| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carlos Gurpegui Nausia | ||
| Date of birth | 19 August 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Pamplona, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–1998 | Izarra | ||
| 1998–1999 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2000 | Baskonia | 33 | (15) |
| 2000–2002 | Bilbao Athletic | 56 | (5) |
| 2002– | Athletic Bilbao | 221 | (14) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 November 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Carlos Gurpegui Nausia (alternate spelling Gurpegi; born 19 August 1980 in Pamplona, Navarre) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Athletic Bilbao as a defensive midfielder.
Contents |
A product of the famous Athletic de Bilbao's Lezama youth academy, Gurpegui made his first team and La Liga debuts on 31 March 2002, in a 2–5 away defeat against Villarreal CF, going on to establish himself as the first-choice holding midfielder in the following years (121 matches in four seasons). On 17 January 2004, he scored a late equaliser against FC Barcelona, at Camp Nou (1–1).
Gurpegui was banned for two years[1] on November 3, 2003, for testing positive for nandrolone in a 1 September 2002 game against Real Sociedad (2–4 away defeat, scoring both goals) the previous season. The ban was initially suspended[2] after repeated appeals, with the player claiming that his body produced nandrolone naturally, but the appeals were in vain as he eventually was forced to serve his sentence, which ran until 23 April 2008.[3] Athletic Bilbao, however, neither released the player nor took his number from the official squad, and he returned to action in a 0–3 away loss against Real Madrid, four days later.
In 2008–09, Gurpegui was used mostly as a backup, due to the emergence of youngster (also born in Navarre) Javi Martínez, but regained his starting position in the following seasons, precisely alongside Martínez. On 28 November 2010, he headed home in the last minute against hometown's CA Osasuna, in a 1–0 home win.[4]
Gurpegui was again relegated to the bench for 2011–12, following the arrival of new coach Marcelo Bielsa. On 23 October 2011, after having replaced Andoni Iraola af half-time of an eventual 1–1 away draw against Valencia CF,[5] he also had to leave the pitch early into the second half, with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.[6]
|
|||||