Inigo Idiakez was an icon during his time at Derby County and was well known for his set piece taking but he was initially surprised when the club wanted to sign him. 

The 45-year-old spent two years at Derby County between 2004-2006 and was a fan favourite during his time at the club.

Idiakez scored 11 goals in his two season with the Rams with a few of them being quite spectacular goals.

The Spaniard was named player of the season during his first year at the club after helping the side reach the play-offs.

Derby signed Idiakez in 2004 from Rayo Vallecano on a free transfer but before they wanted to sign him they wanted him to participate in a trial match.

The former Derby midfielder took the time to speak to the Luton Town official website about his time at Derby and said, “I played a game and did really, really bad in the trial,"

"Then after the game, they were wanting me to sign the contract still and I thought, 'I did really bad, why do they want me to sign?!'”

“I had a really good time when I played there," he added. "The first year was incredible, we went to the play-offs but we lost against Preston and I got injured.

“I loved the club when I was there, and I wish them all the best.

"I have a fantastic relationship with the fans, and I remember every corner, free-kick. Every time I took something, they were singing my name, so I wish them all the best."

Idiakez did return to Derby in 2016 as a coach on Nigel Pearson's coaching staff but it was short lived after Nigel Pearson was sacked after less than five months in charge.

Speaking about the coaching role, Idiakez said, “As a first team coach there, it didn’t really work, to be honest,"

"We were there for a couple of months and it was a bit disappointing - but it’s a different club now."

The Verdict

Inigo Idiakez was an icon at Derby as he had some good times with the club, including reaching the play-offs and picking up the player of the season award.

The former Derby man speaks highly of his former club which is good to see and he seems to especially appreciate his relationship with the fans.

His return as a coach may not have gone as planned first time around but Derby fans may want to see him involved with the club in some sort of capacity in the future.