Ismael Urzaiz facts for kids
Urzaiz in 2007
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ismael Urzaiz Aranda | ||
| Date of birth | 7 October 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Tudela, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Tudelano | |||
| 1985–1989 | Real Madrid | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1993 | Real Madrid B | 50 | (13) |
| 1990–1993 | Real Madrid | 0 | (0) |
| 1991–1992 | → Albacete (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 1993 | → Celta (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 1993–1994 | Rayo Vallecano | 20 | (1) |
| 1994–1995 | Salamanca | 21 | (3) |
| 1995–1996 | Espanyol | 41 | (13) |
| 1996–2007 | Athletic Bilbao | 367 | (115) |
| 2007–2008 | Ajax | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 519 | (147) | |
| International career | |||
| 1987–1988 | Spain U16 | 11 | (5) |
| 1988 | Spain U17 | 1 | (2) |
| 1988–1990 | Spain U18 | 7 | (6) |
| 1988–1991 | Spain U19 | 9 | (3) |
| 1989–1991 | Spain U20 | 5 | (4) |
| 1990–1992 | Spain U21 | 6 | (1) |
| 1991–1992 | Spain U23 | 2 | (0) |
| 1996–2001 | Spain | 25 | (8) |
| 1997–2006 | Basque Country | 8 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ismael Urzaiz Aranda (born on October 7, 1971) is a Spanish former football player. He was a centre-forward, which means he played in an attacking position to score goals.
Urzaiz was known for being very strong and good at heading the ball. Even though he started in the youth team of Real Madrid, he played for many other teams during his long career. He spent 11 years with Athletic Bilbao, which is where he played most of his games. In total, he played 445 matches in La Liga (Spain's top football league) and scored 131 goals. A record 61 of these goals were scored with his head!
He also played 25 times for the Spanish national team. He even represented Spain in a big tournament called Euro 2000.
Contents
Ismael Urzaiz: A Football Star
Early Days at Real Madrid
Ismael Urzaiz was born in Tudela, Navarre, Spain. He started his football journey at a local club called Tudelano. In 1985, when he was 14, he joined the youth system of Real Madrid, one of the biggest clubs in the world. He then played for their reserve team, Real Madrid B, starting in 1989. This team plays in a lower league called the Segunda División.
Even though he was a successful player for Spain's youth national teams, he never played a league game for Real Madrid's main team. He did play one game in a European competition in 1990. Urzaiz also spent time on loan to other teams. In the 1991–92 season, he played for Albacete. He made his first appearance in La Liga as a substitute in a game against Athletic Bilbao. Later, in 1993, he was loaned to Celta de Vigo, another team in La Liga.
Playing for Different Teams
In 1993, Urzaiz left Real Madrid for good. For the next three seasons, he played for three different clubs: Rayo Vallecano, Salamanca, and Espanyol. His goal-scoring was not very high at first with Rayo Vallecano and Salamanca.
However, he helped Salamanca get promoted to La Liga in 1995. He scored two goals in a special play-off game that helped them win. In the 1995–96 season, Urzaiz joined Espanyol. This is where he really started to shine as a top attacker. He scored 13 goals in the league that season, helping his team finish in fourth place. This included a special game where he scored three goals (a hat-trick) against his old team, Rayo Vallecano.
A Long Time at Athletic Bilbao
Urzaiz's great performance at Espanyol caught the eye of Athletic Bilbao. In the summer of 1996, he joined them. Athletic Bilbao has a special rule: they only sign players who were born in the Basque Country or Navarre (where Urzaiz was born).
He stayed with Athletic Bilbao for 11 seasons, which is a very long time for a football player! During his time there, he scored 115 goals in 367 league games. In the 1997–98 season, his team finished second in the league, which meant they got to play in the UEFA Champions League, a very important European competition. He scored one goal in seven Champions League games that season.
Urzaiz scored ten or more goals in six of his seasons at Athletic Bilbao's home stadium, the San Mamés Stadium. However, a younger, taller player named Fernando Llorente started to play well. This led to Urzaiz leaving the club in July 2007. Even in his last year, he played in 35 games, showing he was still an important player. Urzaiz played 419 games for Athletic Bilbao in total. This was a club record for a player from Navarre until 2020.
Short Time at Ajax and Retirement
On July 19, 2007, Urzaiz signed a one-year contract with Ajax, a famous club in the Netherlands. He played his first official game for them in a Champions League qualifying match.
However, Urzaiz only played three league games for Ajax. He left the club shortly after and announced his retirement from football. He was almost 37 years old when he stopped playing.
Playing for Spain
Ismael Urzaiz also played for Spain's national youth teams. He helped the Under-16 team win a tournament in 1988. He also scored four goals for the Under-20 team in the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship.
On October 10, 1996, Urzaiz played his first game for the senior national team. It was a qualifying match for the 1998 FIFA World Cup against the Czech Republic. For the next three years, he didn't play much for the national team and didn't score any goals.
But then, he became a hero for Spain during the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2000. He scored six goals in just three games! This included two goals against Austria and three goals (a hat-trick) against Cyprus. After scoring two more goals in a friendly game against Poland, he was chosen to play in the Euro 2000 tournament in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Urzaiz played 25 games for Spain and scored 8 goals in total. His last game for the national team was in 2001, a friendly match against England. He also played seven times for the Basque Country team, which is a special regional team. He scored two goals in a game against Morocco in 2000.
Honours
Spain U16
- UEFA European Under-16 Championship: 1988
Individual
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: Silver Shoe 1991
See also
In Spanish: Ismael Urzaiz para niños
- List of Athletic Bilbao players (+200 appearances)
- List of La Liga players (400+ appearances)
