Santiago Ezquerro facts for kids
Ezquerro playing for Barcelona in 2006
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Santiago Ezquerro Marín | ||
| Date of birth | 14 December 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Calahorra, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992–1993 | Calahorra | ||
| 1993–1994 | Osasuna | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1995 | Osasuna B | 15 | (1) |
| 1995–1996 | Osasuna | 38 | (8) |
| 1996–1997 | Atlético Madrid B | 34 | (11) |
| 1996–1998 | Atlético Madrid | 8 | (0) |
| 1998 | → Mallorca (loan) | 14 | (6) |
| 1998–2005 | Athletic Bilbao | 222 | (45) |
| 2005–2008 | Barcelona | 24 | (3) |
| 2008–2009 | Osasuna | 10 | (1) |
| Total | 365 | (75) | |
| International career | |||
| 1996 | Spain U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 1998 | Spain | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Santiago 'Santi' Ezquerro Marín was a Spanish professional footballer. He was born on December 14, 1976. Santi played as a forward, which means he was one of the main goal-scorers on the team.
Santi became well-known while playing for Athletic Bilbao. He played almost 300 games for them over seven years! After that, he moved to Barcelona, a very famous club. However, he didn't play as much there.
Over 13 seasons, Santi played in La Liga, Spain's top football league. He played in 278 matches and scored 55 goals.
Contents
Santi's Football Journey
Early Days at Osasuna and Atlético
Santi Ezquerro was born in Calahorra, a town in La Rioja, Spain. He started his football journey in the youth teams of CA Osasuna. He played two seasons with Osasuna's main team in the Segunda División, which is Spain's second division.
In 1996, Santi joined Atlético Madrid. He made his first appearance in La Liga on September 21, 1996. His team won 3–0 against CD Logroñés. During his time at Atlético, he mostly played for their B-team.
Becoming a Star at Athletic Bilbao
Santi didn't get many chances to play for Atlético Madrid's main team. So, in January 1998, he moved to RCD Mallorca. He helped Mallorca reach the final of the Copa del Rey, a big Spanish cup competition.
After six months, he joined Athletic Bilbao. This was a great move for him. He played in his first UEFA Champions League games with Athletic. He quickly became one of the most promising forwards in Spain.
In the 2004–05 season, Santi was in amazing form. He scored 19 goals in 47 official matches. This included three goals in one game against Standard Liège in the UEFA Cup. He also scored in a big derby match against Real Sociedad. Because of his great performance, FC Barcelona signed him on a free transfer in 2005.
Time at Barcelona
Santi found it hard to get a regular spot in Barcelona's starting team. It became even tougher when a young player named Lionel Messi started to shine. In his first year at Barcelona, Santi played 12 league games and scored two goals.
In the 2007–08 season, Santi didn't play much at all. He wasn't able to find another team to join. However, he did score two goals in a cup match against CD Alcoyano in January.
Return to Osasuna and Retirement
In July 2008, Santi left Barcelona. Later that month, he rejoined his old club, Osasuna. He signed a two-year deal. In his first season back, he had some injuries. He also didn't fit into the new coach's plans.
Santi left Osasuna after just one year. He retired from football at the age of 33. He couldn't find a new club to play for.
Playing for Spain
Santi Ezquerro played one game for the Spanish national team. This happened during his first season with Athletic Bilbao. He played in a UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying match against Cyprus on September 5, 1998. Spain lost that game 2–3.
Trophies and Achievements
Santi Ezquerro won some important trophies during his career:
Mallorca
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 1997–98 (This means his team reached the final but didn't win the cup.)
Barcelona
- La Liga: 2005–06 (Barcelona won the Spanish league title.)
- UEFA Champions League: 2005–06 (Barcelona won Europe's biggest club competition.)
- FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2006 (Barcelona reached the final of the world club championship.)
- UEFA Super Cup runner-up: 2006 (Barcelona reached the final of the European Super Cup.)
See also
In Spanish: Santi Ezquerro para niños
