Iñaki Astiz Ventura (born 5 November 1983) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a central defender. He is currently the assistant manager of Cypriot First Division club AEK Larnaca.
Developed at Osasuna, he spent most of his career at Legia Warsaw, appearing in 273 competitive matches and winning several titles. He also played in the Cypriot First Division with APOEL.
Playing career A product of local CA Osasuna's youth system, Astiz was born in Pamplona, Navarre, and his earlier career was spent with their reserves where he met Jan Urban, a former club player who was their manager at the time. Thus, he was loaned for the 2007–08 season to Legia Warsaw (where Urban would work as coach) in the Ekstraklasa, becoming the first Spaniard ever to play in that competition.
Astiz returned to Osasuna in June 2008, only to rejoin Legia immediately for five years despite still having a contract running. The former, however, retained the possibility to re-buy the player after the first two seasons.
On 21 June 2015, Astiz signed a two-year deal with APOEL FC in the Cypriot First Division. He made his competitive debut on 14 July, in a 0–0 home draw against FK Vardar in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. He scored his first goal for his new team on 12 December 2016, the second in the 2–1 home win over Anorthosis Famagusta FC in the domestic league.
On 15 August 2017, the 33-year-old Astiz returned to Legia Warsaw. He scored his only goal in the Champions League on 31 July 2018, the only in a victory at FC Spartak Trnava in the second qualifying round that amounted to nothing as his side had lost 2–0 in the first leg. In June 2020, he agreed to a one-year extension at the Stadion Wojska Polskiego.
Astiz joined their reserve team in the III liga in July 2021. He retired shortly after, aged 38; over his two spells, he won four national championships and five Polish Cups.
Coaching career Legia Warsaw On 25 October 2021, Legia II head coach Marek Gołębiewski was promoted to first-team manager, and Astiz joined his staff as an assistant. After the former's dismissal, he kept his role under Aleksandar Vuković, Kosta Runjaić, Gonçalo Feio and Edward Iordănescu.
On 31 October 2025, Astiz was appointed caretaker manager following Iordănescu's departure. Legia's form continued to drop after he took over, resulting in finishing the first half of the domestic league in the relegation zone and failing to advance to the knockout stage of the UEFA Conference League. In terms of average points, he had the worst record (0.6 points per game) among all club managers who had been in charge for more than one match. On 18 December, they recorded their only win during his tenure, 4–1 over Lincoln Red Imps in the Conference League league phase; the following day, he was replaced by Marek Papszun and resumed his duties as an assistant.
AEK Larnaca Astiz joined Mauro Camoranesi's staff at AEK Larnaca in June 2026. On 14 August, he was appointed caretaker manager after Camoranesi had left the club. He returned to his role as assistant on 25 August following Rubén Sellés' appointment, without managing AEK Larnaca in an official game.
Personal life Astiz met Polish blogger Dominika Fetraś in 2008 when he was playing in the country, and they married on 31 December 2014. He has a daughter, Luna.
Career statistics + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsOsasuna B2002–03Segunda División B181———1812003–04Segunda División B151———1512004–05Segunda División B343———3432005–06Segunda División B312———3122006–07Segunda División B342———342Total1329———1329Legia Warsaw (loan)2007–08Ekstraklasa231601050351Legia Warsaw2008–09Ekstraklasa2614000613622009–10Ekstraklasa2514040—3312010–11Ekstraklasa17060——2302011–12Ekstraklasa1213020—1712012–13Ekstraklasa2614060103712013–14Ekstraklasa1121020—1422014–15Ekstraklasa1914080—311Total15983202301212269Legia Warsaw II2013–14III liga40———40APOEL2015–16Cypriot First Division16030100103002016–17Cypriot First Division2723114010453Total4326124020753Legia Warsaw2017–18Ekstraklasa2201000—2302018–19Ekstraklasa1000051101612019–20Ekstraklasa6010——702020–21Ekstraklasa0000001010Total380205120471Legia Warsaw II2019–20III liga70———702020–21III liga200———2002021–22III liga170———170Total440———440Career total4201940152116152822
Managerial statistics
+ Managerial record by team and tenureTeamFromToRecord Legia Warsaw (caretaker)31 October 202519 December 2025AEK Larnaca (caretaker)14 August 202625 August 2026Total
Honours Legia Warsaw Ekstraklasa: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2017–18, 2019–20 Polish Cup: 2007–08, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2017–18
APOEL Cypriot First Division: 2015–16, 2016–17
References
External links