Andoni Zubizarreta

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Zubizarreta and the second or maternal family name is Urreta.

Andoni Zubizarreta
Zubizarreta in 2013
Personal information
Full name Andoni Zubizarreta Urreta
Date of birth (1961-10-23) 23 October 1961 (age 62)
Place of birth Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
1976–1978 Aretxabaleta
1978–1979 Alavés
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1979–1980 Alavés B 32 (0)
1980–1981 Alavés 0 (0)
1981 Bilbao Athletic 7 (0)
1981–1986 Athletic Bilbao 169 (0)
1986–1994 Barcelona 301 (0)
1994–1998 Valencia 152 (0)
Total 661 (0)
International career
1979–1980 Spain U18 12 (0)
1981 Spain U19 1 (0)
1979–1984 Spain U21 17 (0)
1984 Spain amateur 1 (0)
1985–1998 Spain 126 (0)
1993–1997 Basque Country 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Andoni Zubizarreta Urreta (Basque pronunciation: [andoni s̻uβis̻areta ureta], Spanish: [anˈdoni θuβiˈθareta wˈreta]; born 23 October 1961) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

The all-time most capped player for the Spain national team for several years, he played with individual and team success for Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona (eight years with the latter, he would later work with the club in directorial capacities), appearing in more than 950 official professional matches during his club career[1][2] and holding the records for most appearances[3] and clean sheets in La Liga for several years.[4]

Zubizarreta represented Spain in seven major international tournaments, four World Cups and three European Championships, starting in six of those. He won the European Cup with Barcelona in 1992 and six La Liga titles, two with Athletic and four with Barcelona.

Club career[edit]

Athletic Bilbao[edit]

Born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, Zubizarreta spent his childhood in Aretxabaleta in Gipuzkoa, where he began his football career. After a brief passage at another Basque club, Deportivo Alavés,[5] he joined Athletic Bilbao,[6] where he would spend the following six seasons.

Zubizarreta's debut in La Liga occurred on 19 September 1981 as manager Javier Clemente handed him a start in a 2–0 away loss against Atlético Madrid, one month shy of his 20th birthday. He went on to be an undisputed starter for the remainder of his spell, being an instrumental part in the team's conquests, most notably the back-to-back national championships.[7][8][9]

Barcelona[edit]

In 1986, Zubizarreta signed with FC Barcelona for a record for a player in the position €1.7 million,[10][11] quickly removing established Urruti from the starting lineup and rarely missing a match afterwards – for example, only four in the Catalans' four consecutive league wins combined. He added their first ever European Cup in 1992, following a 1–0 win over U.C. Sampdoria.[12]

Valencia[edit]

After the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, where Barça lost 4–0 to A.C. Milan in the final, Zubizarreta was deemed surplus to requirements[13] and finished his career at Valencia CF, still playing at a high level. He retired after the 1997–98 campaign at nearly 37, having played in over 1,000 competitive games (622 in the league alone – the all-time record – conceding 626 goals).[14]

Zubizarreta in 1996

Director[edit]

Zubizarreta was named Barcelona's director of football by president Sandro Rosell on 2 July 2010, taking over from former club and national teammate Txiki Begiristain.[15] Over the previous decade he had served Athletic Bilbao in the same capacity[16][17] (being involved in the establishment of the club's women's team in 2002),[18] while also working as a radio and television commentator.

On 5 January 2015, Zubizarreta was sacked as Barcelona director of football by club president Josep Maria Bartomeu.[19] On 27 October 2016, he signed with Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille in the same capacity,[20] leaving four years later by mutual consent.[21]

International career[edit]

Zubizarreta made his debut for Spain on 23 January 1985, in a 3–1 friendly victory over Finland. He went on to collect a further 125 caps in the following 13 years.[22]

Zubizarreta represented the nation in four consecutive FIFA World Cups: 1986,[23] 1990, 1994 and 1998 – his last competition, where he scored an own goal in a 3–2 group stage loss against Nigeria[24]– also appearing, always as a starter, at UEFA Euro 1988 and 1996. He and his deputy Francisco Buyo once held the national team record for the longest unbeaten run in international games, until Iker Casillas and Pepe Reina broke that record in October 2008;[25] he was also surpassed by the former in total of caps on 15 November 2011.[26]

Zubizarreta also played matches with the unofficial Basque Country regional side.[27]

Style of play[edit]

Nicknamed "Zubi" throughout his career, Zubizarreta was regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world in his prime, and was considered to be one of Spain's and Barcelona's greatest and most successful goalkeepers ever. He was highly consistent, level-headed and effective, with an excellent positional sense above all things, and he favoured an efficient rather than spectacular style although he was also capable of producing decisive saves due to his good shot-stopping abilities. He also stood out for his intelligence, composure and charismatic leadership in goal, which enabled him to organise his back-line and inspire a sense of calm and confidence in his defenders; he was also known for his work-rate and longevity, as well as his ability to rush off his line.[28][29][30][31][32]

In spite of Barcelona's passing-based playing style under Johan Cruyff, which also saw his defenders and goalkeepers given more responsibilities in terms of retaining possession and playing the ball out from the back, Zubizarreta was not particularly adept with the ball at his feet. His limited technical skills were a frequent source of criticism from his manager, and eventually led to the former's departure from the club in 1994.[33][34][35]

Career statistics[edit]

Club[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[36][37]
Club Season League Cup Europe Other[38] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Alavés B 1979–80 Tercera División 32 0 0 0 – – 32 0
Bilbao Athletic 1980–81 Segunda División B 7 0 0 0 – – 7 0
Athletic Bilbao 1981–82 La Liga 34 0 11 0 – – 45 0
1982–83 La Liga 34 0 8 0 2 0 4 0 48 0
1983–84 La Liga 34 0 9 0 4 0 2 0 49 0
1984–85 La Liga 33 0 12 0 2 0 4 0 51 0
1985–86 La Liga 34 0 6 0 6 0 0 0 46 0
Total 169 0 46 0 14 0 10 0 239 0
Barcelona 1986–87 La Liga 44 0 2 0 8 0 – 54 0
1987–88 La Liga 38 0 9 0 8 0 – 55 0
1988–89 La Liga 36 0 2 0 9 0 2 0 49 0
1989–90 La Liga 35 0 7 0 6 0 – 48 0
1990–91 La Liga 38 0 6 0 8 0 2 0 54 0
1991–92 La Liga 38 0 0 0 11 0 2 0 51 0
1992–93 La Liga 38 0 6 0 6 0 3 0 53 0
1993–94 La Liga 34 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 46 0
Total 301 0 32 0 68 0 9 0 410 0
Valencia 1994–95 La Liga 38 0 10 0 – – 48 0
1995–96 La Liga 39 0 8 0 – – 47 0
1996–97 La Liga 41 0 2 0 6 0 – 49 0
1997–98 La Liga 34 0 6 0 – – 40 0
Total 152 0 26 0 6 0 0 0 184 0
Career total 661 0 104 0 88 0 19 0 872 0

International[edit]

Appearances and goals by national team and year[39][22]
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain 1985 6 0
1986 12 0
1987 7 0
1988 13 0
1989 8 0
1990 11 0
1991 8 0
1992 9 0
1993 9 0
1994 13 0
1995 9 0
1996 10 0
1997 6 0
1998 5 0
Total 126 0

Honours[edit]

Athletic Bilbao

Barcelona

Individual

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Leyendas del Athletic Club de Bilbao – 'Zubi'" [Athletic Club de Bilbao legends – 'Zubi']. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  2. ^ Rincón, Jaime (12 July 2011). "El 'Dream Team' de Cruyff" [Cruyff's 'Dream Team']. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  3. ^ Morán, Miguel Ángel; Torres, Mari Carmen; Whelan, Padraig (16 December 2018). "Joaquin to take special place in LaLiga Santander history". Marca. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  4. ^ Suárez, Isaac; Munday, Billy (18 June 2020). "Oblak becomes a LaLiga legend". Marca. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  5. ^ Mallo, Borja (23 January 2021). "100 años entre la gloria y el barro" [100 years between the glory and the mud]. Noticias de Álava (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  6. ^ Fernández, José Luis (13 August 1980). "Zubizarreta, del Alavés, al Athletic" [Zubizarreta, from Alavés, to Athletic] (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Clemente, o la maestría del 'patadón y tente tieso'" [Clemente, or how to be a master of the "long ball and grab your balls"] (in Spanish). Medio Centro. 6 March 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Clemente, 25 años después" [Clemente, 25 years after]. El Diario (in Spanish). 15 September 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  9. ^ Mallo, Juanma (8 February 2012). "Supercampeones" [Superchampions]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  10. ^ Segurola, Santiago (3 May 1986). "El Barcelona ficha a Zubizarreta por 150 millones" [Barcelona sign Zubizarreta for 150 million]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  11. ^ "Andoni Zubizarreta Urreta". UEFA. 10 July 2003. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  12. ^ Soria, Miki (13 May 2015). "Zubizarreta, Zamora en su primer año en el FC Barcelona" [Zubizarreta, Zamora in his first year in FC Barcelona]. Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  13. ^ Lowe, Sid (28 March 2012). "Barcelona v Milan revisited: The night in 1994 the Dream died". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  14. ^ "Raúl, todos los récords del hombre récord" [Raúl, every record from the recordman] (in Spanish). RTVE. 25 July 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  15. ^ "Zubizarreta, new technical director". FC Barcelona. 2 July 2010. Archived from the original on 6 July 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
  16. ^ "Zubizarreta defiende la actual filosofía del Bilbao" [Zubizarreta defends Bilbao's current philosophy]. As (in Spanish). 23 May 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  17. ^ Rodrigálvarez, Eduardo (11 November 2004). "El Athletic despide a Zubizarreta" [Athletic fire Zubizarreta]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  18. ^ Garteizgoxeascoa Gil, Aimara (6 October 2022). "Hace 20 años del primer Athletic femenino" [20th anniversary of the first Athletic women]. As (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  19. ^ "Barcelona sack Andoni Zubizarreta as director of football". BBC Sport. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  20. ^ "Andoni Zubizarreta nommé directeur sportif de l'OM" [Andoni Zubizarreta named l'OM's sporting director] (in French). Olympique Marseille. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  21. ^ "Zubizarreta leaves Marseille, doubts over Villas-Boas". beIN Sports. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  22. ^ a b Mamrud, Roberto (26 May 2001). "Andoni Zubizarreta – Century of International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  23. ^ Pascual, Alfredo (21 May 2016). "Del utillero falangista al positivo de Calderé: nuestro Mundial 86 en diez episodios" [From the falangista kit man to Calderé's positive: our 86 World Cup in ten episodes]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  24. ^ Fletcher, Paul (17 September 2002). "Bizarre own goals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
  25. ^ Tylko, Ignacio (12 October 2008). "Casillas y Reina sufrieron para batir el récord de Zubizarreta y Buyo" [Casillas and Reina suffered to brake Zubizarreta and Buyo's record]. El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  26. ^ "Iker Casillas supera a Zubizarreta" [Iker Casillas surpasses Zubizarreta]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 15 November 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  27. ^ "Xabi Prieto, el jugador con más partidos desde 1979" [Xabi Prieto, the player with the most matches since 1979] (in Spanish). EITB. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  28. ^ Wilson, Steve (24 May 2009). "Manchester United v Barcelona: All time greats – Schmeichel v Zubizaretta". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  29. ^ Ordine, Franco. "ZUBIZARRETA, Andoni Urreta" (in Italian). Treccani: Enciclopedia dello Sport (2002). Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  30. ^ "Zubizarreta open to return". FIFA. 20 May 2008. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  31. ^ Molinaro, John F. (19 November 2009). "Team Profile: Spain". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  32. ^ "Andoni Zubizarreta". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  33. ^ "Barcelona: The greatest ever XI". The Daily Telegraph. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  34. ^ Lewis, Aimee (19 May 2017). "The match that changed football". CNN. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  35. ^ Weeks, Jim (3 November 2016). "Bonfire of the vanities: Manchester United's 1994 humbling at the hands of Barcelona". Sports Vice. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  36. ^ Andoni Zubizarreta at BDFutbol
  37. ^ "Andoni Zubizarreta". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  38. ^ Includes other competitive competitions, including the Supercopa de España, Copa de la Liga and Intercontinental Cup
  39. ^ "Andoni Zubizarreta". European Football. Retrieved 23 May 2016.

External links[edit]

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