After the surprising and sudden departure of Radomir Đalović, who led the club to a historic double crown last season, the management of the Croatian Football Club Rijeka reacted quickly and found a new solution for the bench. The Spanish language will echo through Rujevica in the upcoming period, as the 49-year-old Victor Sánchez del Amo has been appointed as the new strategist for the team. The experienced expert signed a two-year contract with the club on September 3, 2025, officially beginning a new era for the first-league club from Rijeka.

During the official presentation, Sánchez did not hide his satisfaction with his arrival in Kvarner. In his first address to the public, he expressed his gratitude to the club's leadership for the trust placed in him, emphasizing that he sees taking over Rijeka as a significant step and a new, exciting chapter in his coaching career. "At the very beginning, I want to thank everyone for the warm welcome. I am extremely grateful to Rijeka for the trust they have shown. This is a new page in my career that I am immensely looking forward to," said the Spaniard. He particularly highlighted the reasons that attracted him to Rujevica: "I chose Rijeka because I recognized in it an exceptionally healthy sports project and a great opportunity to achieve significant results together. The club has already proven its worth and quality by achieving excellent successes in the past, and I will do everything in my power to continue walking the same winning path. I look forward to all the challenges ahead of us and can't wait to start working on the field."

A familiar face with a painful memory for Rijeka

The name Victor Sánchez is not unknown to the Rijeka football public, but the memories of the last encounter are not pleasant at all. Namely, he was the architect of one of Rijeka's tougher European defeats in recent history. Last season, while leading Olimpija from Ljubljana, Sánchez dismantled the then-Rijeka team in the Conference League playoff. In the return match in Ljubljana, his team celebrated with a convincing 5:0 victory, demonstrating tactical maturity and attacking power, thus shattering Rijeka's dreams of a European autumn. That defeat left a bitter taste, and fate would have it that the man who was on the opposing bench then now takes the helm of the "Whites," with the goal of bringing new European successes to Rujevica. With Olimpija, he also dominantly won the Slovenian championship title that season, but a contract extension did not happen due to disagreements with the management over the terms of a new contract.

From the starry paths of Real Madrid to legend status at Deportivo

Before stepping into coaching, Victor Sánchez had an extremely rich and trophy-laden playing career. He went through the famous Real Madrid youth academy, "La Fábrica," and as a young man made his way to the first team of the "Royal Club." In the Real jersey, he made almost 80 official appearances between 1996 and 1998 and was part of a generation that left a deep mark. Under the leadership of Fabio Capello, he won the Spanish league title in the 1996/1997 season, and a year later, with Jupp Heynckes on the bench, he climbed to the top of Europe, winning the Champions League. He was an important member of the Spanish U-21 national team that won the European Championship title. After a brief episode at Racing Santander in 1998, he moved to Deportivo La Coruña in 1999, where he would spend the most brilliant moments of his career. In the seven seasons spent at Riazor, he gained the status of a club legend. He was a key player of the team that shocked the football world in the 1999/2000 season and won the only Spanish league title in the club's history. With Deportivo, he also won the Copa del Rey and two Spanish Super Cups. He played 286 matches and scored 44 goals for the club from Galicia, leaving an indelible mark. He later continued his playing career at the Greek Panathinaikos and the Spanish Elche, where he retired from active play at the end of the 2008/2009 season.

A diverse coaching path and a new challenge in Kvarner

After hanging up his boots, Sánchez dedicated himself to coaching. He initially gained knowledge as an assistant coach, learning from experienced experts. He was an assistant at Getafe and Olympiacos under Míchel, and at Sevilla where he collaborated with Unai Emery. He got his first independent job in 2015, at the club where he left the biggest mark as a player – Deportivo La Coruña. After Deportivo, he managed the Greek Olympiacos, and then the Spanish first-league clubs Real Betis and Malaga. It was his tenure at Malaga that was marked by controversy when in January 2020, the club decided to terminate his contract after a private, explicit video was leaked to the public. Sánchez defended himself at the time with claims that he was a victim of extortion, but the club had no understanding. After that unpleasant episode, he briefly managed Cartagena, before taking over the aforementioned Olimpija with which he achieved notable success. Now, with rich experience of playing at the highest level and managing teams in strong leagues, he arrives in Croatia. A clear task is ahead of him – to stabilize the team after a weaker start to the season, raise the level of play, and lead Rijeka towards the top of Croatian football and achieve the best possible result in the Conference League. His arrival represents a clear shift in club policy and brings a touch of Spanish football philosophy to Rujevica.