Javier Arizmendi facts for kids
Arizmendi as a Zaragoza player in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ángel Javier Arizmendi de Lucas | ||
| Date of birth | 3 March 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Madrid, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward, winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Atlético Madrid | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2004 | Atlético Madrid B | 28 | (10) |
| 2004–2006 | Atlético Madrid | 5 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | → Racing Santander (loan) | 22 | (3) |
| 2006–2007 | Deportivo La Coruña | 50 | (7) |
| 2007–2008 | Valencia | 30 | (1) |
| 2008–2010 | Zaragoza | 69 | (14) |
| 2010–2013 | Getafe | 22 | (2) |
| 2011–2012 | → Neuchâtel Xamax (loan) | 13 | (4) |
| 2012–2013 | → Mallorca (loan) | 21 | (2) |
| 2013–2015 | Deportivo La Coruña | 17 | (2) |
| Total | 277 | (45) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003 | Spain U20 | 5 | (1) |
| 2004–2006 | Spain U21 | 8 | (0) |
| 2005 | Spain U23 | 4 | (1) |
| 2007 | Spain | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ángel Javier Arizmendi de Lucas, born on March 3, 1984, is a Spanish former professional footballer. He mostly played as a forward or winger.
Javier played 181 matches in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league. He scored 20 goals during his nine seasons there. He played for several well-known clubs like Atlético Madrid, Racing de Santander, Deportivo, Valencia, Zaragoza, Getafe, and Mallorca.
He also represented Spain at various youth levels. He earned 13 appearances for Spain's youth teams and played once for the senior national team.
Contents
Club Football Journey
Starting at Atlético Madrid
Javier Arizmendi was born in Madrid. He started his football journey in the youth system of his local club, Atlético Madrid. He made his first appearance in La Liga for the main team on February 15, 2004. This was in an away game against FC Barcelona, which Atlético Madrid lost 1–3.
For the next season, he played on loan for another team in the same league, Racing de Santander. This gave him more chances to play and gain experience.
Moving to Deportivo and Valencia
Since he didn't get many chances to play at Atlético Madrid, Arizmendi moved to Deportivo de La Coruña on January 3, 2006. Atlético Madrid had a special clause that allowed them to buy him back later.
However, on June 21, 2007, Javier joined Valencia CF on a six-year contract. During the 2007–08 season, he sometimes played as a right back. This happened because other players like Miguel and Marco Caneira were injured.
On March 23, 2008, he scored his first goal for Valencia in a 3–2 win against Real Madrid. He also helped Valencia win the Copa del Rey (a major cup competition) that season.
Time at Zaragoza and Getafe
On August 12, 2008, Arizmendi signed with Real Zaragoza for six years. In his first year there, he was very important. He helped the team return to the top league after only one year away. He scored nine goals in the league that season.
On June 30, 2010, after helping Zaragoza stay in the top league, Arizmendi signed a six-year deal with Getafe CF. Getafe had qualified for the UEFA Europa League, a big European competition.
However, after a quiet season and a new manager, he moved to Neuchâtel Xamax in Switzerland in August 2011. This was a loan for the season. He later left the Swiss team in January 2012. He played his first game back in Spain on February 4, 2012, coming on as a substitute in a match against Real Madrid.
Playing for Spain
Youth National Teams
In 2003, even before playing much at the highest club level, Arizmendi was called up to the Spain under-20 team. They played in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates. In that tournament, he scored a winning goal in extra time against Canada in the quarter-finals. Spain finished as the runner-up in that championship.
Senior National Team Debut
Javier made his first appearance for the senior national team in a friendly match. This game was against England on February 7, 2007. He played the last 25 minutes of the game, which Spain won 1–0 at Old Trafford.
Flag Incident
During the 2005 Mediterranean Games, Arizmendi celebrated Spain's gold medal win while holding a Spanish flag. This flag had an emblem from an older time in Spain's history. The player explained that someone from the crowd threw the flag to him. He said he did not notice the specific emblem on it at the time.
Life After Football
After he stopped playing professional football, Javier Arizmendi decided to continue his education. He earned a Master's degree in private banking. This shows that he was interested in a career outside of sports as well.
Awards and Achievements
Javier Arizmendi won several awards and achieved important milestones during his football career:
Valencia
- Copa del Rey: 2007–08 (Winner of this major Spanish cup)
Spain U20
- FIFA U-20 World Cup runner-up: 2003 (Finished second in the world youth championship)
Spain U23
- Mediterranean Games: 2005 (Won the gold medal at these games)
See also
In Spanish: Javier Arizmendi para niños
