Born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital city of the Basque region in northern Spain, it is perhaps no surprise that Iñigo Calderón is embarking on a career in football coaching.
So many of the top jobs in football’s most dominant divisions are currently held by individuals born and raised in the Basque Country. Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery and Julen Lopetegui are just three such names working in England alone, at Premier League sides Arsenal, Aston Villa and West Ham United respectively.
It is a region where football is seen as opportunity. One that Calderón was determined to grasp with both hands in every aspect.
Iñigo Calderón represented Deportivo Alavés in his youth, playing for both the B and C teams before starting his professional playing career with Alicante in Segunda División B. The Spaniard featured across three seasons; a story of almost for the sadly now-dissolved side. They reached two second-place finishes, and a third, but failed to gain promotion after losing in the promotion play-offs.
A return to Alavés followed in 2007 for the developing defender, who would make 52 appearances across two campaigns in Segunda División. The honour of captaincy was bestowed on him often, one Calderón understood the honour and pressure of, but the collective efforts were not enough to avoid relegation in the 2008/09 campaign.
Even while playing, even still in his mid 20s, Calderón had his eye on the future. He earned a sports science degree by the age of 24 and a master’s degree in sports psychology at 26.
After a successful trial, the right-back joined League One side Brighton and Hove Albion in January 2010 on a deal until the end of the season. He started 19 consecutive games, impressing on the south coast, and signed a three-year contract in June 2010.
Calderón made 44 league appearances the following campaign, netting seven goals as Gus Poyet's men were promoted to the Championship as League One champions after a five-year absence. His performances earned him a place in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2010-11 campaign.
The Spaniard spent the next five years with Brighton in the Championship, making 135 appearances in the second tier and scoring ten goals, also earning the Seagulls' Player of the Season award at the end of the 2014/15 campaign.
Making 232 appearances for Brighton in all competitions and becoming a club legend, Calderón joined Cypriot First Division club Anorthosis Famagusta in 2016, playing 28 times before spending two seasons at Indian Super League outfit Chennaiyin, where he won the Indian Super League during the 2017-18 campaign.
Calderón worked on his coaching badges during the latter stages of his playing career and secured a UEFA Pro Licence - the highest coaching qualification in Europe - at 36.
He joined his boyhood club Alavés and became the assistant head coach of their B team in 2019. After holding various coaching roles during his four-year spell at Alavés, Calderón returned to Brighton in 2023 to become the head coach of their U18s side, turning the young Seagulls into one of the most impressive and prolific youth teams in the country.
In an interview in 2023, Calderón admitted he enjoyed coaching more than actually playing football. A self-confessed ‘football romantic’, the Spaniard had a tactics board at 13 and coached youth teams while still himself a teenager.
It is an intense passion that Iñigo Calderón now brings to The Memorial Stadium as he takes his first step into a Head Coach position with Bristol Rovers.
