Julen Guerrero facts for kids
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Guerrero in a 1995 advert
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Julen Guerrero López | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 7 January 1974 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Portugalete, Spain | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Spain U21 (manager) | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1992 | Athletic Bilbao | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1992 | Bilbao Athletic | 12 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| 1992–2006 | Athletic Bilbao | 372 | (101) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 384 | (107) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Spain U16 | 9 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | Spain U17 | 8 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | Spain U18 | 14 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | Spain U21 | 12 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 1993–2000 | Spain | 41 | (13) | |||||||||||||
| 1993–2006 | Basque Country | 11 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Spain U16 | |||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Spain U15 | |||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Spain U17 | |||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Amorebieta | |||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Spain U21 | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Julen Guerrero López (born on January 7, 1974) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played his entire career for Athletic Bilbao as an attacking midfielder. He is currently the manager of the Spain national under-21 team.
Guerrero played in 430 official games for Athletic Bilbao. He scored 116 goals for the club. He helped his team finish second in La Liga, Spain's top football league, in the 1997–98 season.
He also played for the Spanish national team from 1993 to 2000. He represented Spain in the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, and at UEFA Euro 1996. After he stopped playing, he coached several youth teams for the national side. He also had a short time managing a club team, Amorebieta.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting Young at Athletic Bilbao
Julen Guerrero was born in Portugalete, a town in Biscay, Spain. He joined Athletic Bilbao when he was just eight years old. He moved up through the club's youth teams. In 1991–92, he was part of the under-19 team. They won both the national cup and the league that season. He also played and scored for the reserve team in the Segunda División.
Making a Big Impact
Guerrero made his first team debut on September 6, 1992. He was only 18 years old at the time. He quickly became a key player. Even though he was a midfielder, he scored 28 goals in his first two seasons in La Liga. He scored 65 goals in his first six seasons.
In 1993, he was named the New Spanish Player of the Year by El País newspaper. The next year, he won the Spanish Footballer of the Year award from both Don Balón and El País. In the 1993–94 season, he scored a hat-trick (three goals) against Albacete. He also scored four goals against Sporting de Gijón in a single game.
A Fan Favorite and Club Loyalty
Julen Guerrero became very popular with young fans. This was because of his amazing football skills and his friendly personality. He was one of the first football stars who became famous like a pop star. He helped make Athletic Bilbao more well-known around the world. He finished the 1993–94 season with 18 goals. Soon after, he became the youngest-ever captain for Athletic Bilbao.
Many big clubs wanted to sign him, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Juventus, Lazio, and Manchester United. But Julen Guerrero stayed loyal to Athletic Bilbao. In 1997, he signed a ten-year contract. This was the longest contract in the club's history. It also made him the highest-paid player on the team.
Later Career and Retirement
In the 1997–98 season, Guerrero scored eight goals in 29 matches. Athletic Bilbao finished second in the league that year. This meant they qualified directly for the UEFA Champions League. He played well in the group stage against teams like Juventus and Galatasaray.
After this, his playing career started to slow down. In his last four seasons, he played only 57 games and scored just four goals. Even though his performance wasn't as strong, fans still loved him.
Julen Guerrero announced he was retiring as a player on July 11, 2006. It was an emotional moment. He scored 116 goals in 430 matches over 14 seasons. He played in various European competitions but did not win any major trophies.
International Career
Playing for Spain
On January 27, 1993, when he was only 19, Julen Guerrero played his first game for Spain. It was a friendly match against Mexico. He went on to play 41 games for Spain and scored 13 goals. He played for Spain in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups. He also played in UEFA Euro 1996.
Some of his best moments for Spain include scoring hat-tricks against Malta in 1996 and against Cyprus in 1999. His last game for the national team was in October 2000.
Basque Country Team
Guerrero also played 11 times for the Basque Country autonomous team. This was between 1993 and 2006. He scored six goals for them, including another hat-trick in 1997 against Yugoslavia.
Playing Style and Nicknames
Julen Guerrero was known as one of the best attacking midfielders of his time. He could use both feet well. He was famous for his free kicks and his ability to score goals. People often called him El Rey León (The Lion King) or La Perla de Lezama (The Pearl of Lezama).
Coaching Career
After he retired from playing, Guerrero started coaching. He first worked with the youth teams at Lezama, Athletic Bilbao's training ground, for two years. Later, he coached Spain's youth national teams. He worked with the under-16s, under-15s, and under-17s. He left these roles on June 5, 2023.
On June 20, 2024, Guerrero became the manager of Amorebieta. This team had recently been relegated to Primera Federación. However, on October 29, with only one win in ten matches, he was dismissed from the role.
Guerrero returned to the national team staff in July 2025. He became the head coach of the under-21s, taking over from Santi Denia.
Personal Life
Julen Guerrero's younger brother, José Félix, was also a footballer. He was a midfielder and also trained at Athletic Bilbao, but only played for their reserve team.
Julen Guerrero also opened a restaurant called Restaurante Julen Guerrero in Zamudio. He also wrote columns online for Eurosport. His son, Julen Jon Guerrero, is also a midfielder. He mainly developed his skills at Real Madrid and has played for Spain at youth levels. He even played briefly under his father at Amorebieta.
Honours
Spain U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship third place: 1994
Individual
- La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 1993
- Spanish Player of the Year: 1994
See also
In Spanish: Julen Guerrero para niños
- List of one-club men
