Agustín Aranzábal facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Agustín Aranzábal Alkorta | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 15 March 1973 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bergara, Spain | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Left-back | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1987 | Bergara | |||||||||||||||
| 1987–1991 | Real Sociedad | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1991–1994 | Real Sociedad B | 90 | (14) | |||||||||||||
| 1993–2004 | Real Sociedad | 322 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Zaragoza | 31 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Vera | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2010 | Kitchee | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 443 | (19) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Spain U21 | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1996 | Spain U23 | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1995–2003 | Spain | 28 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1995–2003 | Basque Country | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Agustín Aranzábal Alkorta, born on March 15, 1973, is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a left-back, which is a defensive position on the left side of the field.
Agustín was known for his excellent crossing ability. He spent most of his career playing for Real Sociedad, a famous football club. He played over ten years with them, appearing in 353 official matches.
Aranzábal also played for the Spanish national team. He represented his country in one World Cup and one European Championship.
Contents
Playing Career: Clubs
Agustín Aranzábal was born in Bergara, a town in Gipuzkoa, Spain. He grew up in the Basque Country. He joined the youth system of Real Sociedad, a big football club in the region.
Starting at Real Sociedad
Agustín first played for the main Real Sociedad team on February 21, 1993. This was in an away game against Deportivo de La Coruña, which Real Sociedad lost 5–1. Before joining the main team, he played three full seasons with the reserve team.
After joining the main team, he became a key player for a decade. For example, in the 2002–03 La Liga season, he played 32 games. That year, Real Sociedad finished as runners-up in the league, which was a great achievement.
Moving to Real Zaragoza
In July 2004, Aranzábal moved to Real Zaragoza, another team in La Liga, Spain's top football league. There, he was mostly a backup player. He supported the main left-back, Delio Toledo from Paraguay.
Later Career and Retirement
Agustín retired from professional football after a short time with an amateur team called CD Vera. This team is located in the Canary Islands. Another former Spain international and Real Sociedad teammate, Javier de Pedro, also played for CD Vera briefly.
In early 2010, Aranzábal played for Kitchee SC in Hong Kong. He joined the club along with another Spanish player, Albert Celades. They both played for Kitchee in the 2010 Lunar New Year Cup. This was a special exhibition tournament held in the middle of the season.
Playing Career: International
Agustín Aranzábal played 28 matches for the Spanish national team. These appearances are called "caps."
Debut and Major Tournaments
His first game for Spain was on June 7, 1995. It was a qualifying match for UEFA Euro 1996 against Armenia in Seville.
He also played for Spain in two major international tournaments. He was part of the squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He also played in UEFA Euro 2000.
Olympic Games
Aranzábal also represented Spain at the 1996 Summer Olympics. The Spanish team reached the quarter-finals in the football tournament at those Olympic Games.
Personal Life
Agustín Aranzábal comes from a family of footballers. His father, José Agustín, was also a professional footballer. Like his son, José Agustín played as a midfielder for Real Sociedad and the Spanish national team.
Achievements
Spain U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 1996
- Being a "runner-up" means his team finished in second place in the tournament.
See also
In Spanish: Agustín Aranzabal para niños
