Ismael Urzaiz Aranda (Spanish pronunciation: [ismaˈel uɾˈθajθ aˈɾanda]; born 7 October 1971) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a centre-forward.[2]
 Urzaiz in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ismael Urzaiz Aranda[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 7 October 1971[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Tudela, Spain[1] | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Tudelano | |||
| 1985–1989 | Real Madrid | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1993 | Real Madrid B | 50 | (13) |
| 1990–1993 | Real Madrid | 0 | (0) |
| 1991–1992 | → Albacete (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 1993 | → Celta (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 1993–1994 | Rayo Vallecano | 20 | (1) |
| 1994–1995 | Salamanca | 21 | (3) |
| 1995–1996 | Espanyol | 41 | (13) |
| 1996–2007 | Athletic Bilbao | 367 | (115) |
| 2007–2008 | Ajax | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 519 | (147) | |
| International career | |||
| 1987–1988 | Spain U16 | 11 | (5) |
| 1988 | Spain U17 | 1 | (2) |
| 1988–1990 | Spain U18 | 7 | (6) |
| 1988–1991 | Spain U19 | 9 | (3) |
| 1989–1991 | Spain U20 | 5 | (4) |
| 1990–1992 | Spain U21 | 6 | (1) |
| 1991–1992 | Spain U23 | 2 | (0) |
| 1996–2001 | Spain | 25 | (8) |
| 1997–2006 | Basque Country | 8 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Best known for his physical strength and aerial ability,[3] the unsuccessful youth graduate at Real Madrid went on to represent seven other teams during his extensive professional career, mainly Athletic Bilbao where he spent 11 years. Over 16 seasons, he amassed La Liga totals of 445 matches and 131 goals (61 headers, record of the competition).[4][5]
Urzaiz appeared 25 times for Spain, representing the national team at Euro 2000.
Club career
editReal Madrid
editBorn in Tudela, Navarre, Urzaiz began his professional career at Real Madrid's reserves, joining the youth system from local Tudelano in 1985[6] and making his debut in the Segunda División four years later. Despite being a successful youth international, he did not make any La Liga appearances for the first team (however, he did play one game against Danish club OB, in the 1990–91 European Cup).[7]
Urzaiz spent the 1991–92 season on loan at Albacete, making his top-flight debut when he came on as a substitute in a 4–0 home win against Athletic Bilbao on 20 October 1991.[8] In early 1993, he was loaned to Celta de Vigo in the same league.[9]
Professional journeyman
editUrzaiz left Real Madrid permanently in 1993, and in the following three seasons he played for Rayo Vallecano, Salamanca and Espanyol, with a very modest scoring rate in the first two teams.[10] He helped Salamanca to win promotion to the top tier in 1995, scoring twice as they beat Albacete 5–0 in the play-offs following a 2–0 home loss in the first leg.[11]
The following campaign, Urzaiz joined Espanyol for 35 million pesetas[6] and exploded as a first-rate attacking player, netting 13 league goals for a side that eventually finished fourth,[12][13] including a hat-trick against his former club Rayo Vallecano for a 4–2 home victory on 14 April 1996.[14]
Athletic Bilbao
editThe form of a revived Urzaiz attracted interest, and in summer 1996 he joined Athletic Bilbao for a 500 million pesetas fee,[6] being eligible for the all-Basque team having been born in Navarre. In eleven seasons, he scored 115 goals in 367 league appearances.[3] In 1997–98, his eight successful strikes in 32 matches helped to a runner-up finish, which led to direct qualification for the UEFA Champions League, where he scored once in seven games.[7]
Urzaiz scored in double figures in six of his campaigns at the San Mamés Stadium,[15] but the emergence of youth graduate Fernando Llorente – even taller at 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) – prompted his exit in July 2007;[16] he still featured in 35 competitive games in his final year, coincidentally also his age by its end, but only completed the 90 minutes in six of them.[17][18][19]
As well as being only the 14th player (at that point) to pass 400 appearances for Athletic, Urzaiz's total of 419 games set a club record for a player from Navarre which stood until 2020 when overtaken by Iker Muniain.[20]
Ajax
editOn 19 July 2007, Urzaiz signed a one-year contract with Ajax, joining fellow Spaniards Gabri and Albert Luque.[21] He made his official debut on 15 August, in the Champions League qualifier against Slavia Prague (1–0 home loss, 18 minutes played).[22][23]
Urzaiz was released by the Amsterdam club after just three Eredivisie appearances, announcing his retirement at nearly 37 shortly afterwards.[24]
International career
editUrzaiz represented Spain at the 1988 UEFA European Under-16 Championship on home soil, helping his country to win the tournament.[25] He also scored four goals for the under-20 team at the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship, held in Portugal.[26]
On 10 October 1996, Urzaiz made his debut for the senior side, a 0–0 away draw with the Czech Republic for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Over the next three years he made only three more appearances and failed to score, but emerged as the hero as Spain qualified for UEFA Euro 2000, netting six times in three games – this included two against Austria and a hat-trick against Cyprus.[27] After a further two in a friendly with Poland,[28] he was picked for the final stages in Belgium and the Netherlands.[29]
The recipient of 25 caps with eight goals,[30] Urzaiz made his last international appearance in a 3–0 friendly loss to England in Birmingham, in 2001.[31] Between 1997 and 2005 he also played seven times for the Basque Country representative team, scoring twice in a 3–2 win over Morocco in 2000.[32]
Career statistics
editClub
edit| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Real Madrid B | 1989–90 | Segunda División | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 5 | ||
| 1990–91 | Segunda División B | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 13 | 0 | |||
| 1992–93 | Segunda División | 27 | 8 | – | – | – | 27 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 50 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 13 | ||
| Real Madrid | 1990–91 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| 1991–92 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1992–93 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Albacete (loan) | 1991–92 | La Liga | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 12 | 1 | ||
| Celta (loan) | 1992–93 | La Liga | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 1 | ||
| Rayo Vallecano | 1993–94 | La Liga | 20 | 1 | 3 | 3 | – | 3[b] | 1 | 26 | 5 | |
| Salamanca | 1994–95 | Segunda División | 21 | 3 | 5 | 1 | – | 2[b] | 2 | 28 | 6 | |
| Espanyol | 1995–96 | La Liga | 41 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | 51 | 15 | |
| Athletic Bilbao | 1996–97 | La Liga | 38 | 16 | 4 | 2 | – | – | 42 | 18 | ||
| 1997–98 | 32 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3[c] | 0 | – | 38 | 10 | |||
| 1998–99 | 36 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 7[d] | 1 | – | 45 | 17 | |||
| 1999–00 | 33 | 5 | 4 | 2 | – | – | 37 | 7 | ||||
| 2000–01 | 34 | 10 | 4 | 3 | – | – | 38 | 13 | ||||
| 2001–02 | 36 | 16 | 6 | 2 | – | – | 42 | 18 | ||||
| 2002–03 | 31 | 13 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 33 | 14 | ||||
| 2003–04 | 37 | 8 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 38 | 8 | ||||
| 2004–05 | 31 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 8[c] | 0 | – | 44 | 12 | |||
| 2005–06 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 27 | 3 | |||
| 2006–07 | 33 | 8 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 35 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 367 | 115 | 34 | 12 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 419 | 128 | ||
| Ajax | 2007–08 | Eredivisie | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Career total | 519 | 147 | 54 | 18 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 600 | 169 | ||
- ^ Appearance in European Cup
- ^ a b Appearances in promotion/relegation play-offs
- ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Cup
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Cup
International
edit- Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Urzaiz goal.[30][35]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 March 1999 | Mestalla, Valencia, Spain |  Austria |
3–0 | 9–0 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 2 | 5–0 | |||||
| 3 | 31 March 1999 | Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino |  San Marino |
3–0 | 6–0 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 4 | 8 September 1999 | Nuevo Vivero, Badajoz, Spain |  Cyprus |
1–0 | 8–0 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 5 | 2–0 | |||||
| 6 | 4–0 | |||||
| 7 | 26 January 2000 | Cartagonova, Cartagena, Spain |  Poland |
2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 8 | 3–0 |
Honours
editSpain U16
Individual
See also
edit- List of Athletic Bilbao players (+200 appearances)
- List of La Liga players (400+ appearances)
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Ismael URZAIZ Aranda". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ Doodeman, Michel (21 March 2018). "Van Real Madrid tot Ajax: de bijzondere carrière van Ismael "De Tank" Urzaiz" [From Real Madrid to Ajax: the special career of Ismael "Tank" Urzaiz] (in Dutch). Vice. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Urzaiz supera a Uriarte en la lista de máximos goleadores del Athletic" [Urzaiz passes Uriarte in Athletic's all-time scoring chart]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 11 December 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ "La cabeza de Fernando Llorente" [Fernando Llorente's head] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ "Ismael Urzaiz: The target man from Tudela". Athletic Bilbao. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ a b c "Urzaiz, doctorado en goles mágicos" [Urzaiz, doctorate in magical goals]. Sport (in Spanish). 12 December 2006. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- ^ a b Pla Díaz, Emilio. "Ismael Urzáiz Aranda – Matches in European Cups". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 August 2006.
- ^ Líbero, Pedro (21 October 1991). "El Albacete abusa del Athletic" [Albacete abuse Athletic]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ Mínguez, A. (31 March 1993). "Urzaiz, cedido ayer al Celta de Vigo" [Urzaiz, loaned to Celta de Vigo yesterday]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ Ortiz de Lazcano, Javier (4 March 2008). "El digno sucesor de Urzaiz" [Urzaiz's worthy successor]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ Líbero, Pedro (28 June 1995). "El Salamanca, a lo grande" [Salamanca, in style] (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Camacho, cara y cruz" [Camacho, heads and tails]. Diario de Navarra (in Spanish). 31 October 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ Martínez, Alberto (4 September 2017). "Los otros 21: de Urzáiz, De la Peña, Molnar o Tayfun" [The other 21: Those of Urzáiz, De la Peña, Molnar or Tayfun]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ Cruz, Carlos (15 April 1996). "4–2: Urzaiz acaba con un Rayo que puso muchas dificultades al Español" [4–2: Urzaiz ended with Rayo that posed many problems to Español]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ "Leyendas del Athletic Club de Bilbao – Urzaiz" [Athletic Club de Bilbao legends – Urzaiz]. El Correo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 June 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ^ Cuenca, Nika (22 January 2008). "Mané y Caparrós pidieron a Llorente" [Mané and Caparrós asked for Llorente]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ Múgica, Jon (14 April 2004). "Urzaiz llega a los 350 partidos en Primera" [Urzaiz reaches 350 games in Primera]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ Santamaría, Igor (10 December 2006). "Urzaiz vuelve a sus tiempos de goleador" [Urzaiz returns to his scorer days]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ "Urzaiz no seguirá en el Athletic" [Urzaiz will not continue in Athletic]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). 20 June 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ Río, Endika (12 July 2020). "Muniain entra en el olimpo navarro del Athletic" [Muniain enters the Navarrese Olympus of Athletic]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "Spits Urzaiz (35) naar Ajax" [Forward Urzaiz (35) to Ajax]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). 19 July 2007. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ "Ajax verliest van Slavia Praag" [Ajax lose to Slavia Prague]. Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 15 August 2007. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ Scholten, Berend (15 August 2007). "Slavia make Ajax pay the penalty". UEFA. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ "Ismael Urzaiz será homenajeado en San Mamés con el saque de honor del Athletic-Almería" [Ismael Urzaiz will be honoured at San Mamés with Athletic-Almería honour kick-off]. El Correo (in Spanish). 25 August 2008. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
- ^ a b Crespo, Juan Carlos (22 May 1988). "España ganó el Europeo sub 16" [Spain won under 16 European Championship]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ a b Mazet, François. "World Youth Cup (U-20) 1991 (Portugal, June 14-30)". RSSSF. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "España golea 8–0 a Chipre y pasa a la fase final de la Eurocopa" [Spain rout Cyprus 8–0 and qualify to Eurocup finals]. El País (in Spanish). 9 September 1999. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
- ^ "España dota de argumentos a Camacho con otra goleada" [Spain give reasons to Camacho with another rout]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 26 January 2000. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ "Camacho cita a Salgado y deja fuera a Morientes" [Camacho picks Salgado and leaves Morientes out]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 28 May 2000. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ a b Pla Díaz, Emilio. "Ismael Urzáiz Aranda – International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 August 2006.
- ^ Segurola, Santiago (1 March 2001). "Inglaterra golea (3–0) a España" [England rout (3–0) Spain]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ^ Suso, Ramón (30 December 2000). "Se hizo justicia" [Justice was done]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ Ismael Urzaiz at BDFutbol
- ^ "Ismael Urzaiz". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ "Ismael Urzaiz". European Football. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
External links
edit- Ismael Urzaiz at BDFutbol
- Ismael Urzaiz at Athletic Bilbao
- Ismael Urzaiz at National-Football-Teams.com
- Ismael Urzaiz – FIFA competition record (archived)