Mikel Balenziaga
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mikel Balenziaga Oruesagasti | ||
| Date of birth | 29 February 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Zumarraga, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Left back | ||
| Club information | |||
|
Current team
|
Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Real Sociedad | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2008 | Real Sociedad B | 53 | (0) |
| 2008–2011 | Athletic Bilbao | 25 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | → Numancia (loan) | 26 | (0) |
| 2011–2013 | Valladolid | 72 | (0) |
| 2013– | Athletic Bilbao | 115 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2007 | Spain U19 | 5 | (0) |
| 2008 | Spain U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2012– | Basque Country | 5 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 January 2017. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 31 December 2016 |
|||
Mikel Balenziaga Oruesagasti (born 29 February 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Athletic Bilbao as a left back.
Born in Zumarraga, Gipuzkoa, Balenziaga started his football grooming at Real Sociedad, playing two full seasons with its B-team in the third division. However, in the 2008–09 campaign, he switched to neighbours Athletic Bilbao.
Initially thought of as a member of the reserve side, Balenziaga quickly beat competition from veterans Koikili and Javier Casas to become the undisputed first-choice for the vast majority of the season, making his first-team debut on 14 September 2008 in a 0–0 away draw against Málaga CF – another club graduate, Ander Iturraspe, also made his first La Liga appearance in that game.
In July 2009, Athletic bought Xabier Castillo from neighbours Real Sociedad and Balenziaga, seeing his chances for the upcoming season dim, accepted a loan move to CD Numancia, freshly relegated from the top division. He transferred to Real Valladolid in the 2011 summer, after an unassuming campaign in which he made only one official appearance for the Lions.
After two solid years as first-choice in Castile and León, Balenziaga returned to Athletic for 2013–14 to challenge for a first-team spot under new manager Ernesto Valverde. He scored his first ever goal as a professional on 24 September 2016, helping the hosts defeat Sevilla FC 3–1 in the domestic league.
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