Former Champions League club relegated TWICE in one summer after Premier League cult hero quit as manager

THE final indignity for a former Champions League club is now official.

And for an ex-Liverpool winger, it bookmarks a brief spell as manager he will surely never come close to repeating – nor want to.

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The club have a long, proud and successful history but are now suffering[/caption]

He was in charge of one of France’s oldest and biggest clubs.

They’ve won the top-flight title six times and the French Cup on four occasions.

But now bankrupt Bordeaux have been relegated for the second time in a month – to the fourth tier.

Problems emerged last season, with the club coming 12th in the second-level Ligue 2 but needing £35million (40m euros) to balance the books.

Talks with Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group eventually broke down in mid-July.

Bankruptcy and demotion followed – initially to the third tier, National 1.

Bordeaux went into receivership, as well as going part-time – reverting to “amateur” status after nine decades as a professional club.

France’s federal financial watchdog, the National Directorate of Management Control, then delivered another hammer-blow this month.

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Ex-Bordeaux chief Albert Riera played for Liverpool from 2008-2010[/caption]

Riera now manages in SloveniaRex

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The NDMC acted as clubs in receivership must be “demoted to the division immediately below the one for which it would have qualified for the following season”.

That meant something that was unthinkable for Bordeaux just a year ago – spiralling down to National 2.

It also explains why an ex-Anfield cult hero, who played on loan for Manchester City, might be relieved to have quit as Bordeaux boss in July.

Albert Riera, 42, won 16 caps for Spain, also playing for Bordeaux, Galatasaray and Watford, amongst others.

The wideman, who could also slot in at left-back, arrived at Liverpool as an £8m deadline-day signing from Espanyol on September 1 2008.

But he was transfer-listed two years later after reportedly voicing his frustration to the Spanish media at his limited starts under Rafa Benitez.

And in the summer of the same year he exited Anfield for Olympiacos.

After retiring from playing in 2018, he became assistant manager at Galatasaray before taking charge of Slovenian top-flight side Olimpija Ljubljana four years later.

Riera guided Olimpija to their first title in five seasons.

But when there was no offer of a new contract, he moved to rivals Celje – only two days before the start of 2023-324.

He soon put Celje in a strong position to challenge for the Slovenian crown – but after three months left for Bordeaux.

But that major move became momentous misery – despite a mid-table finish – as the club declared bankruptcy and Riera departed after just nine months.

Now he has gone back to Celje while Bordeaux have gone down… twice.

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