By Frank Dalleres
Former Spain, Middlesbrough, Lazio and Valencia midfielder Gaizka Mendieta on finding a new passion in the restaurant business after a stellar football career.
When Gaizka Mendieta, one of the most lauded midfielders of his era, moved to Middlesbrough in 2003 he gave England a taste of the best that Spain had to offer. Now, 15 years retired, he is doing the same in a more literal sense through a string of restaurant ventures offering high-end Spanish cuisine to Londoners.
Mendieta is one of the investors in the popular chain Iberica, which is overseen by Michelin starred chef Nacho Manzano and has branches in Canary Wharf, Marylebone, Fitzrovia and Victoria. He is also a backer of a new paella-focused central London eaterie, Arros QD, and a third brand, Mercado Central in Cambridge.
“I saw the business opportunity. I wanted to be involved in something that was real,” Mendieta, who won 40 caps for Spain, tells City A.M.
“I love not only the food but the learning. I try to be involved as much as I can in the projects, from selecting venues, how we design the space – not so much on the chefs – but I like to have input.
“I’ve always been intrigued by business. With food, I was a client of Iberica and over time I got to know some of the shareholders. The opportunity came there and I took it. The food took me to the business, but I love both.”
Mendieta’s restaurants pride themselves on their authenticity. At Arros QD, three Michelin-starred chef Quique Dacosta imports Spanish wood from almond and orange trees and ships over his stock in tins in pursuit of the perfect flavours. It and Iberica attract a well-heeled crowd of regulars, among them footballers from Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham.
“People from Valencia who live in London come and congratulate us. Believe me, for Valencia people to do that means a lot. I’ve grown up with paella. I never thought it would be part of my business life eventually, but there you are. When they talked to me about paella, I said ‘hey, wait, I know a little bit about that’,” he smiles.
Mendieta’s love of food comes from his background. He was born in the gastronomic hotbed of the Basque Country and grew up in the home of rice dishes, Valencia, where he made his name. Yet the former Barcelona and Lazio player, once one of the world’s most expensive players, had no plan to go into the hospitality trade when his career wound down.
“I invested in real estate, stock markets, the usual but I didn’t know what to do next. That was definitely something I didn’t want to do for the rest of my days,” adds the 49-year-old.
“They used to tell me, ‘there’s nothing in life like football’ – the adrenaline of being in a stadium of 90,000 people. It’s tough to find something like that.”
Restaurants give him a “different satisfaction”, Mendieta says. He divides his time between them, football media work and other ventures including Player4Player, which connects current and former footballers with trusted companies. He is also working with AxisStars, which offers a networking platform for athletes during and after their careers and was founded by former Manchester United and France forward Louis Saha.
Mendieta spoke to City A.M. at a football match for players whom AxisStars has helped to plan their next step, including Matt Jarvis, Rachel Yankey. Cherno Samba and Emma Beckett. Not everyone is as enterprising as the Spaniard, however, and he is passionate about helping other generations make the difficult transition to life after football and all its trappings.
“A football career is maximum 20 years; 10 years maximum of great contracts, so you have to be very wise in how you invest that money to last you double or treble your age. It’s a long journey, not just financially but mentally,” he says.
“Mentally it’s very tough. The drop-off is huge. If you don’t have routine and stability it can be tough. People don’t realise because [they see] fancy cars, fancy trips, fancy life but believe me there is more on the other side. Until you come to that place, it’s hard to appreciate. We need to help current players to appreciate this so that they’re better prepared.”
