Asier del Horno

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Asier del Horno
Personal information
Full name Asier del Horno Cosgaya
Date of birth January 19, 1981 (1981-01-19) (age 27)
Place of birth    Barakaldo, Biscay, Spain
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Left back
Club information
Current club Valencia CF
Number -
Youth clubs
1992-1993
1993-2000
Gallarta
Athletic Bilbao
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1999-2000
2000–2005
2005–2006
2006–present
2007–2008
Athletic B
Athletic
Chelsea
Valencia
Athletic (loan)
26 (1)
108 (13)
25 (1)
6 (0)
16 (0)   
National team2
2004- Flag of Spain Spain 10 (2)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of May 21, 2008.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of June 7, 2008.
* Appearances (Goals)

Asier del Horno Cosgaya (born January 19, 1981 in Barakaldo, Spain) is a Biscain professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Valencia CF.

Contents

[edit] Club career

He began his career at Athletic Bilbao in 1999, where his combative tackling and strength in the air saw him rise through the ranks as a stout left-footed centre-back. However, Del Horno's pace and ability to contribute to the attack from out wide led to his being switched to left-back by the time he had arrived in the seniors for both club and country. Del Horno scored 13 goals in 94 league appearances for Athletic Club Bilbao. In June 2005, Del Horno moved to Chelsea for a fee of £8 million. He won the first league championship of his career at Chelsea, as part of the Chelsea squad that finished as 2005-2006 English Premier League champions. He played 32 matches for Chelsea, scoring 1 goal, against Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

On 21 June 2006 Del Horno returned to Spain to sign for Valencia on a six-year deal, for a fee of 8 million euros[1]. Del Horno was seen as a natural replacement for Amedeo Carboni. Athletic Bilbao had expressed interest, but withdrew from further negotiations, forfeiting any further financial advantage. Del Horno is noted for his love for Athletic Bilbao, and has stated his desire to return to the club later in his career. Following surgery on his injured Achilles heel, which kept him off the pitches for most of the season, Del Horno made his debut for his new club on March 3, 2007, in a 1-0 league win over Celta de Vigo.

Del Horno was placed on the transfer list by Quique Sánchez Flores where he announced that the Spanish left-back would not retain his position in the team for the 2007-08 season[2]. Just before the transfer deadline he was transferred back to Athletic on a season long loan[3].

[edit] Spain national team

Del Horno made his Spain debut against Scotland in September 2004. He scored the winner in a friendly against England played in Madrid two months later.

An ankle injury forced Del Horno to withdraw from the 23-man team named by Luis Aragonés to represent Spain at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Medical staff in the RFEF alleged that Chelsea had prior knowledge of Del Horno's injury, but allowed the left back to continue playing. Del Horno's vacant position was controversially filled in by naturalised Argentinian left-back Mariano Pernia, now of Atlético Madrid.

[edit] Honours

[edit] Chelsea

[edit] References

[edit] External links