Iván de la Peña

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Iván De la Peña
Personal information
Full name Iván De la Peña López
Date of birth May 6, 1976
Place of birth    Santander, Spain
Height 1.69 m
Playing position Central Midfielder
Club information
Current club RCD Espanyol
Number 9
Youth clubs
1991–1994
1994–1995
FC Barcelona youth categories
FC Barcelona B
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1995–1998
1998–1999
1999–2000
2000–2001
2001–2002
2002–
FC Barcelona
S.S. Lazio
Olympique Marseille
FC Barcelona
S.S. Lazio
RCD Espanyol
81 (11)
– (–)
– (–)
9 (0)
– (–)
133 (4)   

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 22 July 2006.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 22 July 2006.
* Appearances (Goals)

Iván De la Peña López (born Santander, Cantabria, May 6, 1976), is a Spanish footballer who currently plays for RCD Espanyol. He has previously played for FC Barcelona, Lazio, Olympique de Marseille and Spain. De la Peña has earned the nicknames Little Buddha due to his shaven head and slight frame and Lo Pelat ( The Shaven One).

He is known for his pin-point accurate passing and crossing.

De la Peña was recruited by FC Barcelona as youth in 1991 and made his debut for FC Barcelona B in 1993. He went on to play 37 games for the reserve team. Johan Cruyff gave him his debut with the senior FC Barcelona team in 1995. He came on as a substitute and scored in a 2-0 win over Real Valladolid. At 19 he was initially regarded as the natural successor to Josep Guardiola. However, he fell out of favour with Cruyff and found himself dropped. With the arrival of Bobby Robson in 1996, he was given a second chance to establish himself in the team. De la Peña subsequently developed a partnership with Ronaldo and was a prominent member of the team that won the Copa del Rey/European Cup Winners Cup/European Supercup treble in 1997. He was also voted the best young player by El País in both 1996 and 1997 and, along with the likes of Fernando Morientes, Raúl and Gaizka Mendieta, he was a member of the Spain squad at the 1996 Olympic Games.

De la Peña found himself out of favour at FC Barcelona once again under Louis Van Gaal and he was consequently transferred to Lazio. In Italy, he never found his place and was loaned to Olympique de Marseille during the 1999-00 season. This move was not successful either and he returned to FC Barcelona on loan in 2000. However he again failed to gain a regular place under Llorenç Serra Ferrer and went back to Lazio.

In 2002 he moved to RCD Espanyol where he found the continuity and stability to produce some of the best football in his career. In 2005 he made his senior debut for the Spain at the age of 28 and helped RCD Espanyol finish 5th in La Liga, enabling them to qualify for the UEFA Cup. In the 2006 Copa del Rey final De la Peña masterminded a 4-1 victory for RCD Espanyol against Real Zaragoza by setting up two goals. Raúl Tamudo scored after two minutes when he headed in a rebound following a De la Peña free kick. Tamudo and De la Peña combined again to carve open the Real Zaragoza defence to lay on a goal for Luis García.

[edit] Honours

FC Barcelona

RCD Espanyol


[edit] External links


RCD Espanyol - Current Squad

1 Gorka Iraizoz | 2 Chica | 3 David García | 4 Lacruz | 6 Costa | 7 Pandiani | 8 Zabaleta | 9 de la Peña | 10 Luis García | 11 Riera | 12 Velasco | 13 Kameni | 14 Ito | 16 Jônatas | 17 Moha | 18 Rufete | 19 Torrejón | 20 Corominas | 21 Jarque | 22 Moisés Hurtado | 23 Tamudo | 27 Julián | Coach Valverde