Gaizka Mendieta

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born in Bilbao, Basque Country, Mendieta made his professional debut at just 17 with CD Castellón in the Segunda División, featuring mostly as a full-back. After just one season he moved to La Liga after signing with Valencia CF for 30 million pesetas, but spent the vast majority of his first year with the reserves, making his first-team debut on 13 June 1993 against Cádiz CF. The 1997–98 campaign was his breakthrough season under new manager Claudio Ranieri. Moving to a central midfield role he played 30 league matches and scored ten goals, soon making his debut for the national team. In June 1999 he won his first trophy with the club, beating Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey; he found the net in wins over Levante UD, FC Barcelona (both legs) and Real Madrid during the run to the final, where he scored a memorable goal: controlling a cross on his chest, he flicked the ball over his own head and two defenders before turning to volley past the goalkeeper.

In Their Own Story

Mendieta had an even better year in 1999–2000, with Héctor Cúper now as the coach. He helped Valencia to beat Barcelona 4–3 on aggregate to win the Supercopa de España, and netted a career-best 13 goals on the domestic front as the Che finished third. However, their biggest triumph of the season was to reach the final of the UEFA Champions League, a 3–0 loss to fellow Spaniards Real Madrid; later, he was awarded the 'European Midfielder of the Season' award. Valencia went to the final of the Champions League the following year and lost it again, this time to FC Bayern Munich after a penalty shootout. Mendieta scored an early penalty in normal time to give his team a 1–0 lead, and also converted his attempt in the shootout, being again named 'UEFA Best Midfielder of the Year'. Mendieta was one of the most sought-after players in the 2001 off-season, eventually earning a €47.7 million transfer (or a reported 8 billion pesetas) to Italian club SS Lazio, being at the time the sixth most expensive player of all time.

Reader's Guide

Mendieta was a versatile midfielder who played mainly for Valencia, where he won three titles as well as reaching the final of the Champions League in 2000 and 2001 (being voted European Midfielder of the Season in both years). He finished his career with Middlesbrough in England. Over the course of ten seasons, he amassed La Liga totals of 263 games and 48 goals. Mendieta played 40 times for Spain, appearing for the country at Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup. In his first season at Middlesbrough, Mendieta was part of the side that won the Football League Cup, bringing the Teesside club its first ever silverware. In his last two years, a string of injuries (including one which caused him to miss the 2006 UEFA Cup final) and long spells of regaining match fitness relegated Mendieta to the substitutes bench. He played his last game on 26 December 2006, against Everton. On 5 December 2007, according to a Spanish newspaper, Mendieta announced his retirement from professional football when his Middlesbrough contract expired at the end of the 2007–08 campaign. He was finally released on 13 May 2008, ending a successful 17-year professional career.

Did You Know?

• Mendieta made his professional debut at just 17 with CD Castellón in the Segunda División, featuring mostly as a full-back.
• He scored a memorable goal in the 1999 Copa del Rey final: controlling a cross on his chest, he flicked the ball over his own head and two defenders before turning to volley past the goalkeeper.
• Mendieta was the sixth most expensive player of all time when he transferred to SS Lazio for €47.7 million (8 billion pesetas) in 2001.
• His father Andrés was also a footballer who played as a goalkeeper and represented Spain at the 1968 Olympic Games.
• Mendieta was a talented athlete as a youth and came close to pursuing middle-distance running as a career over football.