Iker Muniain released a video on Saturday confirming that he would be the head coach of De Rio in the Spanish League C (the fifth tier of Spanish football). Although he never officially announced his retirement, this move marks the end of his 16-year career.

The 32-year-old Muniain came from Bilbao's youth training and made his first appearance for the first team in the Europa League qualifiers on July 30, 2009. He then played for Athletic Bilbao for 15 years, during which time he made 557 appearances, scored 75 goals and provided 70 assists, and won 1 Copa del Rey and 2 Spanish Super Cups with the team.

In September 2024, Muniain joined the traditional Argentine powerhouse San Lorenzo as a free agent. So far, he has played 26 times for San Lorenzo, contributing 4 goals and 1 assist.

In a video message, Muniain said: "Today, I want to share with you a new chapter in my life, a stage that makes me both look forward to and feel a great sense of responsibility: starting a new journey as a coach. I have long made up my mind to devote myself to coaching when the time is right. I feel that now is the time to take this step and embark on an exciting journey.

“I chose Derio as my first coaching stop because it has developed rapidly in recent years and has an excellent reputation. Derio is an ideal coaching platform that allows me to put into practice the football philosophy that I have conceived in my mind for many years. I am very much looking forward to forming my own coaching team and passing on my football philosophy to the players. This is both a challenge and a source of motivation and passion for me.”

“I have envisioned a brave, ambitious and energetic team in my mind, who have the determination to improve and excel in every training session and match. Looking back on my playing days, I have had the privilege of working with many top coaches and learned valuable lessons from them. Now it is my turn to pass on these experiences and help my players to achieve the best possible level.”

"I hope all the fans will support us to the best of their ability, because your encouragement is very important to us. We will work hard to earn your trust so that more people are willing to come to the stadium to cheer us on. I hope we can make the fans of Del Rio and all those who consider this team their home proud. We will do our best to defend this jersey with the greatest pride," he concluded.