Andoni Goikoetxea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Andoni Goikoetxea

Personal information
Full name	Andoni Goikoetxea Olaskoaga
Date of birth	(1956-08-23) 23 August 1956 (age 68)
Place of birth	Alonsotegi, Spain
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Youth career
	Arbuyo
1973–1974	Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1973–1975	Bilbao Athletic	25	(8)
1975–1987	Athletic Bilbao	277	(35)
1987–1990	Atlético Madrid	35	(0)
Total		337	(43)
International career
1975	Spain U18	1	(0)
1977	Spain U21	3	(0)
1983	Spain amateur	1	(0)
1983–1988	Spain	39	(4)
1978–1990	Basque Country	4	(0)
Managerial career
1992–1996	Spain U21
1995	Spain U20
1996–1998	Salamanca
1998–1999	Compostela
1999–2000	Numancia
2000–2001	Racing Santander
2001	Rayo Vallecano
2004–2005	Salamanca
2005–2007	Numancia
2007–2008	Hércules
2010–2011	Ceuta
2013–2015	Equatorial Guinea
Medal record Men's football Representing  Spain (as manager) UEFA European Under-21 Championship Bronze 1994
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Andoni Goikoetxea Olaskoaga (born August 23, 1956), often called Goiko, is a famous Spanish former football player and manager. He played as a strong centre-back (a defender).

Goikoetxea was known for his tough and aggressive style of play. Because of this, he was sometimes nicknamed "The Butcher of Bilbao". He spent most of his playing career with Athletic Bilbao. Fans of the club also called him El Gigante de Alonsotegui (The Giant of Alonsotegui) because of his height and hometown.

Goikoetxea also played for the Spanish national team in the 1980s. He played in 39 international matches. He represented Spain in the 1986 World Cup and Euro 1984.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting Out at Athletic Bilbao

Andoni Goikoetxea was born in Alonsotegi, a town in Biscay, Spain. He started playing football with a local team called Arbuyo. In 1973, he joined Athletic Bilbao, a big club in Spain.

He first played for their reserve team, Bilbao Athletic. Soon, he became a regular player for the main Athletic Bilbao team. In his first season, 1975–76, he scored four goals in 27 games in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league.

Success with Athletic Bilbao

In the 1980s, Goikoetxea was a very important player for Athletic Bilbao. The team was coached by Javier Clemente. With Goikoetxea and other great players like Dani and Andoni Zubizarreta, Athletic Bilbao had a lot of success.

In 1984, the team won the La Liga title again. They also won the Copa del Rey (Spain's main cup competition) in the same year. This meant they achieved "the double" – winning both the league and the cup.

The Famous Maradona Tackle

The moment when Goikoetxea tackled Diego Maradona.

On September 24, 1983, Goikoetxea became very well-known for a tackle he made. It happened during a league match against FC Barcelona at their stadium, Camp Nou. He tackled the famous Argentine player Diego Maradona from behind.

This tackle caused Maradona to break his ankle. Maradona later said the sound he heard was like wood breaking. An English journalist called Goikoetxea "The Butcher of Bilbao" after this incident. This nickname stayed with him for the rest of his career.

The Spanish Football Federation gave Goikoetxea a ten-match ban for the tackle. It was also reported that he kept the boot he used in the tackle in a glass case at home.

Two seasons before this, Goikoetxea had also seriously injured another Barcelona player, Bernd Schuster. Schuster had a bad knee injury and never fully recovered.

When Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona met again in the 1984 Copa del Rey final, there was a big fight on the field. Goikoetxea was involved and kicked Maradona's chest. He was first banned for 18 games for his actions, but this was later reduced to seven games.

Later Career and Retirement

After his time at Athletic Bilbao, Goikoetxea played for Atlético Madrid for three years. He did not play as many games there. He retired from playing football at the age of 33.

Overall, he played in 369 official matches for Athletic Bilbao and scored 44 goals.

International Career

Goikoetxea played 39 matches for the Spanish national team. His first game was against the Netherlands on February 16, 1983.

He played for Spain in two major tournaments: UEFA Euro 1984 and the 1986 FIFA World Cup. In the 1986 World Cup, he scored one of his four international goals. It was a penalty in a 5–1 win against Denmark in the round of 16.

Coaching Career

Goikoetxea started coaching football teams two years after he stopped playing. He began coaching at club level in 1996. He managed several teams, including UD Salamanca (twice), SD Compostela, CD Numancia (twice), Racing de Santander, and Rayo Vallecano.

In the 1996–97 season, he helped Salamanca get promoted from the Segunda División (Spain's second division). He also worked as an assistant coach for the Spain national team. He helped his former manager, Javier Clemente, during the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

In June 2007, Goikoetxea joined Hércules CF, another team in the second division. He left the club at the end of the 2007–08 season. In February 2013, he became the coach of the Equatorial Guinea national football team. He was dismissed in January 2015, just before the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, due to the team's performance in friendly matches.

Honours and Achievements

As a Player

Athletic Bilbao

• La Liga (Spanish League): 1982–83, 1983–84
• Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup): 1983–84
• Supercopa de España (Spanish Super Cup): 1984

Spain National Team

• UEFA European Championship runner-up: 1984

As a Manager

Spain U21 National Team

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 1996
• UEFA European Under-21 Championship third place: 1994

Images for kids

• 

  Goikoetxea's tackle on Maradona.

See also

In Spanish: Andoni Goikoetxea para niños