Having started coaching before his 20s, he was the youngest manager in charge of a La Liga club, having taken over Salamanca at not yet 30 years of age. He also coached Oviedo, Tenerife, Zaragoza and Almería in the top-flight, and had spells in charge of clubs in Mexico, Colombia, Japan, China and Qatar.
Born in Tolosa, Gipuzkoa, Lillo began coaching local Amaroz KE at just 16 and, four years later, he took charge of Tolosa in the Tercera División. He moved to Mirandés also in that level afterwards, and led the side to promotion to Segunda División B in the 1988–89 season, as champions.[1]
Lillo made his name as a manager at Salamanca, joining the club in mid-1992 at the behest of its chairman Juan José Hidalgo. In his first season he finished second in the third division, narrowly missing out on promotion playoffs which he attained the following campaign without any major squad changes. This prompted reported interest from Real Valladolid, but the coach stayed until the end of 1995–96 as they competed in La Liga[2]– this made him the youngest ever person to manage at the highest level, at only 29; after 28 games in charge, with Salamanca four points into the relegation zone, he was dismissed, but players and fans publicly opposed the sacking, supporting him in recognition of his achievements – the team finished in last position, eleven points behind 21st-placed Mérida.[3]
Lillo then had some spells in the top division: in the 1996–97 season he worked with Real Oviedo,[4] but was fired before its closure due to poor results.[5] He returned to management in February 1998 with Tenerife,[6] helping them to avoid relegation in his first year; the following campaign, however, he did not see out the year, being sacked after 15 matches as the team were ultimately relegated.[7]
After a year-and-a-half break, Lillo returned to take the reins of Real Zaragoza – the team had qualified for the UEFA Cup the previous season, and manager Txetxu Rojo moved to Athletic Bilbao. He set about fulfilling the task of progressing in the European competition and repeating European qualification through the league[8] but did not achieve this, being relieved of his duties after barely three months.[9]
Lillo went to Mexico in 2005, joining Dorados de Sinaloa and resigning mid-season (the club would also eventually drop down a division). He insinuated that the team he was battling against to avoid relegation, Televisa-owned San Luis, had gained unusual victories against more powerful opposition, which were also owned by the Televisa group; this caused much controversy in both the Mexican press and football league.[12]
Following the incident, Lillo spent the following two years away from football until he was appointed as the new head coach of Real Sociedad in April 2008,[13] with the Basques in the second tier. Despite losing only once during his tenure, they failed to reach a promotion spot after finishing in sixth position, and he was replaced by Martín Lasarte.[14]
In late December 2009, Lillo replaced Hugo Sánchez at the helm of struggling Almería, just one place above the relegation zone.[15] After helping the Andalusian team finish 13th, his contract was renewed for a further season.[16]
After a 8–0 home loss against Barcelona on 20 November 2010, Lillo was dismissed with the side in the relegation zone,[17] and eventually being relegated after four years.
After several years of inactivity, Lillo was appointed at Colombian club Millonarios in December 2013.[18] He was fired on 2 September the following year, after four consecutive Primera A losses and elimination in the Copa Sudamericana.[19]
^ abLllago, Ricardo (24 October 2008). "El ´enfant terrible´ vuelve a la carga" [The 'enfant terrible' comes charging again]. El Periódico Mediterráneo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 June 2018.
^Castañeda, Álvaro; Cruz, Santa (20 February 1998). "Lillo se cura en salud el día de su presentación" [Lillo shakes the pressure off in day of his presentation] (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 June 2018.
^Andrés, Mariano (31 May 2000). ""Cojo un equipo de Liga de Campeones"" ["I take the reins of a Champions League team"] (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 June 2018.
^López, Toni (9 October 2000). ""Me han apaleado"" ["I have endured a beating"] (PDF). La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 June 2018.
^Gutiérrez, Miguel (23 March 2006). "La espantada mexicana de Juanma Lillo" [Juanma Lillo's Mexican escape] (in Spanish). Notas de Fútbol. Archived from the original on 1 October 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
