Santiago Idígoras

Santiago Idígoras

Idígoras in 1981
Personal information
Full name Santiago Idígoras Bilbao
Date of birth 24 June 1953 (1953-06-24) (age 58)
Place of birth Oñati, Spain
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Forward
Youth career
Real Sociedad
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1972–1974 San Sebastián ? (?)
1974–1981 Real Sociedad 204 (39)
1981–1982 Puebla 34 (12)
1982–1983 Valencia 16 (4)
1983–1985 Alavés ? (?)
National team
1975–1976 Spain amateur 6 (1)
1977 Spain U21 2 (0)
1977 Spain 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Santiago Idígoras Bilbao (born 24 July 1953) is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a forward or left winger.

Contents

Club career

Born in Oñati, Gipuzkoa, Idígoras was a product of local Real Sociedad's youth system. After two seasons with the reserves, he was promoted to the first team for 1974–75, making his La Liga debut on 15 September 1974 in a 0–1 away loss against Celta de Vigo on 15 September 1974,[1] and finished his first season with 25 games and four goals as the Txuriurdin finished in fourth position.

Idígoras was a very important first-team member for the Basque during his seven-year spell, never appearing in less than 25 league games, and helping Real to the 1981 national championship, with the player contributing with 29 games - 21 starts - and three goals; due to his physical appearance (pale white and blond), he was given the nickname El Vikingo de Oñati (Viking from Oñati).

Idígoras left Real Sociedad after that conquest, having appeared in a total of 255 official games for the club (47 goals), and signed for Puebla F.C. in Mexico.[2] He was offered a hefty contract as the club was trying to build up a championship-caliber team that year, and joined compatriots Juan Manuel Asensi (ex-FC Barcelona) and Pirri (Real Madrid), but La Franja eventually did not qualify for the playoff rounds.

In the 1982 summer, after one sole season abroad, Idígoras returned to Spain and joined Valencia CF, teaming up with Argentine Mario Kempes. He struggled during the season, losing his starting position midway through the campaign, with the Che also finishing in 15th position.

Idígoras closed his career in 1985 at the age of 32, after two years with Deportivo Alavés in the third division, helping the club to two consecutive third-place finishes, albeit without playoff promotion.

International career

Idígoras gained one cap for Spain, playing 45 minutes in a 1–0 win against Republic of Ireland, in a friendly in Dublin on 9 February 1977.

Idígoras also represented Spain at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, as the nation was eliminated in the first round.

Honours

Real Sociedad

Post-retirement

After retiring, Idígoras ran a gym in San Sebastián, in his native region.

References

External links