A decade is a long time in football, but for Middlesbrough supporters, memories of the 2014/15 season still live fresh in the mind.
Aitor Karanka was named as the club’s first foreign manager in November 2013, and the 2014/15 season would be his first full season in command.
After leading the club to a mid-table finish the previous season following his mid-season arrival at the Riverside Stadium, there were signs that José Mourinho’s former Real Madrid assistant coach could be the one to lift Boro out of the gloomy Gordon Strachan era and build on the solid foundations laid by his predecessor Tony Mowbray.
Karanka’s team would take the Teesside faithful on a rollercoaster of a season, finishing fourth in the Championship before defeating Brentford in a two-legged play-off semi-final.
| Middlesbrough’s 2014/15 Championship stats – per FotMob | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League finish | Wins | Draws | Defeats | Points | Goals scored | Goals conceded |
| 4th | 25 | 10 | 11 | 85 | 68 | 37 |
Middlesbrough, however, could not receive their fairytale ending, losing 2-0 to Norwich City in the play-off final. Still, that season gave the football club new life and a much-needed boost of optimism, and with Karanka back in charge, Boro won automatic promotion the next season.
But who was Middlesbrough’s highest-paid player during the 2014/15 season, and where are they now? Football League World investigates.
Fulham loanee and play-off hero Fernando Amorebieta was Middlesbrough’s highest-paid player in 2014/15 season
Middlesbrough fans may have only seen Fernando Amorebieta briefly during the 2014/15 season, but the Venezuelan defender gifted them with an unforgettable moment.
Signed on a short-term loan from fellow Championship opponents Fulham in March 2015, the versatile left-back – who can also play centre-back – would rejoin with his former Athletic Bilbao teammate Karanka, providing the Boro manager with more defensive insurance.
Amorebieta, who has over 250 games for Athletic Club, came to the Riverside with a strong background, having spent eight seasons with the Basque Country club, gaining valuable La Liga and European football experience.
He’d also played 23 Premier League games for Fulham in 2013/14, but he’d struggled to find a meaningful role at Craven Cottage by the time he signed for Middlesbrough.
After only four Championship appearances between his arrival and the end of the 2014/15 season, he would start the play-off semi-final first leg away at Brentford from the bench. However, with just over 15 minutes remaining, Karanka made an unusual decision to replace attacking midfielder Lee Tomlin with his rarely seen defender.
Deep into added time at the end of the game, Middlesbrough swung a corner into the Bees’ box, hoping for a late sting in the tail, which Amorebieta delivered. George Friend nodded the ball towards the penalty spot, and Boro’s huge defender swung a left boot at the bouncing ball, which ricocheted off a Brentford player and into the corner of the net.
Thus, in an instant, he justified why, according to Capology’s estimated estimates, he was Boro’s highest-paid player on the books that season, earning £25,500 per week.
Fernando Amorebieta is now assistant coach at Arenas Club de Gexto
Amorebieta signed on loan for Middlesbrough again for the 2015/16 season, however he returned to parent club Fulham in February 2016 before completing the automatic promotion-winning campaign on Teesside, to which he had contributed 13 Championship matches.
From there, he returned to Craven Cottage for the final few months of the season before joining La Liga club Sporting Gijon permanently in the summer of 2016.
He would play one season for the Spanish club before returning to Argentina with Independiente in the summer of 2017.
Between February and June 2024, he served as assistant manager of both the Dominican Republic’s U23 and senior national teams before going on to his present position as assistant manager of Basque club Arenas Club de Gexto.
So, who knows Middlesbrough fans? Perhaps one day he will return to the Riverside Stadium dugout?
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