Andoni Goikoetxea facts for kids

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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
Playing position	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)
National team
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)
Teams managed
1992–1996	Spain U21
1995	Spain U20
1996–1998	Salamanca
1998–1999	Compostela
1999–2000	Numancia
–	Racing Santander
2001	Rayo Vallecano
2004–2005	Salamanca
2005–2007	Numancia
2007–2008	Hércules
2010–2011	Ceuta
2013–2015	Equatorial Guinea
Honours Men's football Representing  Spain (as manager) UEFA European Under-21 Championship Bronze 1994
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Andoni Goikoetxea Olaskoaga (born August 23, 1956) is a famous Spanish former football player and manager. People often called him "Goiko" for short. He was known as a strong and tough defender, which earned him the nickname "The Butcher of Bilbao". He played most of his career for Athletic Bilbao, where fans also called him El Gigante de Alonsotegui (The Giant of Alonsotegi).

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 for Clubs

Starting at Athletic Bilbao

Andoni Goikoetxea was born in Alonsotegi, a town in Biscay, Spain. He started playing football for a local team called Arbuyo. In 1973, he joined Athletic Bilbao. After playing for their reserve team, Bilbao Athletic, he quickly became a part of the main senior team.

In his first season (1975–76), he scored four goals in 27 games in La Liga, Spain's top football league. Over the next three years, he played fewer games.

During the 1980s, Goikoetxea was a key player for Athletic Bilbao. The team was very successful under coach Javier Clemente. In 1984, his team won the league title again. They also achieved "the double" that year, winning both the league and the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup).

The Maradona Incident

The moment when Goikoetxea injures Maradona

On September 24, 1983, Goikoetxea became widely known for a tough tackle on Diego Maradona. This happened during a league match at the Camp Nou stadium. He tackled Maradona from behind, which caused Maradona to break his ankle. Maradona later said the sound was like wood breaking. An English journalist then called Goikoetxea "The Butcher of Bilbao," a nickname that stayed with him.

Because of this tackle, the Royal Spanish Football Federation banned Goikoetxea for ten matches. It was even reported that he kept the boot he used in a glass case at home.

Two seasons before this, Goikoetxea had also seriously injured another Barcelona player, Bernd Schuster. Schuster suffered a bad knee injury and never fully recovered. When Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona met in the 1984 Copa del Rey final, Athletic won 1–0. During this match, a big fight broke out on the field. Goikoetxea was involved and was initially banned for 18 games, but this was later reduced to seven.

Later Career in Football

After playing for Athletic Bilbao, Goikoetxea spent three years with Atlético Madrid. He didn't play as many games there. He retired from playing football at the age of 33. Overall, he played 369 official matches for Athletic Bilbao and scored 44 goals.

Playing for Spain

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 both the UEFA Euro 1984 tournament and the 1986 FIFA World Cup. In the 1986 World Cup, he scored one of his four international goals from a penalty kick. This was in a 5–1 win against Denmark.

Becoming a Coach

Two years after he stopped playing, Goikoetxea became a football coach. He started coaching club teams 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 to a higher league by finishing second.

He also worked as an assistant coach for the Spain national team. He helped his former manager, Clemente, during the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

In 2007, Goikoetxea joined Hércules CF. He left the club after being suspended for saying that the club's internal workings "stank." In 2013, he became the coach of the Equatorial Guinea national football team. However, he was let go in January 2015, just three weeks before the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. This was because of poor results in friendly matches.

How He Played

Goikoetxea was known for his very aggressive style of play. This was especially true because of the two serious fouls he committed on Maradona and Schuster. These incidents earned him the nickname "Butcher of Bilbao." In 2007, a newspaper called The Times even named him the "hardest defender of all time."

Honours and Achievements

As a Player

Athletic Bilbao

• La Liga: 1982–83, 1983–84
• Copa del Rey: 1983–84
• Supercopa de España: 1984

Spain National Team

• UEFA European Championship runner-up: 1984

As a Manager

Spain U21

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

See also

In Spanish: Andoni Goikoetxea para niños

Images for kids

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  The moment when Goikoetxea injures Maradona