Rafael Alkorta facts for kids
 |
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rafael Alkorta Martínez | ||
| Date of birth | 16 September 1968 | ||
| Place of birth | Bilbao, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.78 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1978–1985 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1984–1987 | Bilbao Athletic | 44 | (2) |
| 1987–1993 | Athletic Bilbao | 172 | (2) |
| 1993–1997 | Real Madrid | 107 | (2) |
| 1997–2002 | Athletic Bilbao | 91 | (4) |
| Total | 414 | (10) | |
| National team | |||
| 1985 | Spain U16 | 7 | (0) |
| 1985–1986 | Spain U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 1987–1990 | Spain U21 | 6 | (0) |
| 1990–1998 | Spain | 54 | (0) |
| 1990–1999 | Basque Country | 5 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2014–2015 | Olympiacos (assistant) | ||
| 2015–2016 | Marseille (assistant) | ||
|
|||
Rafael Alkorta Martínez (born September 16, 1968) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He mostly played as a central defender, which is a key defensive position. After his playing career, he became the sporting director for Athletic Bilbao, a famous football club.
During his 17-year career, he played for two big Spanish clubs: Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid. He played a total of 370 matches in La Liga, Spain's top football league. He scored eight goals and won three major trophies with Real Madrid.
Alkorta also played for the Spanish national team. He represented his country in three World Cups during the 1990s.
Contents
Playing Career
Club Journey
Rafael Alkorta was born in Bilbao, Biscay, Spain. He started playing football as a child with his local club, Athletic Bilbao, in 1978. Seven years later, in 1985, he began playing for the club's second team, known as Bilbao Athletic. He played 44 matches for them in the Segunda División.
In the 1987–88 season, he was promoted to the main Athletic Bilbao team. His first match in La Liga was on October 24, 1987, against Real Valladolid. He became known as an excellent man marker, a defender who closely guards an opponent. He played 171 more matches for Athletic Bilbao.
In 1993, Alkorta joined Real Madrid, another huge club in Spain. He was a bit unsure about leaving Athletic, but the transfer helped his old club financially. At Real Madrid's home stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, he formed a strong defensive partnership with Fernando Hierro. Together, they were a great team for both Real Madrid and the Spanish national side. Alkorta played over 150 official matches for Real Madrid and helped them win two league titles.
Alkorta returned to Athletic Bilbao in the 1997–98 season. He helped the Basque team finish second in the league that year. He continued to play regularly for several more years. After playing only six games in the 2001–02 season, he decided to retire from playing football. He was almost 34 years old when he stopped playing professionally.
Playing for Spain
Rafael Alkorta first played for the Spanish national team on May 26, 1990. It was a friendly match against Yugoslavia, which Spain won 1–0. Over the next eight years, he played 54 matches for Spain.
He played in three different FIFA World Cup tournaments: 1990, 1994, and 1998. He also played in UEFA Euro 1996, a major European championship. Before playing for the senior team, he also represented Spain at under-16, under-18, and under-21 levels.
In the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Alkorta played for ten minutes in a group stage match against Belgium. In the other major tournaments, he started in 11 matches, playing the full game in ten of them.
Life After Playing
After retiring as a player, Rafael Alkorta became an assistant manager. He worked with his former Real Madrid teammate Míchel at two different clubs: Olympiacos F.C. in Greece and Olympique de Marseille in France.
In December 2018, Alkorta returned to Athletic Bilbao. He was appointed as the club's new sporting director. In this role, he helps manage the club's football operations, including player transfers and youth development.
Family Life
Rafael Alkorta has a younger brother named Óscar, who was also a footballer. Óscar played as a midfielder. Like Rafael, he started in the youth academy of Athletic Bilbao. However, Óscar did not play for the main team. He spent his career in the lower divisions of Spanish football.
For a few months in 1997, both brothers were part of the staff at Athletic Bilbao. Óscar later became a youth coach at the club, working under his older brother from 2019.
Achievements
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 1994–95, 1996–97 (won two times)
- Supercopa de España: 1993 (won once); Runner-up 1995 (finished second once)
See also
In Spanish: Rafael Alkorta para niños
