Dani Aranzubia

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Dani Aranzubia
Aranzubia in 2008
Personal information
Full name Daniel Aranzubia Aguado[1]
Date of birth (1979-09-18) 18 September 1979[1]
Place of birth Logroño, Spain
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Amorebieta (goalkeeper coach)
Youth career
1993–1994 Loyola
1994–1997 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–2000 Athletic Bilbao B 70 (0)
1997–1998 Basconia 31 (0)
2000–2008 Athletic Bilbao 162 (0)
2008–2013 Deportivo La Coruña 178 (1)
2013–2014 Atlético Madrid 1 (0)
Total 442 (1)
International career
1995–1996 Spain U16 3 (0)
1998–1999 Spain U20 9 (0)
1999–2001 Spain U21 17 (0)
2000 Spain U23 6 (0)
2004 Spain 1 (0)
Medal record
Representing  Spain
Men's Football
Silver medal – second place2000 SydneyTeam competition
FIFA World Youth Championship
Winner1999 Nigeria
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Daniel Aranzubia Aguado (born 18 September 1979) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is the current goalkeeper coach of Amorebieta.

He appeared in 303 La Liga matches over 13 seasons, with Athletic Bilbao – in whose youth system he grew – Deportivo and Atlético Madrid. With the second club, he scored one goal in the competition.

Aranzubia represented Spain at Euro 2004.

Club career

Athletic Bilbao

Born in Logroño, La Rioja, but nonetheless a product of Athletic Bilbao's famed youth academy at Lezama,[2] Aranzubia made his La Liga debut with the first team on 10 June 2001 in a 1–3 home derby loss against Real Sociedad.[3] After two seasons as backup to Iñaki Lafuente, he emerged as the side's undisputed starter,[4] helping them qualify for the UEFA Cup in 2004 while extending his contract a further four years.[5]

Following additional struggles for first-choice duties with Lafuente in the 2005–06 campaign,[4] Aranzubia was definitely deemed surplus to requirements by the Basques due to the emergence of Gorka Iraizoz, not appearing even when the first-choice was severely injured during 2007–08 (Athletic received veteran Armando on loan from Cádiz CF, and he became the starter).[6]

Deportivo

On 13 July 2008, Aranzubia joined Deportivo de La Coruña on a three-year deal,[7] helping the Galicians to the UEFA Intertoto Cup and starting throughout the entire season, save one match due to suspension. On 2 October, he saved three penalties in a shootout against SK Brann in a UEFA Cup first round 2–0 home win, with Depor thus reaching the group stage.[8]

Aranzubia missed the first six games of the 2010–11 campaign due to injury,[9] but again finished as a starter. On 20 February 2011, he scored with his head through a 95th-minute corner kick as his team managed a 1–1 draw at UD Almería,[10] becoming the first goalkeeper in the history of the Spanish top division to score from open play.[11]

Atlético Madrid

In August 2013, Aranzubia signed for Atlético Madrid as a backup to Thibaut Courtois.[12] He made his debut in the UEFA Champions League on 11 December 2013 shortly after his 34th birthday, saving a penalty from FC Porto's Josué in a 2–0 group stage home victory.[13]

As the Belgian was unavailable due to injury, Aranzubia first played in the league with the Colchoneros on 8 February 2014, being sent off in the last minutes of a 2–0 loss at Almería after fouling Jonathan Zongo in the box.[14] He finished his spell at the Vicente Calderón Stadium with five competitive appearances.[15]

International career

Aranzubia made his only appearance for Spain on 5 June 2004, in a friendly with Andorra at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez. He came on as a substitute for Santiago Cañizares, who had already replaced Iker Casillas, at the hour-mark,[16] after having been selected as third-choice for the UEFA Euro 2004 tournament.[17]

Previously, Aranzubia helped the nation to win the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship and finish runners-up at the 2000 Summer Olympics, starting in both finals.[18][19][20]

Coaching career

On 21 June 2016, Aranzubia was hired as a goalkeeper coach for SD Amorebieta under manager Aitor Larrazábal.[21] Three years later, in the same capacity, he joined his former teammate Joseba Etxeberria's staff at Athletic Bilbao B.[22]

Aranzubia returned to Amorebieta in summer 2023, in the same role.[23]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[24][25]
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Athletic Bilbao 2000–01 La Liga 2040—60
2001–02 8080—160
2002–03 25020—270
2003–04 34000—340
2004–05 3701040420
2005–06 1802000200
2006–07 28000—280
2007–08 10060—160
Total 1620230401890
Deportivo La Coruña 2008–09 La Liga 37000100470
2009–10 36000—360
2010–11 32100—321
2011–12 Segunda División 38000—380
2012–13 La Liga 35000—350
Total 1781001001881
Atlético Madrid 2013–14 La Liga 10301050
Career total 34112601503821

Honours

Aranzubia with Deportivo in 2008

Basconia

Deportivo

Atlético Madrid

Spain U20

Spain U23

References

  1. "Aranzubia" (in Spanish). Atlético Madrid. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  2. Martínez Glera, José (21 October 2017). "La debilidad del fútbol riojano" [The weakness of Riojan football] (in Spanish). La Rioja. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  3. Cuenca, Nika (11 June 2001). "El derbi de las verdades" [The derby of truths]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  4. Benito, Iñaki (2 September 2006). "Lafuente no entiende su vuelta a la suplencia" [Lafuente does not understand return to backup status]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  5. "Aranzubia puts pen to paper". UEFA. 26 April 2004. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  6. Ortiz de Lazcano, Javier; Basic, Robert; Mallo, Juanma (11 February 2013). ""Con Aranzubia se tuvo menos paciencia que con Iraizoz"" ["People were less patient with Aranzubia than with Iraizoz"]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  7. Río, Endika (13 July 2008). "Aranzubia ficha por el Deportivo" [Aranzubia signs for Deportivo]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  8. "UEFA Cup: Depor survive Brann penalty scare". ESPN Soccernet. 2 October 2008. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  9. "Aranzubia será sometido a tratamiento con plasma para lesión de hombro" [Aranzubia to undergo plasma treatment for shoulder injury]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 27 July 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  10. "Aranzubia to the rescue". ESPN Soccernet. 20 February 2011. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  11. "Dani Aranzubia, primer portero que marca de cabeza en la Liga" [Dani Aranzubia, first goalkeeper to score with head in the League]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). 20 February 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  12. Yordi, J.; Barbero, A. (13 August 2011). "El Atlético ficha a Dani Aranzubía [sic]" [Atlético sign Dani Aranzubia]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  13. Bryan, Paul (11 December 2013). "Unbeaten Atlético end Porto hopes". UEFA. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  14. Aldunate, Ramiro (8 February 2014). "Ádiós liderato, hola dudas" [Goodbye first place, hello doubts]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  15. Jiménez, Mayca (8 March 2018). "¿Qué fue de Aranzubia?: primer meta goleador de cabeza en Liga" [What happened to Aranzubia?: first scoring goalkeeper with the head in League]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  16. Marcote, Carlos (6 June 2004). "España golea a Andorra antes de viajar hacia Portugal (4–0)" [Spain rout Andorra before travelling to Portugal (4–0)]. El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  17. Modia, Iván (20 May 2004). "Sáez selects Spain squad". UEFA. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  18. García, Miguel Ángel (17 April 2009). "Qué fue de los campeones del mundo sub20" [What happened to the under-20 world champions]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  19. Díez, Óscar (1 May 2014). "Campeonato del Mundo sub'20 1999 (III): España se corona en Nigeria" [1999 Under'20 World Cup (III): Spain crowned in Nigeria] (in Spanish). Cuadernos de Fútbol. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  20. "La selección española tira por la borda el oro, que se llevó Camerún" [The Spain national team throw gold overboard, Cameroon grabbed it]. Libertad Digital (in Spanish). 30 September 2000. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  21. "Aranzubía, nuevo entrenador de porteros del Amorebieta" [Aranzubía, new Amorebieta goalkeeper coach] (in Spanish). Nueve Cuatro Uno. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  22. "Joseba Etxeberria will be the next coach of Bilbao Athletic". Athletic Bilbao. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  23. Lorenzo, José Luis (6 February 2024). "La pena de Aranzubia tras salir del Athletic por la puerta de atrás... otra vez: "Hay personas que consideran que no tienes que estar y te tienes que ir"" [Aranzubia's sorrow after leaving Athletic through the back door... again: "Some people consider you don't have to be there and you have to go"] (in Spanish). Relevo. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  24. Dani Aranzubia at BDFutbol
  25. Dani Aranzubia at Soccerway
  26. Oyarzabal, Eduardo (1 June 2023). "Mendilibar y la bendita tómbola para el sevillismo" [Mendilibar and the holy bingo for Sevilla]. Deia (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  27. "El Deportivo campeón histórico de Segunda" [Deportivo historic Segunda champions]. La Opinión A Coruña (in Spanish). 3 June 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2025.