Francisco MartÃÂn "Pako" Ayestarán Barandiarán (born 5 February 1963) is a Spanish football manager and coach. He is currently the assistant head coach at Premier League club Aston Villa.
Ayestarán was assistant manager to Rafael BenÃÂtez at Valencia and Liverpool. After parting ways with BenÃÂtez in 2007, he became a head coach in his own right, managing clubs in Mexico, Israel, Spain, and Portugal. He led Maccabi Tel Aviv to a domestic treble in 2015.
Ayestarán was born in Beasain, Gipuzkoa, and played youth football at Real Sociedad. He studied physical activity and sport sciences, later earning a master's degree in high-performance training from the Spanish Olympic Committee and becoming a licensed UEFA Pro coach.
After starting his career as a fitness coach, he was appointed Rafael BenÃÂtez's assistant at Osasuna, and remained behind the manager at Extremadura, Tenerife, Valencia and Liverpool.
In 2001, Ayestarán followed Rafael BenÃÂtez to Valencia, joining as assistant manager. The club won two La Liga titles (2001âÂÂ02 and 2003âÂÂ04) and the 2003âÂÂ04 UEFA Cup.
In 2004, he moved to Liverpool as assistant manager. There, Ayestarán modernized the teamâÂÂs fitness regime, introducing data-driven methods, individualized recovery programs, and the âÂÂPako Hillsâ training slopes at Melwood. Steven Gerrard called him âÂÂthe perfect number two,â while Peter Crouch remarked âÂÂPako ran the show,â crediting him as one of the best coaches he had worked with. During his time at the club, BenÃÂtez won the 2004âÂÂ05 UEFA Champions League, 2005 UEFA Super Cup, 2005âÂÂ06 FA Cup, 2006 FA Community Shield, and a runner-up finish in the 2006âÂÂ07 UEFA Champions League.
On 1 September 2007, Ayestarán announced his departure from the Reds after 11 years partnering BenÃÂtez. BenÃÂtez accused Ayestarán of "betrayal" as Ayestarán "contacted other clubs behind his back" while Ayestarán rejected the accusations, claiming instead that BenÃÂtez "forgot his principles".
During the summer of 2007, FC Barcelona expressed interest in adding him to their technical staff, though Liverpool initially blocked the move. He was also invited by Avram Grant to join his coaching staff at Chelsea, but Ayestarán declined the offer.
After leaving Liverpool, Ayestarán was briefly appointed sporting director of Real Sociedad in January 2008, but resigned after a few weeks due to conflict with club president Iñaki Badiola.
In the 2008âÂÂ09 season, he served as fitness coach under Quique Sánchez Flores at Benfica in Portugal, where the club won the Taça da Liga. He returned to Valencia for the 2009âÂÂ10 season as fitness coach under Unai Emery. Ayestarán left the club in June 2010, stating that he wanted to pursue other professional opportunities.
After a year out, he joined Sánchez Flores again for the 2011âÂÂ12 season at Al-Ahli Dubai, where they won the UAE League Cup.
On 24 August 2013, Ayestarán took his first head coaching role at Estudiantes Tecos in Mexico. In May 2014, Tecos won the Clausura 2014 title under his management, defeating Correcaminos UAT on penalties. They went on to lose the promotion play-off to Leones Negros, and the franchise was later relocated to Zacatecas. Ayestarán chose not to continue with the team, stating he had no intention of remaining in the second division.
Ayestarán was appointed Maccabi Tel Aviv manager on 26 August 2014, replacing fellow Spaniard ÃÂscar GarcÃÂa, who had resigned due to the war in Gaza. During the 2014âÂÂ15 season, Ayestarán led Maccabi Tel Aviv to a domestic trebleâÂÂwinning the Israeli Premier League, the Israel State Cup, and the Toto Cup after defeating Maccabi Haifa 2âÂÂ1 in the finalâÂÂbecoming the first manager to win all three major domestic trophies in a single season in Israel.
Ayestarán resigned from the club on 20 August 2015. He was later linked with a return to Liverpool as assistant to Brendan Rodgers, but made clear he intended to continue as a head coach.
On 19 August 2015, Ayestarán returned to Mexico, being appointed at the helm of Santos Laguna in Liga MX, replacing Portuguese coach Pedro Caixinha, who had resigned days earlier. Under his leadership, the team played 14 official matches across domestic and international competitions, including the CONCACAF Champions League, achieving 5 wins, 4 draws, and 5 losses, with 24 goals scored and 17 conceded, for an average of 1.36 points per match. Notable results included 0âÂÂ3 away victories against Chivas and Veracruz, as well as a 6âÂÂ1 home win over Deportivo Saprissa in continental competition. On 21 November 2015, it was announced that Ayestarán would not continue with the club for the Clausura 2016 tournament.
On 14 February 2016, Ayestarán returned to Valencia CF for a third spell, though for the first time not as a fitness coach but as a member of Gary Neville's coaching staff. His arrival marked a key addition to the backroom team, which also included Miguel ÃÂngel Angulo and Phil Neville.
On 31 March 2016, following NevilleâÂÂs dismissal, Ayestarán was appointed head coach for the remainder of the 2015âÂÂ16 La Liga season. He began his tenure with a defeat to UD Las Palmas, but then won three consecutive league games over Sevilla, Barcelona, and Eibar.
The club confirmed AyestaránâÂÂs appointment as full-time manager on 24 May 2016, with a contract running until 30 June 2018. However, after a poor start to the 2016âÂÂ17 campaign â with four league defeats, he was relieved of his duties on 20 September 2016.
Ayestarán replaced Manolo Márquez as the new Las Palmas manager on 27 September 2017. Taking over a struggling side early in the season, he managed seven league matches, recording one draw and six defeats, before being dismissed on 30 November 2017.
On 29 May 2018, Ayestarán returned to Mexico's top flight as manager of Pachuca in Liga MX. During his time in charge, he led the team in 28 official matches, recording 13 wins, 7 draws, and 8 losses, with 55 goals scored and 42 conceded. Pachuca reached the semi-finals of the Copa MX Apertura 2018 and produced notable performances, including a 6âÂÂ2 win over Club Necaxa and a 3âÂÂ0 victory against Querétaro. He left the club on 20 January 2019 following a poor start to the Clausura tournament, which included a 3âÂÂ0 loss to Club América at the Estadio Azteca.
On 10 August 2020, Ayestarán was appointed head coach of Portuguese Primeira Liga side Tondela, replacing fellow Basque Natxo González. In his first season, he led the club to its best-ever finish in the Primeira Liga, securing 12th place. The following year, he guided Tondela to the Taça de Portugal semi-finals for the first time in the club's history. In the first leg, they earned a 3âÂÂ0 home victory over Mafra. Ayestarán departed the club on 16 March 2022, shortly before Tondela confirmed their place in the final with a 4âÂÂ1 aggregate win.
On 4 November 2022, Ayestarán was announced as assistant head coach to Unai Emery at Aston Villa.
Ayestarán is married and has three children: a daughter and two sons. His wife is from Lanzarote, where the family often spends holidays. They have lived in both Spain and England, and Ayestarán maintains a home on the Wirral, which he has described as a second home. He has stated that his son, who spent most of his childhood there, also considers England home.
Tecos
Maccabi Tel Aviv