José Ángel Iribar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
José Ángel Iribar

Iribar in 2019
Personal information
Date of birth	(1943-03-01) 1 March 1943 (age 82)
Place of birth	Zarautz, Spain
Height	1.81 m
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Salleco
	Zarautz
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1961–1962	Basconia	24	(0)
1962–1980	Athletic Bilbao	466	(0)
Total		490	(0)
National team
1964–1976	Spain	49	(0)
1979	Basque Country	1	(0)
Teams managed
1983–1986	Bilbao Athletic
1986–1987	Athletic Bilbao
1987	Bilbao Athletic
1988	Basque Country
1993–2010	Basque Country
Honours Representing  Spain European Nations' Cup Winner 1964 Spain
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

José Ángel Iribar Kortajarena (born 1 March 1943) is a famous Spanish retired goalkeeper and manager. People often called him El Chopo, which means "the Poplar tree".

He spent almost his entire playing career with Athletic Bilbao, a well-known Spanish football club. He played in over 600 official games for the club during 18 seasons in La Liga, Spain's top football league. During his time, he helped the team win two major titles.

Iribar also played for the Spanish national team. He took part in the 1964 European Nations' Cup and the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Spain won the European Nations' Cup in 1964 with Iribar as their goalkeeper.

Playing for Athletic Bilbao

José Ángel Iribar was born in Zarautz, a town in Gipuzkoa, Spain. His professional football journey began in 1961 with CD Basconia. Even though Basconia was not yet a "feeder team" (a team that trains players for a bigger club), Iribar's amazing performance helped them beat a strong team, Atlético Madrid, in a cup competition called the Copa del Generalísimo. His great skills led to him being signed by Athletic Bilbao in 1962 for a lot of money at the time – one million pesetas.

After playing only three games in his first season with Athletic Bilbao, Iribar quickly became the main goalkeeper for the next 16 seasons. In October 1963, he got his chance when the team's main goalkeeper, Carmelo Cedrún, got injured. Iribar took over and never looked back.

Winning Trophies and Setting Records

With Athletic Bilbao, Iribar won two Spanish Cups. He also helped the team reach the final of the 1976–77 UEFA Cup, though they lost that match to Juventus FC. During the 1970–71 season, he set an amazing record by keeping a "clean sheet" (meaning he didn't let any goals in) in ten home games in a row. This meant he went 1,018 minutes without letting a goal past him at home!

Iribar in 1978

In 1971, Iribar was honored with a "testimonial match," which is a special game played to celebrate a player's long career. Athletic Bilbao played against West Bromwich Albion, and the game ended in a 1–1 draw.

Iribar retired from playing football nine years later, in 1980, when he was 37 years old. He had played in a total of 614 matches for Athletic Bilbao in all competitions, which was a club record for a long time. Another great goalkeeper, Andoni Zubizarreta, joined the club the summer after Iribar retired. Iribar also held the record for the most appearances in European competitions for Athletic Bilbao, with 55 games, until 2016.

Iribar as a Coach

After he stopped playing, Iribar joined Athletic Bilbao's coaching staff, where he trained the goalkeepers. In the 1983–84 season, he coached the reserve team, Bilbao Athletic. He led them to second place in the second division, which was their best-ever finish, even though they couldn't be promoted to the top league.

Statue of Iribar at San Mamés Stadium, installed in 2023

Iribar also managed the first team of Athletic Bilbao during the 1986–87 season. From 1988 onwards, and for more than twenty years, he was in charge of the Basque Country representative team.

To honor his legacy, a statue of Iribar was placed outside the San Mamés Stadium in December 2023.

Playing for Spain

Iribar played his first game for the Spanish national team on 11 March 1964. It was a qualifying match for the 1964 European Nations' Cup against the Republic of Ireland, which Spain won 5–1. Iribar was the main goalkeeper during the finals of that tournament, and Spain won the championship on their home ground.

Iribar also represented Spain at the 1966 FIFA World Cup, where he played in all three group stage matches. He continued to be Spain's main goalkeeper for another ten years. On 20 November 1974, he played his 46th game for Spain, which tied the record for most "caps" (appearances) held by another famous goalkeeper, Ricardo Zamora. He broke that record in his next game on 5 February. His 49th and final game for Spain was on 24 April 1976, a 1–1 draw against West Germany. Another goalkeeper, Luis Arconada, later broke Iribar's record in 1983.

Iribar's Playing Style

Iker Casillas, a goalkeeper who won the 2010 FIFA World Cup with Spain, said that Iribar was "one of the greatest keepers Spain has ever produced." Casillas described Iribar as a "big presence in goal" who could "intimidate opponents." He also noted that Iribar combined his physical size with "terrific positioning," which is very important for a goalkeeper.

In Italy, Iribar was sometimes called "Zoff's twin." This was because of his similar goalkeeping skills, his leadership on the field, and even his physical resemblance to the famous Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff.

Political Views and Symbolism

Inaxio Kortabarria and José Ángel Iribar carrying the Ikurriña (Basque flag) in 1976.

On 5 December 1976, before a game against Real Sociedad, Iribar and the opposing team's captain, Inaxio Kortabarria, did something very important. They carried the Ikurriña, which is the Basque flag, onto the field and placed it in the center circle. This was the first time the flag had been shown publicly since the death of Francisco Franco, a Spanish dictator. At that time, displaying the Basque flag was still against the law.

Later, Iribar became involved in local politics in the Basque region. He was one of the people who helped start a political group called Herri Batasuna.

Career Statistics

Honours and Awards

Iribar (third from left) accepting an award at Bilbao City Hall in 2016

Iribar achieved many honors during his football career:

Club Honours

• Athletic Bilbao
  • Copa del Generalísimo: 1969, 1972–73
  • Runner-up in Copa del Generalísimo: 1965–66, 1966–67, 1976–77
  • Runner-up in UEFA Cup: 1976–77

International Honours

• Spain
  • UEFA European Championship: 1964

Individual Awards

• Ricardo Zamora Trophy: 1969–70 (This award is given to the goalkeeper with the lowest goals-to-games ratio in La Liga.)
• La Liga Team of The Year: 1976

See also

In Spanish: José Ángel Iribar para niños

• List of Athletic Bilbao players (Players with 200+ appearances for Athletic Bilbao)
• List of La Liga players (Players with 400+ appearances in La Liga)

Images for kids

• 

  Iribar in 1978

• 

  Statue of Iribar at San Mamés Stadium, installed in 2023

• 

  Inaxio Kortabarria and José Ángel Iribar carrying the Ikurriña (Basque flag) in 1976.

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  Iribar (third from left) accepting an award at Bilbao City Hall in 2016