Real Madrid legend and ex-Premier League manager Aitor Karanka mourns death of his beloved dad
FORMER Middlesbrough boss and Real Madrid legend Aitor Karanka is mourning the loss of his father.
The Spaniard revealed the sad news of his dad's passing on Twitter this morning.
In a touching tribute, he wrote: "Goodbye dad.
"You gave me a lesson in life up until your last day. A true role model.
"Thank you so much. You'll forever be in our hearts."
Karanka left Boro in March after a miserable run of form saw the club slide down the Premier League and ultimately led to relegation in May.
His exit came just over a year since he walked out of the club following a training ground bust-up.
That incident came on the eve of a Championship match against Charlton, which saw his head coach Steve Agnew take charge of the 2-0 defeat, before he returned to the club to lead them to promotion.
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However, tensions continued to rise last season and Karanka was involved in another furious row with Stewart Downing.
That incident, and a number of others made earlier in the year criticising the club's fans and the board's lack of backing in the January transfer window, convinced owner Steve Gibson that a change was needed.
Karanka took charge of Boro in 2013 and saved them from the drop before masterminding their rise to the top-flight.
Since his Riverside exit he has been linked with jobs at Leeds, Wolves and Algeria but is still without a new club.
The ex-Spanish international enjoyed an illustrious playing and made over 100 appearances for Madrid.
He helped them to win the Champions League three times before his departure in 2002 but returned to the Bernabeu in 2010 as Jose Mourinho's assistant manager.
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