Former Spain and Athletic Club icon Aritz Aduriz returns to football with first role

Athletic Club legend Aritz Aduriz is back in the game just over two years on from his retirement from professional football.

With a career spanning over two decades, Aduriz turned out for Athletic Club, Real Valladolid, Real Mallorca and Valencia during his long career, earning 13 caps for the Spanish national side. The Basque striker is best known for his second spell at Athletic, where aging into his mid-thirties, he became more clinical than ever.

Mallorca have announced that he will be returning to the club, where he spent two years between 2008 and 2010, as an assistant to Sporting Director Pablo Ortells. Few details were given on his role, but it is assumed he will be involved in scouting and analysis of the market.

So far this season, Mallorca have surpassed the expectations of many, sitting 11th. Ortells has been responsible for some of the better value finds in La Liga, not least securing Vedat Muriqi on a permanent deal, bringing in Kang-In Lee, and signing Pablo Maffeo. As Aduriz takes his first steps back into football since retirement, Mallorca looks a good place to learn his trade with an experienced operator like Ortells, who spent nearly 20 years in various roles at Villarreal beforehand.

Tags Aritz Aduriz Athletic Club Mallorca Spain La Roja Valencia
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