Josu Urrutia

Josu Urrutia

Urrutia in 2014
Personal information
Full name Josu Urrutia Tellería
Date of birth (1968-04-10) 10 April 1968
Place of birth Bilbao, Spain
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Youth career
1977–1986 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1990 Bilbao Athletic 109 (13)
1988–2003 Athletic Bilbao 348 (10)
Total 457 (23)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Urrutia and the second or maternal family name is Tellería.

Josu Urrutia Tellería (born 10 April 1968) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, and the current president of Athletic Bilbao.

His 17-year senior career was solely connected with Athletic Bilbao, for which he appeared in 348 La Liga games over the course of 16 seasons, scoring ten goals.[1]

Club career

Born in Bilbao, Biscay, and a product of the Athletic Bilbao youth academy at Lezama, Urrutia appeared once for the first team during the 1987–88 season, then amassed a further five La Liga games in the following, going on to represent the B-side in both the second and third divisions; on 9 September 1984, aged only 16, he made his first appearance with the reserves due to a strike by the professional footballers, and he played 67 minutes in a 3–1 home win against UD Salamanca for the second level championship.[2]

From the 1990–91 campaign onwards, Urrutia became a very important first-team member, being a valuable midfield element with tackling and stamina skills and a perfect complement for the more attacking Julen Guerrero. He appeared in 30 matches during 1997–98 as the Basques qualified for the UEFA Champions League, as second.

After just 25 overall appearances from 2001 to 2003 combined – only played in one Copa del Rey contest in the latter season – Urrutia retired from the game at the age of 35 due to recurrent problems in his right knee, having appeared in exactly 400 official games.[3] On 7 July 2011, he won the presidential elections at his only club (54,36% of the votes), becoming only the fourth former player to be chosen for the post.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 300 rugidos (300 roars); Mundo Deportivo, 9 March 2000 (Spanish)
  2. ↑ 3–1: La juventud se impuso en San Mamés (3–1: Youth won at San Mamés); Mundo Deportivo, 10 September 1984 (Spanish)
  3. ↑ “Mi trayectoria es más que un título” (“My career means more than an honour”); Mundo Deportivo, 13 June 2003 (Spanish)
  4. ↑ Josu Urrutia, new president; Athletic's official website, 7 July 2011
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