Armando Riveiro

Armando
Personal information
Full nameArmando Riveiro Aguilar Malda
Date of birth16 January 1971
Place of birthSopelana, Spain
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing positionGoalkeeper
Youth career
1986–1988Ugeraga
1988–1990Logroñés
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1990–1992Logroñés B
1992–1994Sporting Gijón B
1994–1995Bermeo35(0)
1995–1998Alavés4(0)
1998–1999Barakaldo18(0)
1999–2008Cádiz266(0)
2008→ Athletic Bilbao (loan)16(0)
2008–2010Athletic Bilbao3(0)
* 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 Riveiro and the second or maternal family name is Aguilar Malda.

Armando Riveiro de Aguilar Malda, simply known as Armando (born 16 January 1971), is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

He spent most of his 20-year senior career with Cádiz (nine seasons overall, appearing in all three major levels of Spanish football), finishing it with Athletic Bilbao where he played three of his four La Liga campaigns, with a total of 44 games.

Football career

Armando was born in Sopelana, Biscay. After representing several clubs in the lower leagues, with an unassuming three-year second division spell at Deportivo Alavés, he spent nine years of his career at Cádiz CF, being the second level's Zamora in 2004–05 and first-choice throughout most of the following season's La Liga, as the Andalusians were immediately relegated back.[1]

In January 2008 Cádiz loaned Armando to Athletic Bilbao, which had lost first-choice Gorka Iraizoz for six months due to a knee injury.[2] In a 15 March away match against Real Betis, he was hit by a bottle thrown by a Betis fan, with twenty minutes left and Bilbao leading 2–1; he needed six stitches to a wound just inches below the eye, as Athletic were late awarded the win by the Royal Spanish Football Federation.[3][4]

At the end of the campaign the loan move was made permanent by the Basque and, with Iraizoz recovered, Armando beat competition from Iñaki Lafuente and served as backup. His only two appearances in 2008–09 were on 28 February 2009 in a 1–2 home loss against Sevilla FC, as manager Joaquín Caparrós rested the entire starting squad for the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg, precisely against Sevilla,[5] and against Real Betis also at San Mamés in a 1–0 success, due to the same reasons (the upcoming final against FC Barcelona).

Armando retired at the end of the 2009–10 season, having appeared in three matches (one in the league – in the last round – and two in the cup). The 39-year-old was immediately appointed to Athletic's coaching staff for the following campaign.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Armando, toda una garantía (Armando, full assurance); El Mundo Deportivo, 16 December 2005 (Spanish)
  2. ↑ El Athletic se refuerza con el meta Armando (Athletic bolsters with keeper Armando); Marca, 28 January 2008 (Spanish)
  3. ↑ Madrid lose as Riazor curse strikes again; UEFA.com, 15 March 2008
  4. ↑ Real Betis 1–2 Athletic Bilbao; ESPN Soccernet, 15 March 2008
  5. ↑ Magic Madrid achieve ten straight wins; UEFA.com, 1 March 2009
  6. ↑ Victory, great ambiance and emotional farewells; Athletic's official website, 15 May 2010

External links