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Txiki Begiristain facts for kids

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Txiki Begiristain
Txiki Begiristain 2016 (cropped).jpg
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 on August 12, 1964) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a left winger or forward.

Txiki is best known for his time playing for Real Sociedad and Barcelona. With Barcelona, he won eight major titles. These included four La Liga championships and the 1992 European Cup.

Begiristain also played for the Spanish national team. He represented his country in one World Cup and one European Championship. After he stopped playing, he became a director of football. He worked for Barcelona for seven years and for Premier League club Manchester City for 12 years.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting at Real Sociedad

Txiki Begiristain was born in Olaberria, a town in the Basque Country, Spain. He started his professional football journey with Real Sociedad in 1982 when he was 18. He quickly became an important player for the team.

In his first season, he played 16 games in La Liga, Spain's top football league. He helped his team reach the Copa del Rey final in 1987. In that final, he scored a goal against Atlético Madrid. Real Sociedad won the cup after a penalty shootout.

In the 1987–88 season, his team finished second in both the league and the cup. Soon after, Txiki joined Barcelona.

Becoming a Barcelona "Dream Team" Star

Begiristain scored in his very first league game for Barcelona. It was a 2–0 win against Espanyol. In his first year, he played 38 games and scored 12 goals. He also helped Barcelona win the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1989.

He was part of the famous Barcelona team known as the Dream Team. This team won many trophies. During his seven seasons at Barcelona, Txiki 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 four league titles in a row during this time. He even scored three goals in a single game (a hat-trick) twice.

Later Years in Spain and Japan

In 1995, Txiki joined Deportivo de La Coruña. He helped his new team win the Supercopa de España. He scored a goal in the away game against Real Madrid, which helped Deportivo win 2–1.

In his last season in Spain, 1996–97, he played ten times. He scored a goal that helped Deportivo finish third in the league. By this time, he had played over 600 competitive matches in Spain. He had also scored more than 100 goals.

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

International Matches for Spain

Begiristain played 22 games for the Spanish national team and scored six goals. His first game was a friendly match against Czechoslovakia in February 1988.

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, and 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 former club, Barcelona. He held this important role for seven years.

On October 28, 2012, Begiristain joined Manchester City in England. He took on the same role as director of football. During his time at Manchester City, the team won the national league championship seven times. They also achieved a special "treble" in the 2022–23 season, winning three major trophies. He also helped bring in many talented players and his former teammate, Pep Guardiola, as manager.

In October 2024, Begiristain announced he would leave Manchester City in June 2025. He spent 12 years helping the club succeed.

Honours and Achievements

Txiki Begiristain won many titles during his career:

With Real Sociedad

With Barcelona

With Deportivo La Coruña

With Spain U21

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Txiki Begiristain para niños

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