Joseba Etxeberria

Joseba Etxeberria
Personal information
Full name Joseba Andoni Etxeberria Lizardi
Date of birth 5 September 1977 (1977-09-05) (age 34)
Place of birth Elgoibar, Spain
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Winger / Forward
Youth career
Real Sociedad
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1994–1995 Real Sociedad B 29 (9)
1995 Real Sociedad 7 (2)
1995–2010 Athletic Bilbao 445 (88)
Total 481 (99)
National team
1992–1994 Spain U16 17 (11)
1994–1995 Spain U18 7 (5)
1995 Spain U20 6 (7)
1996–1997 Spain U21 3 (0)
1997–2004 Spain 53 (12)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).
This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Etxeberria and the second or maternal family name is Lizardi.

Joseba Andoni Etxeberria Lizardi (born 5 September 1977) is a retired Spanish footballer who played mostly as a winger.

After starting his professional career at only 17, with Real Sociedad, he quickly switched to Basque neighbours Athletic de Bilbao, going on to spend the rest of his extensive career there.

Exteberria gained more than 50 caps for Spain, representing the nation in one World Cup and two European Championships.

Contents

Club career

Born in Elgoibar, Gipuzkoa, Etxeberria began his career with Real Sociedad. He made his La Liga debut at only 17, in a 2–0 home win against RCD Español on 29 January 1995. That summer, he moved to neighbouring Basque outfit Athletic Bilbao, in a controversial transfer that cost over €3 million. At the time, it was the highest transfer fee paid for an under-18 player in Spanish football.

In 1997–98, Etxeberria netted 11 league goals, as Athletic finished second, achieving a career-best 14 five seasons later, while he was also eventually awarded club captaincy.

On 1 October 2008, already playing second-fiddle for the team, Etxeberria agreed a deal with the club according to which he effectively played 2009–10, his last season as a professional, for free, after his contract expired in June 2009.[1][2]

Etxeberria's last season was not a successful one individually, as he only appeared in seven league matches (plus another seven – with two goals – in the UEFA Europa League). On 15 May 2010, he was replaced to a standing ovation in Athletic's 2–0 home win against Deportivo de La Coruña, and represented his main club in 514 official matches (104 goals), third-best in the team's history, only behind José Ángel Iribar and Txetxu Rojo.[3]

International career

After leading the 1995 FIFA World Youth Championship scoring charts and winning 4th place, Etxeberria moved up to the full national team, making his international debut on 19 November 1997, appearing (and scoring) in a 1–1 friendly match against Romania, in Palma de Mallorca.

He was capped 53 times, scoring 12 goals, and represented his country at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2000 and Euro 2004. On 18 June, in the second tournament, he scored the 2–1 winner in the group stage match against Slovenia.

Statistics

Club

Club Season League Cup Europe Other [4] Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Real Sociedad B 1993–94 1 0 - - - - - - 1 0
1994–95 28 9 - - - - - - 28 9
Total 29 9 - - - - - - 29 9
Real Sociedad 1994–95 7 2 1 0 - - - - 8 2
Total 7 2 1 0 - - - - 8 2
Athletic Bilbao 1995–96 33 7 6 3 - - - - 39 10
1996–97 35 6 1 0 - - - - 36 6
1997–98 36 11 4 2 3 0 - - 43 13
1998–99 36 5 2 1 8 2 - - 46 8
1999–00 35 10 2 2 - - - - 37 12
2000–01 28 5 3 0 - - - - 31 5
2001–02 31 8 6 1 - - - - 37 9
2002–03 33 14 0 0 - - - - 33 14
2003–04 34 6 1 0 - - - - 35 6
2004–05 33 3 7 1 8 2 - - 48 6
2005–06 29 4 2 0 - - - - 31 4
2006–07 28 3 2 0 - - - - 30 3
2007–08 25 4 0 0 - - - - 25 4
2008–09 22 2 3 0 - - - - 25 2
2009–10 7 0 2 0 7 2 2 0 18 2
Total 445 88 41 10 26 6 2 0 514 104
Career totals 481 99 42 10 26 6 2 0 551 115

International

Spain national team
Year Apps Goals
1997 1 1
1998 10 2
1999 10 3
2000 11 2
2001 4 0
2002 1 0
2003 10 3
2004 6 1
Total 53 12

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 19 November 1997 Lluís Sitjar, Palma, Spain  Romania 1–0 1–1 Friendly
2. 25 March 1998 Balaídos, Vigo, Spain  Sweden 4–0 4–0 Friendly
3. 14 October 1998 Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, Israel  Israel 1–2 1–2 Euro 2000 qualifying
4. 31 March 1999 Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino  San Marino 0–6 0–6 Euro 2000 qualifying
5. 5 June 1999 El Madrigal, Vila-real, Spain  San Marino 3–0 9–0 Euro 2000 qualifying
6. 5 June 1999 El Madrigal, Vila-real, Spain  San Marino 4–0 9–0 Euro 2000 qualifying
7. 18 June 2000 Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands  Slovenia 1–2 1–2 UEFA Euro 2000
8. 2 September 2000 Koševo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina  Bosnia and Herzegovina 1–2 1–2 2002 World Cup qualification
9. 29 March 2003 Olimpiysky, Kiev, Ukraine  Ukraine 1–2 2–2 Euro 2004 qualifying
10. 6 November 2003 Afonso Henriques, Guimarães, Portugal  Portugal 0–1 0–3 Friendly
11. 19 November 2003 Ullevaal, Oslo, Norway  Norway 0–3 0–3 Euro 2004 qualifying
12. 18 February 2004 Lluís Companys, Barcelona, Spain  Peru 1–1 2–1 Friendly

References

  1. ^ "Etxeberria will play for nothing". BBC Sport. 2 October 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7649109.stm. Retrieved 3 October 2008. 
  2. ^ Etxeberria jugará gratis en el Athletic (Etxeberria will play for free in Athletic); El Confidencial, 1 October 2008 (Spanish)
  3. ^ Victory, great ambiance and emotional farewells; Athletic's official website, 15 May 2010
  4. ^ Includes other competitive competitions, including the Supercopa de España, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup.

External links