Andoni Iraola
Iraola playing for Athletic Bilbao in 2007
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andoni Iraola Sagarna | ||
| Date of birth | 22 June 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Usurbil, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Right back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–1999 | Antiguoko | ||
| 1999–2000 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2001 | Basconia | 35 | (4) |
| 2001–2003 | Bilbao Athletic | 75 | (15) |
| 2003–2015 | Athletic Bilbao | 406 | (33) |
| 2015–2016 | New York City | 40 | (0) |
| Total | 556 | (52) | |
| National team | |||
| 2001 | Spain U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2003 | Spain U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2008–2011 | Spain | 7 | (0) |
| 2003–2013 | Basque Country | 8 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Andoni Iraola Sagarna (Basque pronunciation: [andoni iɾa.ola s̺aɣarna], Spanish: [anˈdoni iɾaˈola saˈɣarna]; born 22 June 1982) is a former Spanish footballer who played as a right back.
Combative and with good passing skills, he spent the vast majority of his professional career with Athletic Bilbao, appearing in 510 competitive games during 12 seasons.
Iraola was born in Usurbil, Gipuzkoa. A product of Athletic Bilbao's youth system at Lezama, he made his debuts with the first team in the 2003–04 season, becoming an instant first-choice while often taking penalties and free kicks. On 30 August 2003 he made his first La Liga appearance, starting in a 0–1 home loss against FC Barcelona, and his five goals in 30 appearances helped the team qualify for the UEFA Cup.
During his twelve seasons Iraola never played in fewer than 30 league matches, scoring in all but one league campaign – like former club legend Aitor Larrazábal, who played as a left back– while also helping the Basque side finish second in three Copa del Rey tournaments and the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League. On 28 January 2007 he netted twice in a 2–0 away win against neighbours Real Sociedad, who were finally relegated – Athletic narrowly avoided the drop, ranking in 17th position. He played his first cup final in 2009, a 1–4 loss to Barcelona at Mestalla in Valencia, and three years later helped them finish runners-up in both the domestic cup and the Europa League.
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