Borja Jiménez is a soccer coach
Despite his age, Borja Jiménez already has a wealth of experience in coaching: at just 26, he was already the first-team coach of Real Ávila, his hometown club, and also the head of its youth academy. He arrived there thanks to José Luis Diezma, who had been impressed by Borja’s skill and ability at the Milan Academy. An unstoppable passion for football and understanding its mechanisms had led him to embark on a promising coaching career at a very young age.
At home, Borja demonstrates a quick ability to adapt to circumstances and bring out the best in a team: with the club in bankruptcy, Real Ávila qualified for the promotion playoff, where they lost to Mérida. The following year, Real Valladolid came calling to take charge of the U19 team and collaborate on the technical secretariat. Within a few months, he was promoted to the reserve team, where he achieved the highest position in the second half of the season and helped develop the players who nurture the first team.
In the summer of 2016, the opportunity to coach Izarra in the Second Division B arose. It was a very interesting experience for Borja Jiménez, managing an entirely Navarrese squad and achieving the goal of survival with two matches to spare. A year later, a new challenge arose: Rápido de Bouzas. A newly promoted club with whom Borja enjoyed a historic campaign, qualifying for the Cup and fighting for the promotion play-offs until the final matchday. Beyond results, the Ávila native is perfecting his methods and style. As he says, “playing football well is knowing what you’re playing.”
The opportunity for promotion arrives in 2018, in his first season in charge of Mirándés, which he also crowned Federation Cup champions. This outstanding performance opened the door for the chance to go abroad. It was Greek side Asteras Tripolis that offered him his first experience outside of Spain. After overcoming a Cup tie, the Greek adventure comes to an end, but Borja Jiménez and his team don’t even have time to return to Spain when they receive the call from Cartagena, hoping to return to the Second Division.
The Ávila native landed on a high in Cartagena, where he achieved promotion in July 2020 after beating Atlético Baleares. His second in a single year with two different clubs. However, in December of that year, Borja had to lead the team out of the relegation zone. For someone as passionate about his profession as he is, it’s fortunate that he’ll be back in charge at the beginning of 2021. Deportivo de La Coruña is a huge challenge Borja Jiménez handles firmly; however, eight fateful minutes prevented the blue and white team from gaining promotion, and the Ávila native leaves the Deportivo dugout as the coach with the best points-per-game percentage in the last 25 years.
In June 2023, Borja will sign with CD Leganés. The Ávila native takes charge of the Pepinero project with enthusiasm, ambition, and high standards as his guiding principles.
After a historic season, he managed to return Leganés to the First Division, making them champions for the first time in their history and achieving, among other things, being the team with the fewest goals in the category and the best away team in the league. With this milestone, Borja became the second youngest coach in the last decade to be promoted to the Spanish top flight.
In his debut in La Liga, the native of Avila achieved historic victories against Barcelona and Atlético. His Leganés reached 40 points, but failed to secure salvation. However, Borja did receive unanimous recognition for his work at the helm of the lowest budget squad and the affection of the fans who chanted his name at the end of the last matchday.
Career as a coach
- 2015-16: Real Valladolid B (Segunda B)
- 2016-17: CD Izarra (Segunda B).
- 2017-18: Rápido de Bouzas (Segunda B). 5th place, best finish in club history
- 2018-19: CD Mirandés (Segunda B). Promotion to Second Division; Federation Cup champions.
- 2019-20: Asteras Trípolis (Greek Superleague)
- 2019-20 and 2020-21: FC Cartagena (Segunda B and Segunda División). Promotion to the Second Division.
- 2021-22: RC Deportivo (First RFEF). Coach with the best winning percentage in the last 25 years.
- 2023-25: CD Leganés (First Division).