Javi Gracia Profile

After a solid playing career in Spain, Javi Gracia trod a journeyman head coaching path across Spain, Greece, England, Qatar and Russia before a terrible spell in the Premier League with Leeds.

Javi Gracia had a playing career which spanned over 15 years and he also found his calling in management.

The entirety of Gracia's playing career came in Spain where he played over 400 games for teams such as Athletic Bilbao, Villareal and Real Sociedad as a defensive midfielder.

After hanging up his boots in 2004, he worked his way up in European football from starting with the youth team at Villarreal all the way to the Premier League with Watford who he managed to steer to top-flight safety twice and an FA Cup final.

After losing his job at Watford, Gracia went to Valencia and then Al Sadd in Qatar, where he won the title in the 2021/22 season but left his role at the end of the campaign.

He was the surprise appointment at Premier League club Leeds in February 2023, replacing Jesse Marsch.

Gracia collected 10 points from his first six games in charge, but a dreadful run of results in April left Leeds in a downward spiral and he was sacked in early May with the club languishing in 17th, and only goal difference keeping them out of the relegation zone.

First steps into management

Gracia got his first taste of management with Villarreal's youth side in 2004. He stayed in Spain for seven years, after accepting his first managerial role at third tier Pontevedra in 2007.

He transformed Pontevedra into promotion challengers but he narrowly fell short during his two seasons at the helm.

Eventually Gracia achieved promotion with Cadiz in 2009, but was sacked the following season as they went onto suffer relegation back to the third-tier.

Venture into Greece

Following his performance in Spain, Greek Super League side Olympiacos Volos FC, took a punt on Gracia and handed him his first role in football management outside his homeland.

He made his European debut as manager defeating teams such as FK Rad in Serbia and FC Differdange in Luxembourg. However, his first stint in Greece was short lived as his club were expelled from the league following a match fixing scandal.

Gracia cut ties with the club and stayed in Greece for the remainder of the season, this time taking charge of A.O. Kerkya. He made a solid name for himself as he guided the club to the last eight of their domestic cup.

Gracia returns to Spain

Gracia returned to his home country and took over as the Almeria manager, leading them to promotion in the 2012/13 season.

Following his successful season in charge of Almeria, Gracia stayed in Spain and took over his boyhood club Osasuna, who at the time, were in the top flight.

It went down to the final day but Osasuna were relegated under Gracia's watch which ended 18 years of the club being in the La Liga. Gracia resigned from his role at the end of the season.

In 2014, took the reins at Malaga and stayed with the club for two years. He secured back-to-back top-10 finishes in La Liga on a tight budget, taking points off Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the process.

Gracia's Russian excursion

Despite performing above expectations with Malaga in the previous two seasons, Gracia left the club to ply his trade in the top flight of Russian football.

He took over Rubin Kazan, but the club underperformed and finished ninth in the league and Gracia left the club by mutual consent.

Step up to the Premier League

After six months out of work Gracia was given the opportunity to manager Watford in the Premier League, after Marco Silva was sacked in January 2018.

He steered them to safety and a 14th place and then in his first full season in charge guided the Hornets to 11th and their first FA Cup final in 35 years.

Watford were thumped 6-0 by Manchester City in the final and Gracia was sacked in the September of the following season after a poor start to the 2019/20 campaign.

Gracia joined Valencia in July 2020, but lasted less than a year in charge, before winning the Qatar Stars League during his brief stint at Al Sadd.

Back in the Premier League with Leeds

Gracia became became Leeds' 13th head coach in less than 10 years on February 21, 2023, replacing Jesse Marsch who was sacked earlier in the month.

Leeds slipped into the Premier League relegation zone for the first time this season after defeat at Everton, making Gracia's first game in charge at Elland Road against bottom club Southampton.

Gracia collected 10 points from his first six games in charge, but a dreadful run of results in April left Leeds in a downward spiral.

The club lost five of their last seven games to the end of April, with a 4-1 reverse at Bournemouth following 4-1, 5-1 and 6-1 defeats to Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Liverpool respectively earlier in the month.

The 23 goals Leeds conceded during April was a Premier League record for a single month.

Fans' group the Leeds United Supporters Advisory Board issued a vote of no confidence in both the club's board and Gracia after the Bournemouth defeat.

The players subsequently issued a statement apologising for their performance at and for failing to acknowledge fans at the team hotel, and two days later Gracia was sacked and replaced by Sam Allardyce.

Gracia's personal life

Gracia is married to wife Mariola and the couple have three sons together.

Gracia's net worth

Gracia has an estimated net worth of £1.5million.

Planet Sport writer
3 May 2023

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Javi Gracia