Antonio López Habas

Coaching career López started coaching in the early 1990s, with Atlético's reserves. After one season apiece in amateur football, also in the Madrid area, he took charge of the Bolivia national team, first as an assistant to Xabier Azkargorta, and eventually appeared with it them as head coach at two Copa América tournaments. He then returned to club action with Club Bolívar, followed by a spell in his homeland with Lleida in the second tier; whilst at the Catalan side, he briefly accumulated with his work as the national coach of the South American country, which he left for good in 1997 to sign with Sporting de Gijón of the Spanish second tier, being dismissed shortly after his arrival.

In summer 2001, López was hired by Valencia as assistant to Rafael Benítez. However, after the sacking of Italian Claudio Ranieri, he managed the first team for 14 games as the Che, the previous league champions, eventually finished seventh.

López became Tenerife's second head coach of the following campaign in November 2005, being fired himself after only six second-division matches. Two years later, he joined Hristo Stoichkov's staff at Celta de Vigo in the same tier. With the Galicians constantly battling relegation until the last month of competition, he was named interim coach for the final three months

In 2010–11 López, who was assistant to Stoichkov at Mamelodi Sundowns of the South African Premier Division, took over the reins of the senior team. They made their best-ever start to a season and topped the standings at the end of the first round, eventually staying in contention for the league title until the second-last match; he resigned in February citing personal reasons, and went back to Spain.

In January 2012, López was appointed director of the Target Football Academy in Bangkok, Thailand. On 13 July he signed for South African club Bidvest Wits, agreeing to a two-year contract but leaving on 4 January of the following year.

In August 2014, after a short spell in Atlético Madrid's youth system, López was named coach of ATK in the Indian Super League. On 25 October he was given a four-match suspension and fined for his involvement in a spat with Goa's Robert Pires, which was reduced to two upon appeal.

After a dip in form from midway through the season, López led his team to the semi-finals by drawing with Goa, meeting the same opponent once again and defeating them on penalties. In the decisive match, against Kerala Blasters, he benched marquee player Luis García and also-compatriot Jofre, for which he was praised by critics, and the side won thanks to a goal by Mohammed Rafique in extra time.

On 25 April 2016, López was appointed at fellow top-tier club Pune City. On 16 September 2017, after a run-in with the board of directors, he left his position.

In May 2019, López returned to ATK. On 14 March 2020, in a final played behind closed doors, he won the national championship against Chennaiyin to become the first manager to achieve the feat twice with the same team.

López signed with the newly formed ATK Mohun Bagan on 15 March 2020. In his first season his side finished level with Mumbai City in the first stage, but pushed down to second place on head-to-head points and lost the final 2–1. On 3 April 2021, he agreed to a one-year contract extension, but resigned on 18 December after a poor run of results.

López returned to Mohun Bagan – now renamed Mohun Bagan Super Giant – in June 2023, as technical director. He was appointed their interim head coach the following 3 January, after the sacking of Juan Ferrando.

On 25 July 2024, López signed as manager of I-League club Inter Kashi. He initially finished second in his debut campaign, but a final ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport saw them surpass Churchill Brothers to win the championship and secure promotion.

López left Inter on 11 May 2026, with contract renewal talks having stalled due to uncertainty over the next season's ISL structure. On 6 July, he became head coach of East Bengal.

Managerial statistics

+ Managerial record by team and tenureTeamFromToRecordAtlético Madrileño19901991 Aranjuez 1992 1993 Bolivia 1995 1995 Lleida 1995 1996 Bolivia 1996 1997 Valencia 25 February 2005 30 June 2005 Tenerife 14 November 2005 21 December 2005 Celta 2008 2008 Mamelodi Sundowns 4 June 2010 5 February 2011 Bidvest Wits 12 July 2012 4 January 2013 ATK 8 July 2014 20 December 2015 Pune City 25 April 2016 15 September 2017 ATK 3 May 2019 31 May 2020 ATK Mohun Bagan 10 July 2020 18 December 2021 Mohun Bagan SG (interim)3 January 2024 31 May 2024 Inter Kashi 25 July 2024 11 May 2026 East Bengal 6 July 2026 Total

Honours Player Murcia Segunda División: 1982–83

ATK Indian Super League: 2014, 2019–20

Inter Kashi I-League: 2024–25