RIP José Manuel Ochotorena: farewell to a legend of Valencia CF and the Spanish national team  

Valencia CF deeply regrets, with great sadness and sorrow, the passing of José Manuel Ochotorena, goalkeeping coach, former player, and legend of the Club, at the age of 64. The Club wishes to extend its condolences to his family and friends and joins them in this moment of deep grief.

Born in San Sebastián in 1961, Ochotorena joined Valencia CF from Real Madrid in 1988 and, in his first season, won the Zamora Trophy as the goalkeeper with the fewest goals conceded in LaLiga. His excellent performances earned him a call-up to the Spanish national team, with which he was part of the squad for the 1990 World Cup in Italy. That same year, he also became the Valencia CF goalkeeper with the most consecutive LaLiga appearances in the Club’s history (59).

After retiring as a player, Ochotorena returned to Valencia CF in 2001 as a goalkeeping coach - a role he has held ever since, except for a spell between 2004 and 2007, when he worked for Liverpool alongside Rafa Benítez and won the Champions League. He earned the trust and recognition of every coach at the Club and became a key and irreplaceable figure in Valencia CF’s success over the past two decades.

Ochotorena was an undisputed reference in goalkeeping coaching and, until 2021, combined his work at Valencia CF with the Spanish national team, where he played an active part in the country’s greatest achievements - the EURO 2008 and 2012 titles and the 2010 World Cup triumph.