Ander Garitano

Ander Garitano
Personal information
Full nameAnder Garitano Urquizu
Date of birth26 February 1969
Place of birthDerio, Spain
Height1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing positionMidfielder
Youth career
Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1986–1988Bilbao Athletic67(15)
1988–1996Athletic Bilbao234(35)
1996–2002Zaragoza147(15)
Total448(65)
National team
1984–1985Spain U169(3)
1986Spain U182(1)
1989–1990Spain U215(0)
Teams managed
2008Zaragoza
2009Zaragoza (youth)
2009–2010Zaragoza B
* 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 Garitano and the second or maternal family name is Urquizu.

Ander Garitano Urquizu (born 26 February 1969) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a left midfielder, and a current coach.

His career as a player – almost entirely spent in La Liga – was solely associated with two clubs, Athletic Bilbao and Zaragoza.

Football career

Born in Derio, Biscay, Garitano began his professional career at local powerhouse Athletic Bilbao. After apperaring twice in the closing stages of 1987–88 he quickly imposed himself as a first-choice player with good free kick skills, scoring 35 La Liga goals during nine seasons; on 12 March 1988, two weeks after his 19th birthday, he made his official debut, starting in a 0–5 away loss against Real Madrid.

Garitano moved to Real Zaragoza in 1996, and played there until his retirement in 2002, appearing in a further 147 league games and netting 15 times. He was still regularly used the Aragonese side's 2000–01 victorious run in the Copa del Rey, and finally retired in the following summer at 33 – Zaragoza suffered top flight relegation – with more than 500 official matches to his credit; from 1986 to 1988 he played 61 contests for Bilbao Athletic, with that team in Segunda División.

Subsequently Garitano moved into coaching, first taking charge of Zaragoza's youth teams. In mid-January 2008 he replaced sacked Víctor Fernández,[1] first appearing in a Spanish Cup round-of-16 tie against Racing de Santander, a 2–4 loss (3–5 on aggregate).

Just two days after his only league game, a 3–1 home win over Real Murcia, Garitano quit the job, quoting a lack of commitment.[2] Zaragoza would have a further two coaches until the end of the campaign, which ended in relegation.

For 2008–09 Garitano returned to Real Zaragoza, now as a youth coach. However, in late 2009, he moved to the club's B-side, following José Aurelio Gay's promotion as first-team coach.

Honours

Zaragoza

Club statistics

Club Season League Cup Europe Other[4] Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bilbao Athletic 1985–86 40??----40
1986–87 344??----344
1987–88 279??----279
1988–89 22------22
Total 671500----6715
Athletic Bilbao 1987–88 2000----20
1988–89 2344020--294
1989–90 36542----407
1990–91 30452----356
1991–92 29773----3610
1992–93 27320----293
1993–94 26630----296
1994–95 3543060--444
1995–96 26250----312
Total 2343533780--27542
Zaragoza 1996–97 37330----403
1997–98 18753----2310
1998–99 19110----201
1999–00 30451----355
2000–01 1907020--280
2001–02 240103000280
Total 14715224500017419
Career totals 4486555111300051676

Personal life

Garitano is the uncle of another footballer (and midfielder), Gaizka Garitano whom, after unsuccessfully graduating from Athletic's academy, went on to represent, among others, neighbours Real Sociedad and Deportivo Alavés.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Garitano succeeds Fernández at Zaragoza; ESPN Soccernet, 14 January 2008
  2. ↑ Garitano quits as Zaragoza coach after a week; ESPN Soccernet, 22 January 2008
  3. ↑ "Zaragoza, no hay quinta Copa mala" [Zaragoza, no such thing as a bad fifth Cup] (in Spanish). ABC. 1 July 2001. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  4. ↑ Includes other competitive competitions, including the Supercopa de España, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup.
  5. ↑ El sobrino de Ander es el capitán del mejor Éibar (Ander's nephew captains best Éibar); Diario AS, 12 April 2005 (Spanish)

External links