Asier del Horno facts for kids
Del Horno playing for Levante in 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Asier del Horno Cosgaya | ||
| Date of birth | 19 January 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Barakaldo, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992–1993 | Gallarta | ||
| 1993–1999 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2000 | Bilbao Athletic | 26 | (1) |
| 2000–2005 | Athletic Bilbao | 108 | (13) |
| 2005–2006 | Chelsea | 25 | (1) |
| 2006–2011 | Valencia | 15 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | → Athletic Bilbao (loan) | 16 | (0) |
| 2010 | → Valladolid (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | → Levante (loan) | 22 | (2) |
| 2011–2012 | Levante | 13 | (0) |
| Total | 238 | (17) | |
| International career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Spain U18 | 14 | (2) |
| 2000–2003 | Spain U21 | 16 | (1) |
| 2004–2005 | Spain | 10 | (2) |
| 2003–2007 | Basque Country | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Asier del Horno Cosgaya (born on January 19, 1981) is a retired Spanish footballer. He mostly played as a left back, which is a defensive position on the side of the field.
He became well-known while playing for Athletic Bilbao in Spain. He played 126 official games for them over five years and scored 17 goals. After that, he moved to Chelsea in England. There, he helped his team win the Premier League title in the 2005–06 season.
Del Horno was supposed to play for Spain in the 2006 FIFA World Cup but got injured just before the tournament. He then returned to Spain to play for Valencia. Later in his career, he faced many injuries. Overall, he played 187 games and scored 15 goals in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league.
Contents
Asier del Horno's Club Career
Starting at Athletic Bilbao
Asier del Horno was born in Barakaldo, Spain. He started his football journey at Athletic Bilbao in 1999. He was known for his strong tackling and good headers. He moved up through the club's youth teams as a central defender. However, because he was fast and good at helping with attacks, he started playing as a left-back for both his club and the Spanish national team.
Del Horno played his first game for the senior team in the 2000–01 season when he was only 19. In his first season at the San Mamés Stadium, he played 14 games. This helped his team, Athletic Bilbao, finish 12th in the league.
Playing for Chelsea
In June 2005, Del Horno joined Chelsea in England. Chelsea paid about £8 million for him. He won his only league championship with Chelsea, helping them win the Premier League title in the 2005–06 season.
During his time at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's home stadium, Del Horno played 34 games in total. He scored one goal against Tottenham Hotspur in a 2–0 win on August 27, 2005. On February 22, 2006, during a UEFA Champions League game against FC Barcelona, he received a red card for a foul on Lionel Messi. Chelsea lost that game 1–2 and were knocked out of the competition.
Time at Valencia and Loan Spells
On July 21, 2006, Del Horno went back to Spain to play for Valencia CF. He signed a six-year contract worth €8 million. He was seen as a replacement for Amedeo Carboni, who had retired. Del Horno had surgery on his injured Achilles heel, which kept him from playing for most of the season. He finally played his first game for Valencia on March 3, 2007, in a 1–0 win against RC Celta de Vigo.
Valencia's manager, Quique Sánchez Flores, decided that Del Horno would not be a regular player for the 2007–08 season. On the last day of the transfer window, he agreed to join his old club, Athletic Bilbao, on a one-year loan. He returned to Valencia after a season where he was often injured. His injury problems continued at Valencia. In the first half of the 2009–10 season, he only played in the Copa del Rey against smaller teams. On January 30, he was loaned to Real Valladolid until the end of the season. He became a regular starter there, but he could not stop his team from being relegated back to the Segunda División.
For the 2010–11 season, Del Horno, who was 29, was loaned out again. This time, he joined Levante UD, a team that had just been promoted. He played regularly in both defensive positions, helping Levante stay in the top league. However, he missed the end of the season due to injuries that had bothered him since the start of the campaign.
Later Years in Football
When Del Horno returned to Valencia, his contract was ended. In early August 2011, he joined Levante permanently.
He continued to deal with injuries during the 2011–12 season. He also found it hard to get the starting left-back position from 35-year-old Juanfran. After this season, Del Horno was released from his contract.
Asier del Horno's International Career
Del Horno played his first game for the Spanish national team on September 3, 2004, against Scotland. He scored the winning goal in a 1–0 friendly match against England in Madrid two months later.
An ankle injury forced Del Horno to leave the Spanish squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. His place in the team was taken by Mariano Pernía. Del Horno also played for the Basque Country regional team.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bilbao Athletic | 1999–2000 | Segunda División B | 26 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 26 | 1 | ||||
| Athletic Bilbao | 2000–01 | La Liga | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| 2001–02 | La Liga | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
| 2002–03 | La Liga | 24 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 25 | 4 | ||||
| 2003–04 | La Liga | 31 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 31 | 5 | ||||
| 2004–05 | La Liga | 29 | 3 | 6 | 1 | — | 8 | 3 | — | 43 | 7 | |||
| Total | 108 | 13 | 10 | 1 | — | 8 | 3 | — | 126 | 17 | ||||
| Chelsea | 2005–06 | Premier League | 25 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 1 |
| Valencia | 2006–07 | La Liga | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | La Liga | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 8 | 2 | — | 21 | 2 | |||
| 2009–10 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 15 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 11 | 2 | — | 32 | 2 | ||||
| Athletic Bilbao (loan) | 2007–08 | La Liga | 16 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | 21 | 1 | |||
| Real Valladolid (loan) | 2009–10 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| Levante (loan) | 2010–11 | La Liga | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 2 | |||
| Levante | 2011–12 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 238 | 17 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 291 | 24 | ||
International Goals
(Spain's score is listed first. The score column shows the score after each goal by Del Horno.)
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 17 November 2004 | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain |  England |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 9 February 2005 | Mediterráneo, Almería, Spain |  San Marino |
5–0 | 5–0 | 2006 World Cup qualification |
Honours and Achievements
Chelsea
- Premier League: 2005–06
- FA Community Shield: 2005
Spain U18
- UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup: 1999
See also
In Spanish: Asier del Horno para niños
