Andoni Zubizarreta
Spanish goalkeeper who won the European Cup with Barcelona and held La Liga appearance records.
via Wikipedia: Andoni Zubizarreta · see source
Andoni Zubizarreta Urreta (born 23 October 1961) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona, appearing in more than 1,000 official matches during his career, and holding the records for most appearances and clean sheets in La Liga for several years.
Quick Facts
- Full name
- Andoni Zubizarreta Urreta
- Born
- 23 October 1961
- Birthplace
- Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
- Height
- 1.87 m / 6 ft 2 in
- Position
- Goalkeeper
- Total caps
- 661
Lore & Background
Zubizarreta was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, and spent his childhood in Aretxabaleta in Gipuzkoa. He began his football career at Alavés before joining Athletic Bilbao. He made his La Liga debut on 19 September 1981. He signed with Barcelona in 1986 for a record €1.7 million for a goalkeeper. He won the European Cup with Barcelona in 1992 and six La Liga titles (two with Athletic, four with Barcelona). He finished his career at Valencia, retiring after the 1997–98 campaign. He later served as Barcelona's director of football from 2 July 2010 until 5 January 2015, and also worked for Marseille and Porto in similar capacities.
Reader's Guide
Zubizarreta was known for his consistency, composure, and positional sense. He was not particularly adept with the ball at his feet, which led to criticism from Johan Cruyff and contributed to his departure from Barcelona in 1994.
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