Manuel Ansoleaga

Manuel Graciano Ansoleaga Aguirre (17 December 1879 – ?) was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder for Athletic Bilbao, with whom he won the 1903 and 1904 Copa del Rey titles. He later joined the ranks of Atlético Madrid, becoming the club's first-ever manager as well as a vice president in the early 1920s.

Football career Bilbao FC In the late 1890s, Ansoleaga became a member of an informal group led by Carlos and Manuel Castellanos, the so-called Bilbao Football Club, the first entity to play football in Bilbao since the disappearance of Club Atleta. Although it was formed in 1896, it was not until 30 November 1900 that the Bilbao Football Club was officially established in a meeting held in the house of industrialist José Luis de Villabaso in the Biscayan neighborhood of Algorta.

Ansoleaga featured in the midfield alongside his brother in a match on 1 December 1901, which ended in a 1–1 draw, In this match, he started as a midfielder, but then in the second half, with the arrival of Lee, who was late, the goalkeeper Rogelio Renovales moved into midfield and Ansoleaga took over as goalkeeper, and as a result of this change, Bilbao FC began to push much more and they were rewarded with a goal from William Dyer, although they still ended up losing 2–4.

Athletic Bilbao In 1903, Bilbao FC collapsed and its remaining members were officially absorbed by Athletic Club, and even though Ansoleaga played only two competitive matches for Athletic between 1902 and 1904, He was at the heart of a 3–2 comeback win over Madrid FC (now known as Real Madrid) in the final.

Managerial career In the mid-1910s, Ansoleaga became the assistant coach of Billy Barnes. In 1915, the club's management commissioned the Basque painter José Arrue a portrait of the team, which depicted the eleven players, wearing red and white jerseys and black pants, plus the coach Barnes and his "tireless" assistant, Manolo Ansoleaga. Ansoleaga later joined the ranks of Atlético Madrid, becoming the vice president of the club under the presidency of Julián Ruete until he was replaced by José García Cernuda in the 1922–23 season.

In 1921, the Atlético board asked Ansoleaga, the then vice-president of the club, to coach the team, thus becoming the first-ever documented coach in the club's history. He was at the helm of the club for just one season.