Ander Iturraspe

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Iturraspe and the second or maternal family name is Derteano.

Ander Iturraspe
Iturraspe with Athletic Bilbao in 2015
Personal information
Full name Ander Iturraspe Derteano[1]
Date of birth (1989-03-08) 8 March 1989 (age 35)[1]
Place of birth Abadiño, Spain
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1998–1999 Matiena
1999–2003 Athletic Bilbao
2003–2004 Abadiño
2004–2007 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2008 Basconia 30 (1)
2008–2010 Bilbao Athletic 40 (1)
2008–2019 Athletic Bilbao 232 (3)
2019–2020 Espanyol 8 (0)
Total 310 (5)
International career
2012 Spain U23 1 (0)
2014 Spain 2 (0)
2011–2016 Basque Country 6 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ander Iturraspe Derteano (Basque: [ander ituraspe]; Spanish: [ˈandeɾ ituˈraspe]; born 8 March 1989) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.

He spent all but the final season of his career at Athletic Bilbao, appearing in 320 matches in all competitions after making his debut with the first team at the age of 19.[2] In La Liga, he also played with Espanyol.

Iturraspe won two caps for Spain, in 2014.

Club career

Athletic Bilbao

Born in Abadiño, Biscay, Iturraspe joined Athletic Bilbao in 1999, at the age of 10; he returned to his hometown four years later due to homesickness, but went back to Lezama to complete his development shortly after.[3] He spent several seasons in the various junior levels of the club and, in 2007, moved to farm team CD Basconia in the Tercera División.[4]

On 12 March 2008, Iturraspe started for the first team in a 6–1 friendly win against Zalla UC. Towards the end of the league campaign, he also played in exhibition matches with Club Portugalete[5] and Aviron Bayonnais FC.[6]

On 23 June 2008, Iturraspe was officially promoted to the main squad,[7] being issued with the squad number 26.[8] He made his La Liga debut on 14 September, starting in a 0–0 draw at Málaga CF in the same match as another youth graduate, Mikel Balenziaga;[9] his second appearance came as a substitute, in the 2–0 home victory over Real Valladolid.[10]

Iturraspe made his second start for Athletic in a Copa del Rey match against Recreativo de Huelva, being replaced at half-time by Pablo Orbaiz.[11] He continued appearing almost exclusively for the reserves until the end of the season, however.

Iturraspe playing for Athletic at Camp Nou in Barcelona, 2014

Benefitting from physical problems to veteran Carlos Gurpegui, Iturraspe played 58 official games in 2011–12 under new manager Marcelo Bielsa; Athletic reached both the UEFA Europa League and the domestic cup finals.[12] At the end of the 2013–14 season, he was voted into the La Liga Team of the Year by the reporters of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional.[13][14]

In early 2019, it was announced that Iturraspe would leave the San Mamés Stadium at the end of the campaign when his contract ended. The club's final home match involved tributes to him, as well as fellow long-serving squad members Mikel Rico and Markel Susaeta who were also departing in similar circumstances.[15][16]

Espanyol

On 8 July 2019, Iturraspe signed a one-year deal with RCD Espanyol as a free agent.[17] He made his debut on 1 August in the second leg of the second qualifying round in the UEFA Europa League, as a 65th-minute substitute in a 3–1 win at Stjarnan (7–1 aggregate).[18] Hampered by a shoulder injury,[19] he did not feature for the Barcelona-based side until 15 December, again off the bench in a 2–2 home draw against Real Betis.[20]

In September 2020, after his link expired and with his team having been relegated to the Segunda División, Iturraspe decided to decline offers from other clubs and retire from playing, aged 31.[12]

International career

Following a strong 2013–14 season, Iturraspe was called up by Spain national team manager Vicente Del Bosque to his 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup,[21] making his debut on 30 May in a friendly with Bolivia in Seville[22] where he played the full 90 minutes (2–0 win).[23] However, the following day, he was omitted from the final list.[24]

Personal life

Iturraspe's younger brother, Gorka, also came through Athletic's academy and became a professional in the same position.[25]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[26][27]
Club Season League Cup Europe Other[28] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Basconia 2007–08 Tercera División 30 1 – – – 30 1
Bilbao Athletic 2007–08 Segunda División B 3 0 – – – 3 0
2008–09 26 1 – – – 26 1
2009–10 11 0 – – – 11 0
Total 40 1 – – – 40 1
Athletic Bilbao 2008–09 La Liga 4 0 1 0 – – 5 0
2009–10 15 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 19 0
2010–11 17 0 1 0 – – 18 0
2011–12 35 1 8 0 15 0 – 58 1
2012–13 30 0 2 0 9 0 – 41 0
2013–14 33 0 5 0 0 0 – 38 0
2014–15 25 2 6 0 7 0 – 38 2
2015–16 16 0 4 0 8 0 – 28 0
2016–17 24 0 3 0 5 0 – 32 0
2017–18 30 0 1 0 7 0 – 38 0
2018–19 3 0 2 0 – – 5 0
Total 232 3 33 0 54 0 1 0 320 3
Espanyol 2019–20 La Liga 8 0 3 0 7 0 – 18 0
Career total 310 5 36 0 61 0 1 0 408 5

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[29]
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain 2014 2 0
Total 2 0

Honours

Athletic Bilbao

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c "Iturraspe". Diario AS. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  2. ^ R. Beltrán, Javier (30 April 2019). "El Athletic hace oficial que no renueva a Iturraspe ni a Mikel Rico" [Athletic confirm that both Iturraspe and Mikel Rico will not be renewed]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  3. ^ Cuenca, Nika (14 May 2014). "Iturraspe: El niño infeliz en Lezama es el líder del Athletic" [Iturraspe: The unhappy kid at Lezama is Athletic's leader]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  4. ^ "The 2007–08 Bilbao Athletic and Baskonia teams". Athletic Bilbao. 10 July 2007. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  5. ^ "Portugalete 1 Athletic Club 2". Athletic Bilbao. 16 April 2008. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  6. ^ "Aviron 1 – Athletic Club 1". Athletic Bilbao. 14 May 2008. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2008.
  7. ^ "Baskonia and Bilbao Athletic, signings and departures". Athletic Bilbao. 23 June 2008. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  8. ^ "Numbers 2008–09". Athletic Bilbao. 26 August 2008. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  9. ^ "Málaga CF 0-Athletic Club 0: First point". Athletic Bilbao. 14 September 2008. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  10. ^ "Athletic Club 2-Real Valladolid 0: First and well deserved victory". Athletic Bilbao. 21 September 2008. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  11. ^ "Qualified for the Round of 16". Athletic Bilbao. 12 November 2008. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  12. ^ a b Ruiz, Pako (24 September 2020). "Ander Iturraspe cuelga las botas a los 31 años" [Ander Iturraspe hangs up boots at the age of 31]. Deia (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  13. ^ a b "The Liga BBVA team of the season". La Liga. 19 May 2014. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  14. ^ a b Chesters, Heath (19 May 2014). "LFP reporters choose their La Liga 'Ideal Eleven' for 2013–14". Inside Spanish Football. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  15. ^ "Farewell tribute to Susaeta, Rico and Iturraspe". Athletic Bilbao. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  16. ^ R. Beltrán, Javier (12 May 2019). "Susaeta, Iturraspe y Mikel Rico, arropados y manteados" [Susaeta, Iturraspe and Mikel Rico, cheered and thrown in the air]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  17. ^ Millar, Colin (8 July 2019). "Espanyol sign Athletic Club Bilbao's Ander Iturraspe". Football España. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  18. ^ "Iturraspe debuta con el Espanyol en Islandia" [Iturraspe debuts with Espanyol in Iceland] (in Spanish). Football Addict. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  19. ^ García-Nieto, Álvaro (2 March 2020). "Iturraspe y el trabajo en la sombra en busca de la salvación" [Iturraspe and work in the shadows in search of salvation]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  20. ^ "El Betis corta la reacción del Espanyol" [Betis cut Espanyol's reaction] (in Spanish). RTVE. 15 December 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  21. ^ Estepa, Javier (13 May 2014). "Carvajal and Iturraspe, La Roja's fresh faces". Marca. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  22. ^ "Del Bosque waits to name 23". FIFA. 25 May 2014. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  23. ^ Bruña, Manuel (31 May 2014). "2–0: Iniesta desatasca a España en Sevilla" [2–0: Iniesta gets Spain going in Seville]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  24. ^ "World Cup 2014: Spain drop Alvaro Negredo and Jesus Navas". BBC Sport. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  25. ^ Ugalde, Iñaki (20 February 2014). "Iturraspe: "¡Dónde voy a estar mejor que aquí!"" [Iturraspe: "Where could I feel better than here!"]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  26. ^ Ander Iturraspe at Athletic Bilbao
  27. ^ a b c "Iturraspe". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  28. ^ Includes other competitive competitions, including the Supercopa de España, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup.
  29. ^ "Iturraspe". European Football. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ander Iturraspe.