Txiki Begiristain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Txiki Begiristain

Begiristain in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Aitor Begiristain Mujika
Date of birth	(1964-08-12) 12 August 1964 (age 60)
Place of birth	Olaberria, Spain
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Winger, forward
Youth career
	Segura
	Easo
1980–1982	Real Sociedad
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1982	San Sebastián	9	(2)
1982–1988	Real Sociedad	187	(23)
1988–1995	Barcelona	223	(63)
1995–1997	Deportivo La Coruña	43	(4)
1997–1999	Urawa Red Diamonds	61	(16)
Total		523	(108)
International career
1984–1988	Spain U21	19	(4)
1988	Spain U23	1	(0)
1988–1994	Spain	22	(6)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Spain UEFA European Under-21 Championship Winner 1986
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Aitor "Txiki" Begiristain Mujika (born August 12, 1964) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a left winger or forward. Today, he is the director of football at Premier League club Manchester City.

Txiki is famous for playing with Real Sociedad and Barcelona. With Barcelona, he won eight big titles. These included four La Liga championships and the 1992 European Cup.

Begiristain also played for the Spanish national team. He played in one World Cup and one European Championship. After he stopped playing, he became a director of football. He worked for Barcelona and later for Manchester City.

Playing Career: A Football Journey

Starting Out at Real Sociedad

Txiki Begiristain was born in Olaberria, Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country, Spain. He started his professional football journey with Real Sociedad in 1982. He was only 18 years old when he joined the first team.

In his first season, he played 16 La Liga games. Soon, he became a key player for the team. The coach was John Toshack. Other important players were Luis Arconada and José Mari Bakero.

A big moment for Txiki was scoring a goal in the 1987 Copa del Rey final. Real Sociedad won this cup against Atlético Madrid after a penalty shootout. The game ended 2–2.

In the 1987–88 season, Real Sociedad finished second in both the league and the cup. Real Madrid won the league, and Barcelona won the cup. Soon after, Txiki and two teammates joined Barcelona.

Becoming a Star at Barcelona

Begiristain scored in his very first league game for Barcelona. They won 2–0 against Espanyol. In his first year at the Camp Nou, he played 38 games and scored 12 goals. He also scored two goals in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, which Barcelona won.

Txiki was part of a famous team called the Dream Team. This team included other talented players like Bakero and Andoni Zubizarreta. They won many trophies together.

During his seven years at Barcelona, Begiristain played over 300 official matches. He scored 63 goals in the league. His best season was 1992–93, when he scored 15 goals. Barcelona won their third of four league titles in a row that year. He also scored three goals in one game (a hat-trick) twice.

Later Years in Spain and Japan

After his time at Barcelona, Begiristain joined Deportivo de La Coruña in 1995. He had played less for Barcelona in his last two seasons there. At Deportivo, he reunited with his old coach John Toshack.

He helped his new team win the Supercopa de España. He scored a goal in the away game against Real Madrid. Deportivo won that match 2–1 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

In his last season in Galicia, he played only ten times. But he scored a key goal against Extremadura. This 1–0 win helped Deportivo finish third in the league. By this time, he had played over 600 games in Spain and scored more than 100 goals.

Txiki ended his playing career in 1999. He played his last three years with the Urawa Red Diamonds in Japan's J1 League. He was 35 years old when he retired.

International Football for Spain

Begiristain played 22 games for Spain and scored six goals. His first game was a friendly match against Czechoslovakia in February 1988. Spain lost that game 2–1.

He played for Spain in the UEFA Euro 1988 tournament. He also played in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. His last game for Spain was in the 1994 World Cup. It was a 3–0 win against Switzerland. He scored the final goal from a penalty.

Life After Playing Football

After retiring as a player, Begiristain worked as a TV commentator. In 2003, he became the director of football for his old club, Barcelona. He helped manage the club's football operations.

On June 28, 2010, he decided to leave Barcelona. The club's president, Joan Laporta, was also leaving. Txiki felt it was the right time for him to move on too.

In October 2012, Begiristain joined Manchester City in the Premier League. He took on the same role as director of football. During his time there, Manchester City won the national championship seven times. They also won the treble (three major trophies) in the 2022–23 season. Many Spanish players and his former teammate Pep Guardiola (as manager) joined the club during his time.

In October 2024, Begiristain announced he would leave Manchester City in June 2025. He will have been with the club for 12 years. Hugo Viana from Sporting CP will take his place.

Honours and Achievements

Club Trophies

Real Sociedad

• Copa del Rey: 1986–87
• Supercopa de España: 1982

Barcelona

• La Liga: 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94
• Copa del Rey: 1989–90
• Supercopa de España: 1991, 1992, 1994
• European Cup: 1991–92
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1988–89
• UEFA Super Cup: 1992

Deportivo La Coruña

• Supercopa de España: 1995

International Trophies

Spain U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1986

More Information

Learn more about Txiki Begiristain for kids.

In Spanish: Txiki Begiristain para niños

• List of FC Barcelona players (100+ appearances)
• List of La Liga players (400+ appearances)