Kepa Arrizabalaga

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Arrizabalaga and the second or maternal family name is Revuelta.
Kepa Arrizabalaga

Arrizabalaga with Spain U19 in 2012.
Personal information
Full nameKepa Arrizabalaga Revuelta
Date of birth3 October 1994
Place of birthOndarroa, Spain
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing positionGoalkeeper
Club information
Current team
Ponferradina
Number1
Youth career
2004–2012Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2011–2013Basconia31(0)
2012–Bilbao Athletic50(0)
2015–→ Ponferradina (loan)6(0)
National team‡
2012Spain U182(0)
2012Spain U196(0)
2013–Spain U217(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16 February 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 26 March 2015

Kepa Arrizabalaga Revuelta (born 3 October 1994) is a Spanish footballer who plays for SD Ponferradina on loan from Athletic Bilbao as a goalkeeper.

Club career

Born in Ondarroa, Biscay, Basque Country, Arrizabalaga joined Athletic Bilbao's youth setup at Lezama in 2004, aged ten. He made his senior debuts with the farm team in 2011, in Tercera División.

On 5 May 2012 Arrizabalaga was called up to the main squad for a La Liga match against Getafe CF,[1] but remained unused in the 0–0 draw at the San Mamés Stadium.[2] He was also called up to pre-season in July, and on 23 September was also a substitute in another home game of the same outcome, against Málaga CF.[3]

Arrizabalaga was promoted to the reserves in January 2013, to cover for injured Jon Ander Serantes.[4] He made his debut for the B-side on 16 February 2013, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 win over UD Logroñés for the Segunda División B championship.[5] In April he suffered a pubalgia, only returning to the fields in September.[6]

Arrizabalaga with Spain U19 in 2012.

Arrizabalaga appeared regularly for the B's after his return, but broke the first metatarsus of his right hand in January 2014,[7] being sidelined for a month. On 11 March, Getafe submitted a loan request to the Lions for him, mainly as a replacement to injured Miguel Ángel Moyá,[8] but it was rejected a day later.[9]

On 5 January 2015 Arrizabalaga was loaned to Segunda División's SD Ponferradina, until June.[10] He finally made his professional debut on the 11th, starting in a 1–1 home draw against Racing de Santander.[11]

International career

After appearing for under-18s, Arrizabalaga was called up to the under-19 team for that year's UEFA European Championship. He was an undisputed starter during the tournament, as his side were crowned champions;[12] highlights included a 3–3 semi-final success against France, where he saved two penalties in the shootout.[13]

Arrizabalaga missed the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup due to injury, being replaced by Rubén Yáñez.[14] On 8 November 2013 he was called up to the under-21 team, along with Athletic teammate Iker Muniain.[15]

Honours

Spain U19

References

  1. ↑ "Athletic Club-Getafe: Line-ups". Athletic's official website. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "Sin argumentos en la Catedral" [No arguments at the Cathedral] (in Spanish). Marca. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "Europa les pesa" [Europe weighs on them] (in Spanish). Marca. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "En Lezama apuestan fuerte por Kepa Arrizabalaga" [Lezama bets high on Kepa Arrizabalaga] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "Bilbao Athletic 1–0 Unión Deportiva Logroñés" (in Spanish). Logroñés' official website. 16 February 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Kepa Arrizabalaga reaparece casi seis meses después en el Bilbao Athletic" [Kepa Arrizabalaga reappears after nearly six months in Bilbao Athletic] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 29 September 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  7. ↑ "Kepa Arrizabalaga’s injury". Athletic's official website. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "El Getafe pide la cesión de Kepa Arrizabalaga" [Getafe asks for Kepa Arrizabalaga's loan] (in Spanish). Aupa Athletic. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "El Athletic rechaza ceder hasta final de Liga al portero Kepa al Getafe" [Athletic rejects loaning goalkeeper Kepa to Getafe until the end of the Liga] (in Spanish). El Correo. 12 March 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  10. ↑ "Kepa Arrizabalaga se incorpora a la Ponferradina" [Kepa Arrizabalaga added to Ponferradina] (in Spanish). Ponferradina's official website. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "El Racing encontró justo premio a su trabajo en el último minuto" [Racing's work paid off in the last minute] (in Spanish). Marca. 11 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Spain make it six of the best in Estonia". UEFA.com. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  13. ↑ "Spain finally see off France in semi-final shoot-out". UEFA.com. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  14. ↑ "Kepa deja la concentración por lesión y se pierde el Mundial de Turquía" [Kepa leaves training camp due to injury and misses World Cup in Turkey] (in Spanish). Sefutbol. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  15. ↑ "Under21 Call-up". Athletic's official website. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2014.

External links