As a documentary delving deeper into how Spanish soccer players rallied for justice following their 2023 World Cup victory and the controversy that followed, Netflix’s “It’s All Over: The Kiss That Changed Spanish Football” is unlike any other. no other. So it’s no surprise that they also talk about their past experiences and struggles, culminating in a significant mention of former women’s national team coach Ignacio Quereda and his 27 years as a coach.

Ignacio Quereda went from player to coach

It was when Ignacio was just a little boy growing up on the streets of Badajoz that he fell in love with football, which led him to play in youth teams. He was actually a right winger for the Real Madrid youth team before representing his country at the 1973 and 1975 World University Games, only to decide it would be best for him to get involved in the sport from on the sidelines. He actually obtained his coaching certificate in the 1970s, after which he served as Spain’s assistant coach at the 1979 World University Games and spent a period in charge of Tercera División club CD Móstoles.

Ignacio’s relative success in these positions is what led the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to appoint him coach of the women’s national team in 1988, serving in the role until 2015. team unfortunately never won a title under his leadership, but they qualified for several tournaments and put up quite a challenge, but couldn’t get past the round of 16. However, he still managed to be one of the longest-serving football managers of all time, and many claim this is because the federation at the time didn’t really care about the women’s team . They had them because they had to, especially since there were numerous complaints against Ignacio over the years.

Ignacio Quereda would have had a problematic situation

According to the aforementioned series, Ignacio Quereda often treated the female athletes under his wings as his daughters rather than professional soccer players. He would pinch their cheeks, feel comfortable around them to the point that he would even make homophobic comments and not take things too seriously. In fact, one thing that several veteran players remember very well is that often, when discussing strategy and drawing people on a board, he used to draw 12 players when the game was played with 11 players on the field. .

This aspect allegedly made the athletes feel that they were not taken seriously in any way and that their coach was also not fully qualified for the job despite his long career. They also reportedly raised concerns about this to the federation, but were dismissed until they eventually decided to replace him with Jorge Vilda in 2015, following Spain’s poor performance in his first ever Women’s World Cup. Ignacio finished his career with 139 matches under his belt as head coach, with a winning percentage of just 38.13%.

Ignacio Quereda leads a quiet life these days

Since Ignacio Quereda officially retired on July 30, 2015, he seems to have preferred to live his life away from the limelight and hustle and bustle of the professional sports world. The fact that conversations with the women’s team never stopped happening until things came to a head with the kissing incident after the 2023 victory may also be a reason, but it has made it clear that he truly loved the sport and believed he was the best man for the head coaching job when he was in office. However, today, at 74 years old, it seems that he is simply living a quiet and comfortable life, surrounded by his loved ones in his homeland, while doing his best to travel.

Learn more: Albert Luque: Who is he? Where is he now?