Ignacio "Nacho" Ithurralde Sáez (born 30 May 1983 in

Durazno Durazno is the capital city of the department of Durazno in Uruguay. Durazno is characterized by being the most central city of Uruguay. It has a population of more than 30,000 inhabitants. In the past it was the capital of Uruguay; today the ca ...

) is a Uruguayan football

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

and former player who played as a

centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either ...

. He is the current manager of River Plate Montevideo.

Playing career

Club

Ithurralde began his playing career in 2002 with

Defensor Sporting Defensor Sporting Club is a sports club based in Montevideo, Uruguay. Founded in 1913, Defensor has several sports sections, with football and basketball being the most important and the ones in which the club has achieved significant achievem ...

where he spent 5 years. He played in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

with CF Monterrey in 2007 and then in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

with Olimpo and

Rosario Central Club Atlético Rosario Central () is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina, that plays in the Argentine Primera División. The club was officially founded on December 24, 1889, by a group of railway workers, taking its name from the English- ...

. In 2009, Ithurralde returned to Uruguay to play for

Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neigh ...

, and moved to Bolívar in the

Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano Liga or LIGA may refer to: People * Līga (name), a Latvian female given name * Luciano Ligabue, more commonly known as Ligabue or ''Liga'', Italian rock singer-songwriter Sports * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga ...

next year. In 2011, he had a brief spell with Paraguayan club

Guaraní Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to Ethnography * Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia) * Guaraní language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay * ...

before moving to Chile to play for Audax Italiano. He moved to Millonarios FC in the Colombian Primera A in January 2012. The following year he was repatriated by club Rentistas. In 2014 Ithuarralde had a short spell with Bolivian side

Blooming Bloom or blooming may refer to: Science and technology Biology * Bloom, one or more flowers on a flowering plant * Algal bloom, a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in an aquatic system * Jellyfish bloom, a collective n ...

before returning to Rentistas later that year. Ithurralde subsequently represented Racing Montevideo and

Deportivo Maldonado Club Deportivo Maldonado is a football club from Maldonado, Uruguay. They currently play in the Uruguayan Primera División following their promotion from the Uruguayan Segunda División at the end of the 2019 season. History Club Deportivo ...

before retiring with Cerro in 2017.

International

After representing

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

at under-17 and under-20 levels, Ithurralde made his debut with the full side on 27 September 2006, in a 1–0 friendly loss against

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Managerial career

In 2020, Ithurralde returned to his first club Defensor as a manager of the youth sides. On 23 June 2021, he replaced Juan Tejera at the helm of

Boston River Club Atlético Boston River, simply known as Boston River, is a Uruguayan sports club located in Montevideo. Founded on 20 February 1939, their main focus is on football, currently playing in the Uruguayan Primera División. At the futsal Futs ...

in the top tier. Ithurralde qualified Boston River to the 2023 Copa Libertadores, the club's first-ever participation in the tournament, but still left on 4 November 2022. He was named in charge of Montevideo City Torque seventeen days later, but was sacked the following 10 April. On 27 July 2023, Ithurralde replaced

Gustavo Díaz Gustavo "Chavo" Díaz Domínguez (born 7 November 1974) is a Uruguayan former football manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It ...

at the helm of River Plate Montevideo.

References

External links

* * * 1983 births Living people Footballers from Montevideo Uruguayan men's footballers Uruguay men's international footballers Uruguayan people of Basque descent Defensor Sporting players Men's association football defenders Rosario Central footballers C.F. Monterrey players Club Olimpo footballers Peñarol players Club Bolívar players Audax Italiano footballers Club Guaraní players Millonarios F.C. players C.A. Rentistas players Club Blooming players Racing Club de Montevideo players Deportivo Maldonado players C.A. Cerro players Uruguayan Primera División players Chilean Primera División players Argentine Primera División players Liga MX players Categoría Primera A players Bolivian Primera División players Expatriate men's footballers in Chile Expatriate men's footballers in Argentina Expatriate men's footballers in Paraguay Expatriate men's footballers in Bolivia Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico Expatriate men's footballers in Colombia Uruguayan football managers Uruguayan Primera División managers Boston River managers Montevideo City Torque managers River Plate Montevideo managers {{uruguay-footy-defender-1980s-stub