Andoni Zubizarreta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Andoni Zubizarreta

Zubizarreta in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Andoni Zubizarreta Urreta
Date of birth	(1961-10-23) 23 October 1961 (age 63)
Place of birth	Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1976–1978	Aretxabaleta
1978–1979	Alavés
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1979–1980	Alavés B	32	(0)
1980–1981	Alavés	0	(0)
1981	Bilbao Athletic	7	(0)
1981–1986	Athletic Bilbao	169	(0)
1986–1994	Barcelona	301	(0)
1994–1998	Valencia	152	(0)
Total		661	(0)
International career
1979–1980	Spain U18	12	(0)
1981	Spain U19	1	(0)
1979–1984	Spain U21	17	(0)
1984	Spain amateur	1	(0)
1985–1998	Spain	126	(0)
1993–1997	Basque Country	4	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Andoni Zubizarreta Urreta was born on October 23, 1961. He is a famous Spanish former footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

He was the player with the most appearances for the Spanish national team for many years. He played very successfully for clubs like Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona. He played in over 950 official professional matches during his club career. He also held records for the most appearances and "clean sheets" (games without letting in a goal) in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league.

Zubizarreta played for Spain in seven big international tournaments. These included four World Cups and three European Championships. He was a starting player in six of these tournaments. He won the European Cup with Barcelona in 1992. He also won six La Liga titles: two with Athletic Bilbao and four with Barcelona.

Playing Career: A Top Goalkeeper

Andoni Zubizarreta, often called "Zubi," was known as one of the best goalkeepers in the world during his time. Many people consider him one of Spain's and Barcelona's greatest goalkeepers ever.

Starting Out at Athletic Bilbao

Zubizarreta was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. He grew up in Aretxabaleta and started his football journey there. After playing briefly for another team, Alavés, he joined Athletic Bilbao. He played for Athletic Bilbao for six seasons.

He made his debut in La Liga on September 19, 1981, just before his 20th birthday. He quickly became the main goalkeeper for the team. He helped Athletic Bilbao win two national championships in a row.

Becoming a Legend at Barcelona

In 1986, Zubizarreta joined Barcelona. He was bought for a lot of money, which was a record for a goalkeeper at the time. He quickly became the team's starting goalkeeper and rarely missed a game.

He helped Barcelona win four league titles in a row. He also helped them win their very first European Cup in 1992. They won the final match against Sampdoria 1-0.

Finishing Strong at Valencia

After the 1994 UEFA Champions League final, where Barcelona lost to AC Milan, Zubizarreta moved to Valencia. He continued to play at a high level there. He retired after the 1997–98 season when he was almost 37 years old. By then, he had played in over 1,000 competitive games, with 622 of those in the league alone. This was an all-time record for league appearances.

Zubizarreta in 1996

Life After Playing: A Director's Role

After retiring from playing, Zubizarreta continued to be involved in football.

Working as a Director of Football

On July 2, 2010, Zubizarreta was named Barcelona's director of football. This means he was in charge of managing the club's football operations, like signing new players. Before this, he had worked in the same role for Athletic Bilbao for ten years. He also worked as a commentator for radio and TV.

He left his role at Barcelona in January 2015. Later, in October 2016, he joined Ligue 1 team Marseille in France as their director of football. He left Marseille four years later.

Most recently, in April 2024, Zubizarreta became the director of football for Porto in Portugal.

Playing for His Country: Spain and Basque Country

Representing Spain

Zubizarreta played his first game for the Spanish national team on January 23, 1985. It was a friendly match against Finland, which Spain won 3-1. He went on to play 125 more games for Spain over the next 13 years.

He played for Spain in four World Cups in a row: 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998. The 1998 World Cup was his last tournament. He also played as a starter in the UEFA Euro 1988 and 1996 European Championships.

Playing for Basque Country

Zubizarreta also played four matches for the unofficial Basque Country regional team.

How He Played: Style and Skills

Zubizarreta was known for being very consistent and calm. He had an excellent sense of where to be on the field. He preferred to play efficiently rather than making flashy saves, but he could still make important stops.

He was also very intelligent and a strong leader in goal. He helped organize his team's defense and made his teammates feel confident. He was known for his hard work and for playing for a very long time. He was also good at rushing out from his goal when needed.

However, Barcelona's coach, Johan Cruyff, wanted his goalkeepers to be good at passing the ball with their feet. Zubizarreta wasn't as skilled with the ball at his feet, which sometimes led to criticism from his coach. This was one reason he left the club in 1994.

Career Achievements

Zubizarreta won many awards and titles during his career.

Club Trophies

Athletic Bilbao

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

Barcelona

• La Liga: 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94
• Copa del Rey: 1987–88, 1989–90
• Supercopa de España: 1991, 1992
• European Cup: 1991–92
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1988–89
• UEFA Super Cup: 1992

International Achievements

Spain Under-21

• UEFA Under-21 European Championship runner-up: 1984

Individual Awards

• Don Balón Award: 1986–87
• Ricardo Zamora Trophy: 1986–87
• La Liga Team of The Year: 1986–87, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93

More About Footballers

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
• List of men's footballers with the most official appearances

See also

In Spanish: Andoni Zubizarreta para niños