Aritz Aduriz

Aritz Aduriz: Athletic Bilbao legend and Europa League record-breaker.

Aritz Aduriz Zubeldia (born 11 February 1981) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker. He spent most of his career with Athletic Bilbao, scoring 172 goals across all competitions for the team over three spells. He also surpassed a century of goals (104) in La Liga, in which he additionally represented Mallorca and Valencia. In addition to playing for Spain, Aduriz was a regular goalscorer for the Basque national side. He appeared for the former at Euro 2016, at the age of 35.

Quick Facts

Full name: Aritz Aduriz Zubeldia
Born: 11 February 1981
Birthplace: San Sebastián, Spain
Height: 1.81 m / 5 ft 11 in
Position: Striker

Lore & Background

Born in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Aduriz came from a family keen on sport but more inclined towards surfing, mountaineering and cross-country skiing. He excelled at the latter as a child, finishing runner-up in the junior national championship. Learning to play football on the sand at La Concha beach, he was brought through the ranks of local youth club Antiguoko where he shared teams with future elite players Xabi Alonso, Mikel Arteta and Andoni Iraola, but was not initially picked up by a professional club. He became part of the Lezama youth system at Athletic Bilbao, although he was already 19 when he arrived from amateurs Aurrerá de Vitoria.

Reader's Guide

Aduriz made his first-team debut on 14 September 2002 against Barcelona in a 0–2 home loss. He spent almost three seasons elsewhere (one with Burgos, one and a half at Real Valladolid in the Segunda División) before returning to Athletic in December 2005. He showed continuous progress, scoring nine La Liga goals in 34 games in 2006–07, including a hat-trick against Real Zaragoza on 19 May 2007. He was sold to Mallorca on 23 August 2008, finishing as team top scorer in his first year. He moved to Valencia on 14 July 2010 for about €4 million. On 27 June 2012, he rejoined Athletic Bilbao for a fee in the region of €2.5 million. He scored a hat-trick as Athletic won 4–0 against Barcelona in the first leg of the Supercopa de España on 14 August 2015, and equalised in a 1–1 draw in the return match to hand his team the trophy. On 3 November 2016, in a Europa League group stage home fixture to Genk, Aduriz scored all five of his team's goals (including three penalties) in a 5–3 victory, becoming the first player to accomplish this feat in the competition in the process. He renewed his contract in November 2017, and the following month became the club's oldest goalscorer after surpassing Agustín Gaínza. He agreed a new one-year contract in May 2019, later confirming at the outset of 2019–20 that it would be his last season. On 16 August 2019, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory against Barcelona through a bicycle kick in the last minute of the first league fixture. On 20 May 2020, Aduriz announced his retirement as a professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is he considered a Cantera legend if he left for Valencia?

Aduriz returned from his time at Valencia CF to finish his career back in Bilbao, proving his loyalty to the Basque-only recruitment policy. This second stint cemented his place as one of the most beloved graduates of the academy.

What record does Aritz Aduriz hold?

He is recognized for becoming the oldest goalscorer in La Liga history at the time he set the mark. This achievement highlighted his longevity and refusal to retire despite being well past typical playing age.