a club record nine-match winning streak ended in the next round with a 1–0 loss at Barcelona. With a fourth-place finish, he secured a fourth consecutive European season, and the side's first in the UEFA Champions League for a decade.

Manager
Real Sociedad
 * Copa del Rey: 2019–20

Individual
 * Miguel Muñoz Trophy: 2022–23