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Andoni Zubizarreta
Personal information
Full name	Andoni Zubizarreta Urreta
Date of birth	23 October 1961 (1961-10-23) (age 48)
Place of birth	Vitoria, Spain
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1977–1979	Aretxabaleta
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1979–1980 1980–1981 1981–1986 1986–1994 1994–1998 1979–1998	Alavés Bilbao Athletic Athletic Bilbao Barcelona Valencia Total	000 0(0) 007 0(0) 169 0(0) 301 0(0) 152 0(0) 629 0(0)
National team
1979–1980 1981 1979–1984 1984 1985–1998	Spain U18 Spain U19 Spain U21 Spain amateur Spain	012 0(0) 001 0(0) 017 0(0) 001 0(0) 126 0(0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Andoni Zubizarreta Urreta (born 23 October 1961) is a former Spanish footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.

The all-time most capped player for the Spanish national team, he is best known for his lengthy spells at Athletic Bilbao and FC Barcelona, having played more than 700 official professional matches during his club career.

Club career

Born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, Zubizarreta spent his childhood in Aretxabaleta in Guipúzcoa, where he began his football trade. After a brief passage at another Basque side, Deportivo Alavés, he joined Athletic Bilbao, where he would spend the following six seasons.

Zubizarreta's debut in the first division occurred on 19 September 1981, in a 0–2 loss at Atlético Madrid, courtesy of manager Javier Clemente, one month shy of his 20th birthday; he would be an undisputed starter for the remainder of his tenure, being an instrumental element in the club's conquests, most notably the back-to-back leagues.

In 1986, Zubizarreta signed with FC Barcelona for a then record for a player in the position, €1.7 million,^[1] quickly removing established Urruti from the starting post and rarely missing a match onwards - for example, only four in the Catalan's four consecutive league wins combined. He added the club's first ever European Cup in 1992, a 1–0 triumph against U.C. Sampdoria.

After the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, where Barça lost heavily to A.C. Milan in the final (0–4), Zubi was deemed surplus to requirements and finished his career at Valencia CF, again at a high level. He retired after 1997–98 at nearly 37, having played in more than 700 official games (622 in the league alone - all-time best - conceding 626 goals).

International career

Zubizarreta made his debut for Spain on 23 January 1985, in a 3–1 friendly victory over Finland, going on to collect a further 125 caps in the following 13 years.

He represented the nation in four consecutive FIFA World Cups: 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998 - his last competition, where he scored an own goal in a 2–3 group stage loss against Nigeria^[2] - also appearing, always as a starter, at UEFA Euro 1988 and 1996. Zubizarreta and his deputy Paco Buyo once held the national team record for the longest unbeaten run in international games, until Iker Casillas and Pepe Reina broke that record in October 2008.

Post-retirement

After three years as sporting director of first professional club Athletic Bilbao, Zubizarreta went on to work as a radio and television commentator.

Honours

Club

Athletic Bilbao

• Spanish League: 1982–83, 1983–84
• Spanish Cup: 1983–84
• Spanish Supercup: 1984

Barcelona

• UEFA Champions League: 1991–92
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1988–89
• UEFA Super Cup: 1992
• Spanish League: 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94
• Spanish Cup: 1987–88, 1989–90
• Spanish Supercup: 1991, 1992

Valencia

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1998

Individual

• Don Balón Award - Spanish Player of the Year: 1987
• Zamora Trophy: 1986–87

Club statistics

References

External links

• BDFutbol profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• NationalFootballTeams data
• Athletic Bilbao profile
• Valencia CF profile (Spanish)
• International appearances, at rsssf
• Andoni Zubizarreta FIFA competition record

Spain Squad Spain squad – UEFA Euro 1984 Runners-up 1 Arconada • 2 Urquiaga • 3 Camacho • 4 Maceda • 5 Goikoetxea • 6 Gordillo • 7 Señor • 8 Víctor • 9 Santillana • 10 Gallego • 11 Carrasco • 12 Salva • 13 Buyo • 14 Julio Alberto • 15 Roberto • 16 Francisco • 17 Marcos • 18 Butragueño • 19 Sarabia • 20 Zubizarreta • Coach: Muñoz Spain squad – 1986 FIFA World Cup 1 Zubizarreta • 2 Tomás • 3 Camacho • 4 Maceda • 5 Víctor • 6 Gordillo • 7 Señor • 8 Goikoetxea • 9 Butragueño • 10 Carrasco • 11 Julio Alberto • 12 Setién • 13 Urruti • 14 Gallego • 15 Chendo • 16 Rincón • 17 Francisco • 18 Calderé • 19 Salinas • 20 Eloy • 21 Míchel • 22 Ablanedo • Coach: Muñoz Spain squad – UEFA Euro 1988 1 Zubizarreta • 2 Tomás • 3 Camacho • 4 Andrinúa • 5 Víctor • 6 Calderé • 7 Salinas • 8 Sanchís • 9 Butragueño • 10 Eloy • 11 Gordillo • 12 Diego • 13 Buyo • 14 Gallego • 15 Eusebio • 16 Bakero • 17 Begiristain • 18 Soler • 19 Martín Vázquez • 20 Míchel • Coach: Muñoz Spain squad – 1990 FIFA World Cup 1 Zubizarreta • 2 Chendo • 3 Jiménez • 4 Andrinúa • 5 Sanchís • 6 Martín Vázquez • 7 Pardeza • 8 Quique • 9 Butragueño • 10 Fernando • 11 Villarroya • 12 Alkorta • 13 Ablanedo • 14 Górriz • 15 Roberto • 16 Bakero • 17 Hierro • 18 Paz • 19 Salinas • 20 Manolo • 21 Míchel • 22 Ochotorena • Coach: Suárez Spain squad – 1994 FIFA World Cup 1 Zubizarreta • 2 Ferrer • 3 Otero • 4 Camarasa • 5 Abelardo • 6 Hierro • 7 Goikoetxea • 8 Guerrero • 9 Guardiola • 10 Bakero • 11 Begiristain • 12 Sergi • 13 Cañizares • 14 Juanele • 15 Caminero • 16 Miñambres • 17 Voro • 18 Alkorta • 19 Salinas • 20 Nadal • 21 Luis Enrique • 22 Lopetegui • Coach: Clemente Spain squad – UEFA Euro 1996 1 Zubizarreta • 2 López • 3 Belsué • 4 Alkorta • 5 Abelardo • 6 Hierro • 7 Amavisca • 8 Guerrero • 9 Pizzi • 10 Donato • 11 Alfonso • 12 Sergi • 13 Cañizares • 14 Kiko • 15 Caminero • 16 Otero • 17 Manjarín • 18 Amor • 19 Salinas • 20 Nadal • 21 Luis Enrique • 22 Molina • Coach: Clemente Spain squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 Zubizarreta • 2 Ferrer • 3 Aranzábal • 4 Alkorta • 5 Abelardo • 6 Hierro • 7 Morientes • 8 Guerrero • 9 Pizzi • 10 Raúl • 11 Alfonso • 12 Sergi • 13 Cañizares • 14 Campo • 15 Aguilera • 16 Celades • 17 Etxeberria • 18 Amor • 19 Kiko • 20 Nadal • 21 Luis Enrique • 22 Molina • Coach: Clemente

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Juan Carlos Ablanedo	Zamora Trophy 1986–87	Succeeded by Francisco Buyo