Julen Guerrero

Lore & Background

Born in Portugalete in Biscay, Guerrero joined Athletic Bilbao as an eight-year-old and progressed through the junior ranks. Along with Aitor Karanka, he was a member of the under-19 team that won a national double of cup and league in 1991–92, and also appeared and scored for the reserves in the Segunda División during the same season. He made his senior debut on 6 September 1992 aged 18, under Jupp Heynckes. He quickly made an impact and, although a midfielder, totalled 28 La Liga goals in his first two seasons (65 in six). He was awarded the New Spanish Player of the Year by El País in 1993, and won the Spanish Footballer of the Year by both Don Balón and El País the following year. In 1993–94 he scored a hat-trick against Albacete (4–1, home), adding four against Sporting de Gijón (7–0 also at the San Mamés Stadium); his arrival at the first team was met with unprecedented furor amongst the younger population due to both his footballing abilities and his charisma, and he became one of the first football celebrities as his pop-like figure boosted Athletic's image overseas. He finished the campaign with 18 – fifth in the charts– and was named the side's youngest-ever captain by Dragoslav Stepanović shortly after. The early promise Guerrero showed attracted interest from, among others, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Juventus, Lazio and Manchester United. However, he remained loyal to Athletic and, in 1997, signed a ten-year contract which was the longest in the club's history, and also made him the team's highest-paid player. In 1997–98, Guerrero netted eight times in 29 matches as the Basques finished second, leading to direct qualification for the UEFA Champions League where he put on strong performances in the group stage against Juventus and Galatasaray. Subsequently, however, his career went into decline and, in 2002, he was deemed surplus to requirements by coach Luis Fernández while still only 28; in his last four seasons he could only manage 57 games with just four goals but, despite his poor form, remained a fan favourite, and the decision to drop him caused some controversy. Guerrero announced his retirement as a player at an emotional press conference on 11 July 2006. He scored 116 goals in 430 competitive matches over the course of 14 seasons, including four in 17 appearances in various European competitions, but did not win any major

In Their Own Story

The rain drummed against the roof of San Mamés, blurring the floodlights into streaks of gold and white. It was late in the match, the score tied, and the crowd's roar had reached a fever pitch that vibrated through the soles of his boots. Julen Guerrero stood over the ball, chest heaving, sweat mixing with the rain on his face. He didn't look at the clock; he looked only at the gap between the full-backs. With a sharp touch and a burst of speed that belied his years, he drove forward, leaving defenders trailing in his wake. The net rippled as he fired home, sealing not just a victory, but another chapter in the legend of the Basque striker.

Reader's Guide

Guerrero was an attacking midfielder, not a striker or classic number nine. He is not the all-time top scorer for Athletic Club (that record belongs to Telmo Zarra with 335 goals); Guerrero scored 116 goals for the club. He did not win any major honours, including the Copa del Rey; the club's last Copa win before his retirement was in 1984, when Guerrero was 10 years old. His era at Athletic stretched from his senior debut in 1992 to his retirement in 2006, not from the early 1980s through the late 1990s.

Did You Know?

• Guerrero scored hat-tricks for Spain against Malta (3–0 in Attard, on 18 December 1996) and Cyprus (8–0, 8 September 1999).
• He was often referred to by the media as El Rey León (The Lion King) and La Perla de Lezama (The Pearl of Lezama).
• His son Julen Jon Guerrero is also a midfielder who developed mainly at Real Madrid and briefly played under his father at Amorebieta.
• Guerrero's wife of 26 years Elsa Landabaso died on 16 April 2026; at the time of her death, both were aged 52.