Julen Guerrero

Julen Guerrero
Personal information
Full name Julen Guerrero López
Date of birth (1974-01-07) 7 January 1974
Place of birth Portugalete, Spain
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1982–1992 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992 Bilbao Athletic 12 (6)
1992–2006 Athletic Bilbao 372 (101)
Total 384 (107)
National team
1989–1990 Spain U16 9 (7)
1990–1991 Spain U17 8 (3)
1990–1991 Spain U18 14 (2)
1992–1994 Spain U21 12 (8)
1993–2000 Spain 41 (13)

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


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

Julen Guerrero López (born 7 January 1974) is a Spanish retired footballer who played solely for Athletic Bilbao.[1]

Ambidextrous, the attacking midfielder was mainly known for his skills and shooting ability. A Spanish international since 1993, he represented the nation at two World Cups, gaining more than 40 caps and appearing in more than 400 official games for his only team.

Club career

Born in Portugalete, Biscay, Guerrero joined Athletic Bilbao as an eight-year-old, and subsequently progressed through the junior ranks of the club. In the 1991–92 season he appeared for the reserves in the second division, being as Aitor Karanka a member of the under-19 team that won a national cup and league double in 1992.

In September 1992, aged 18, Guerrero made his senior debut for Athletic, under Jupp Heynckes.[2] He quickly made an impact and, although a midfielder, scored 28 La Liga goals in his first two seasons combined (65 in his first six). He was awarded the New Spanish Player of the Year by El País in 1993, and won the Spanish Footballer of the Year by both Don Balón and El País the following year.[3] During the 1993–94 campaign, he scored a hat-trick against Albacete Balompié (4–1, home), adding four against Sporting de Gijón (7–0 also at the San Mamés Stadium).

The early promise Guerrero showed attracted interest from, among others, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Juventus FC, S.S. Lazio and Manchester United. However, he remained loyal to Athletic and, in 1997, signed a ten-year contract[2] which was the longest in the club's history, and also made him the team's highest-paid player.

In 1997–98, Guerrero netted eight times in 29 contests as the Basques finished second, leading to direct qualification for the UEFA Champions League. However, in the following years, his career went into decline and, in 2002, he was dropped by coach Luis Fernández, while still only 28;[2] in his last four seasons combined he could only manage 57 games with just four goals but, despite his poor form, remained a fan favourite, and the decision to drop him caused some controversy.[4]

On 11 July 2006, Guerrero announced his retirement as a player at an emotional press conference.[5] He scored 116 goals in 430 competitive matches over the course of 14 seasons, including four in 17 appearances in various European competitions.[6]

Immediately after retiring, Guerrero took charge of the Lezama youth ranks, leaving the post after two years.

International career

On 27 January 1993, when still only 19, Guerrero made his debut for Spain in a friendly game with Mexico, in Las Palmas.[7] He went on to play 41 games and score 13 goals, including one at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and also represented the nation at the 1998 World Cup and UEFA Euro 1996.

Among Guerrero's personal international highlights were hat-tricks against Malta (3–0 in Attard, on 18 December 1996) and Cyprus (8–0, 8 September 1999).[8] He played his last game for Spain in October 2000.[9]

Between 1993 and 2006 Guerrero also played 11 times for the Basque Country autonomous team, scoring six goals. This included another hat-trick in 1997, against Yugoslavia.

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 2 June 1993 Žalgiris Stadium, Vilnius, Lithuania  Lithuania 0–1 0–2 1994 World Cup qualification
2. 2 June 1993 Žalgiris Stadium, Vilnius, Lithuania  Lithuania 0–2 0–2 1994 World Cup qualification
3. 8 September 1993 Rico Pérez, Alicante, Spain  Chile 1–0 2–0 Friendly
4. 8 September 1993 Rico Pérez, Alicante, Spain  Chile 2–0 2–0 Friendly
5. 29 March 1995 Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain  Belgium 1–0 1–1 Euro 1996 qualifying
6. 6 September 1995 Los Cármenes, Granada, Spain  Cyprus 1–0 6–0 Euro 1996 qualifying
7. 20 September 1995 Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain  Argentina 2–0 2–1 Friendly
8. 18 December 1996 Ta' Qali, Attard, Malta  Malta 0–1 0–3 1998 World Cup qualification
9. 18 December 1996 Ta' Qali, Attard, Malta  Malta 0–2 0–3 1998 World Cup qualification
10. 18 December 1996 Ta' Qali, Attard, Malta  Malta 0–3 0–3 1998 World Cup qualification
11. 8 September 1999 Vivero, Badajoz, Spain  Cyprus 3–0 8–0 Euro 2000 qualifying
12. 8 September 1999 Vivero, Badajoz, Spain  Cyprus 5–0 8–0 Euro 2000 qualifying
13. 8 September 1999 Vivero, Badajoz, Spain  Cyprus 6–0 8–0 Euro 2000 qualifying

Personal life

Guerrero's younger brother, José Félix, was also a footballer and a midfielder. He also represented Athletic Bilbao, but only the reserves.[10]

Julen also opened the Restaurante Julen Guerrero in Zamudio, and worked as an online columnist for Eurosport.[11]

Club statistics

Club Season League Cup Europe Other[12] Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bilbao Athletic 1991–92 126------126
Total 126------126
Athletic Bilbao 1992–93 371000----3710
1993–94 361843----4021
1994–95 27132142--3316
1995–96 33961----3910
1996–97 381551----4316
1997–98 2983010--338
1998–99 3692182--4612
1999–00 32630----356
2000–01 27420----294
2001–02 20562----267
2002–03 14022----162
2003–04 14100----141
2004–05 1234020--183
2005–06 1702020--210
Total 3721014111174--430116
Career totals 3841074111174--442122

Honours

Country

Spain U21

Individual

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Leyendas del Athletic Club de Bilbao – Guerrero" [Athletic Club de Bilbao legends – Guerrero] (in Spanish). El Correo. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Guerrero pride at Athletic honour; UEFA.com, 24 October 2006
  3. ↑ Spain – Footballer of the Year; at RSSSF
  4. ↑ "Julen Guerrero vive su temporada más amarga en el Athletic" [Julen Guerrero goes through most bitter season in Athletic] (in Spanish). El País. 5 December 1998. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Guerrero says goodbye at Athletic; UEFA.com, 11 July 2006
  6. ↑ "Los discípulos de Pichichi" [Pichichi's disciples] (in Spanish). El Correo. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "Más joven, pero igual de gris" [Younger, but just as grey] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 28 January 1993. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "España golea 8–0 a Chipre y pasa a la fase final de la Eurocopa" [Spain routs Cyprus 8–0 and qualifies to Eurocup finals] (in Spanish). El País. 9 September 1999. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  9. ↑ Julen Guerrero – Goals in International Matches; at RSSSF
  10. ↑ "El hermano de Julen Guerrero mantiene al Éibar arriba" [Julen Guerrero's brother keeps Éibar up] (in Spanish). El País. 21 October 1996. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  11. ↑ Beatriz Ortiz (19 December 2008). "Qué fue de... Julen Guerrero, el símbolo del Athletic" [What happened to... Julen Guerrero, Athletic's symbol] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  12. ↑ Includes other competitive competitions, including the Supercopa de España, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup.
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