Luis Arconada facts for kids
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Arconada in 2019
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Full name | Luis Miguel Arconada Etxarri | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 26 June 1954 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | San Sebastián, Spain | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| Lengokoak | |||||||||||||
| Real Sociedad | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
| 1972–1974 | San Sebastián | 40 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1974–1989 | Real Sociedad | 414 | (0) | ||||||||||
| Total | 454 | (0) | |||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||
| 1972 | Spain U18 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1976 | Spain amateur | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1977–1985 | Spain | 68 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1979 | Basque Country | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||
Luis Miguel Arconada Etxarri (born 26 June 1954) is a famous Spanish former football player. He was a goalkeeper, known for his amazing saves.
Luis Arconada played his entire professional career for one team, Real Sociedad, for almost 20 years. He helped his club win four big titles, including two La Liga championships.
He also played for the Spanish national team 68 times over eight years. Arconada represented Spain in two World Cups and two European Championships.
Contents
Club Career: Playing for Real Sociedad
Luis Arconada was born in San Sebastián, a city in Spain. When he was 16, he joined the youth team of Real Sociedad, a big club in the Basque Country. He stayed with this club for his whole career. Fans even called him "El pulpo," which means "The Octopus" in English, because of how well he could stretch and save goals.
Becoming a Star Goalkeeper
After a couple of seasons, Arconada became the main goalkeeper for Real Sociedad in 1976. He was a key player when the team won two La Liga titles in a row, in 1981 and 1982. After their second league win, they even reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, which is a huge competition for clubs.
In 1985, Arconada got a serious injury that made him miss the rest of the season and the 1986 World Cup. But he came back strong and played for three more seasons. He helped Real Sociedad reach two Copa del Rey finals. He retired at age 35, having played 414 league games and 551 games overall for his club. After retiring, he stayed away from the football world.
International Career: Playing for Spain
Luis Arconada played his first game for Spain on 27 March 1977. It was a friendly match against Hungary. He often served as the team's captain. He played for Spain in the 1978 and 1982 World Cups. He also played in the UEFA Euro 1980 and 1984 European Championships.
Memorable Moments in World Cups
During the 1982 World Cup, Arconada had a difficult moment. He fumbled a cross from Billy Hamilton of Northern Ireland. The ball slipped, and Gerry Armstrong scored the only goal, helping Northern Ireland win the group. This moment was even remembered in a fanzine called "Arconada...Armstrong!"
At the 1984 European Championships, Arconada had another unfortunate moment in the final against France. He tried to save a free kick from Michel Platini, but the ball slipped under his body and slowly rolled into the net. France won the game 2–0. Even though he was a world-class goalkeeper, this mistake, known as "Arconada's goal" in Spain, was remembered for many years.
Arconada's last game for Spain was a 3–0 loss to Wales in 1985. He then suffered a severe knee injury, which meant he couldn't play in the final stages of the 1986 World Cup qualifiers. Another Basque goalkeeper, Andoni Zubizarreta, took his place.
Years later, in 2008, when Spain won the Euro 2008 tournament, the third-choice goalkeeper, Andrés Palop, wore Arconada's original Euro 84 final shirt. He wore it when he received his gold medal from Michel Platini, who was then the president of UEFA. Arconada also played for the Spanish amateur team in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, where they were eliminated early.
Playing Style: How Arconada Played
Luis Arconada was known for being a great leader, brave, and very consistent in his play. Many people consider him one of the best Spanish goalkeepers ever. His amazing athleticism, speed, ability to stop shots, quick reflexes, good footwork, and acrobatic style inspired many young goalkeepers, including the famous Iker Casillas.
In 2017, another former goalkeeper, Manuel Almunia, praised Arconada for his special ability to make saves using his feet.
Personal Life
Luis Arconada has a younger brother named Gonzalo Arconada. Gonzalo never played professional football, but he became a football coach, mostly in Spain's lower leagues. For a few months in 2006, he even coached Real Sociedad's main team.
In 1992, Luis Arconada joined the board of directors at a company called Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles.
Honours and Awards
Luis Arconada won many awards and titles during his career:
Real Sociedad
- La Liga:
- Winner: 1980–81, 1981–82
- Copa del Rey:
- Winner: 1986–87
- Runner-up: 1987–88
- Supercopa de España:
- Winner: 1982
Spain National Team
- UEFA European Championship:
- Runner-up: 1984
Individual Awards
- Ricardo Zamora Trophy (Award for best goalkeeper in La Liga):
- Winner: 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82
- La Liga Team of The Year:
- Selected: 1979–80, 1981–82, 1987–88
See also
In Spanish: Luis Miguel Arconada para niños
