Bittor Llopis to take charge of Bilbao Athletic

Bittor Llopis, 38, will be the Bilbao Athletic coach for the next two seasons. The Getxo-born tactician moves up to the reserve team following an outstanding spell at CD Basconia over the last three years. 

Bittor's experience managing young players on the verge of the elite was further enhanced this year when he led Athletic in the Youth League, where, following a superb first phase in which the team remained unbeaten and finished sixth, they were knocked out by Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties.

Bittor arrived at Lezama four seasons ago to take charge of the under-18s, with whom he won a runners-up medal in the Copa. He then took over from Carlos Gurpegui at CD Basconia and finished second in his debut season.

The following year, he secured promotion to the Segunda Federación by winning the Tercera Federación league title. In 2025/26, he kept the team afloat in their first campaign in the demanding division, finishing tenth thanks to a magnificent  back half of the season.

Before coming to Lezama, the coach had previously worked at Deportivo Alavés (five seasons: three with the under-18s and two with affliate side San Ignacio in the Tercera) and SD Leioa (ten years coaching across all age groups).