Óscar Vales
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Óscar Vales Varela | ||
| Date of birth | 13 September 1974 | ||
| Place of birth | Bilbao, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1991–1994 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1991 | Baskonia | 1 | (0) |
| 1994 | Bilbao Athletic | 14 | (0) |
| 1994–2005 | Athletic Bilbao | 178 | (1) |
| 1997–1999 | → Celta (loan) | 58 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Gatika | ||
| 1991–2005 | Total | 251 | (1) |
| National team | |||
| 1993 | Spain U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 1993 | Spain U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 1994–1995 | Spain U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 1995–1997 | Basque Country | 2 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Óscar Vales Varela (born 13 September 1974 in Bilbao, Biscay) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a utility defender, and sometimes as a defensive midfielder.
Football career
Still in his teens Vales appeared in one game for CD Baskonia, as the Basque club was in Segunda División B and still not acting as Athletic Bilbao's feeder team, which only took place in 1997. Aged 17 he was purchased by Athletic, and finished his football formation there.
After a handful of matches for the reserves, Vales made his first-team debut on 6 April 1994, playing as a defensive midfielder in a 0–3 away loss against Real Oviedo. In the following decade he would almost never be an automatic first-choice for Bilbao, but managed to appear regularly in various defensive positions; on 6 December 1994 he scored a rare goal, at Parma F.C. for the campaign's UEFA Cup, but his side lost it 2–4 and 3–4 on aggregate.
Vales was loaned for two years to fellow La Liga side Celta de Vigo, playing UEFA Cup in his second season. In the 1999 summer he returned to Athletic, managing to be regularly played during his second spell. However, after only two games combined from 2003–05, he decided to retire from the game at the age of 30.
In 2008–09, after three years out of football, Vales joined longtime Athletic Bilbao teammate Aitor Larrazábal at regional club Gatika, the latter acting as manager. After one season he retired for good, having appeared in 236 matches in Spain's top division.