Aitor López Rekarte facts for kids
Aitor López Rekarte, born on August 18, 1975, is a former Spanish football player. He was a defender, usually playing on the right side of the field. Sometimes, he also played on the left.
Aitor spent most of his professional career, 13 out of 15 seasons, with Real Sociedad. He played in 338 games for this team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aitor López Rekarte | ||
| Date of birth | 18 August 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Mondragón, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Right-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989–1994 | Real Sociedad | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1997 | Real Sociedad B | 98 | (2) |
| 1997–2007 | Real Sociedad | 316 | (4) |
| 2007–2008 | Almería | 10 | (0) |
| 2009 | Eibar | 11 | (0) |
| Total | 435 | (6) | |
| International career | |||
| 1991 | Spain U16 | 7 | (0) |
| 1993 | Spain U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 1994 | Spain U18 | 6 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | Spain U21 | 6 | (0) |
| 1997 | Spain U23 | 3 | (0) |
| 2004 | Spain | 1 | (0) |
| 2000–2007 | Basque Country | 9 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Contents
Aitor López Rekarte's Football Journey
Aitor López Rekarte was born in Mondragón, a town in the Basque Country, Spain. He started his football journey at a young age.
Playing for Real Sociedad
Aitor spent ten years playing for his local club, Real Sociedad. He played almost 350 games for their main team. He joined the first team in the 1997–98 season.
He quickly became a regular player. Even in his second professional season, he played 26 games. During one season, he often played as a left-back. This happened when the usual player, Agustín Aranzábal, was injured.
Aitor later became the team captain. In the 2002–03 season, when Real Sociedad finished second in the league, he missed only one game.
Other Teams and Retirement
In July 2007, Aitor moved to UD Almería. This team had just been promoted to the top league. He did not play much during the 2007–08 season. After that season, he left the club.
On March 18, 2009, he joined SD Eibar. This team played in the second division. He stayed with them until the end of that season. After Eibar was moved to a lower league, Aitor decided to stop playing football. He was 33 years old at the time.
Playing for Spain
Aitor López Rekarte played one game for the Spanish national team. This was a friendly match against Scotland on September 3, 2004. The game ended in a 1–1 draw in Valencia.
Before that, he helped Spain's under-21 team. They won the 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 1998.
Family and Football
Aitor López Rekarte comes from a football family. His older brother, Luis López Rekarte, was also a professional footballer. Luis also played for Real Sociedad and was a right-back, just like Aitor.
Aitor's niece, Maitane López, also plays football. It seems football runs in their family!
Awards and Achievements
Spain U21
See also
In Spanish: Aitor López Rekarte para niños
