Xabi Prieto

Xabi Prieto

Prieto with Real Sociedad in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Xabier Prieto Argarate
Date of birth	(1983-08-29) 29 August 1983 (age 33)
Place of birth	San Sebastián, Spain
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Real Sociedad
Number	10
Youth career
1997–2002	Real Sociedad
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2004	Real Sociedad B	48	(8)
2003–	Real Sociedad	447	(63)
National team‡
2004–2005	Spain U21	5	(0)
2004–	Basque Country	14	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 April 2017. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 30 December 2016

Xabier 'Xabi' Prieto Argarate (born 29 August 1983) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Real Sociedad mainly as a right midfielder.

A player of good dribbling skills, he is also a penalty kick specialist.

Born in San Sebastián, Prieto made his La Liga debut with hometown's Real Sociedad on 26 October 2003 in a 1–0 home win over Navarrese neighbours CA Osasuna, going on to collect a further eight substitute appearances – seven of them late in the game – during that season. However, on 23 May of the following year, as the league's outcome was already decided, he profitted from his second start to score twice against Real Madrid in a 4–1 away success, one of the goals coming from the penalty spot.

Subsequently, Prieto was definitely promoted to the first squad and, in 2005–06, participated in all 38 games and netted nine times, six of them being penalties. In the following campaign he was also everpresent, but the Basques dropped down to the second division.

Prieto played in 35 matches in 2009–10, totalling exactly 3,000 minutes and contributing with seven goals as Real Sociedad returned to the top level after three years. In the first game of the following season, at home against Villarreal CF, he scored the game's only goal, after a backheel pass from newly signed Joseba Llorente.