Júnior Izaguirre

Junior Izaguirre
Personal information
Full name Junior Gustavo Izaguirre Puerto
Date of birth (1979-08-12) 12 August 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2005 Motagua 178 (31)
2005–2006 Peñarol 1 (0)
2006–2007 Marathón 29 (0)
2007–2010 Victoria 102 (2)
2011–2016 Motagua 186 (6)
International career
1998–1999 Honduras U20
2000–2007 Honduras 27 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 December 2016
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2007

Junior Gustavo Izaguirre Puerto (born 12 August 1979) is a Honduran retired football defender, who most recently played for F.C. Motagua in the Honduran Liga Nacional.[1]

Club career

Izaguirre started his professional career at Honduran giants F.C. Motagua with whom he stayed for 8 years. He was the hero of the 2001 Apertura championship final when he scored all three of Motagua's goals against Marathón.[2] In 2005, he moved abroad only for an unsuccessful campaign at Uruguayan top team Peñarol, due to an injury. He only played one match for them before his contract was terminated in April 2006.[3] He returned to Honduras to have a short spell at Marathón, then signed for Victoria. He returned to his first club, F.C. Motagua, before the 2011 Clausura championship.[4]

He is the top-scoring defender of Honduran football with 37 goals.[5]

International career

Izaguirre played at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship[6] and was a member of the national squad at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.[7] Izaguirre then won many caps for the Honduras national football team around the start of the 21st century, playing regularly in central defense.

He made his international debut against Canada on May 30, 2000,[8] and received his final cap against Nicaragua on February 15, 2007.[9] The high point of Izaguirre's international career came in the consolation match of the 2001 Copa América against Uruguay, when he scored in regulation time and hit the decisive penalty in the shootout to secure third-place honors for Honduras.[10] He has represented his country in 2 FIFA World Cup qualification matches[11] and played at the 2001[12] and 2007 UNCAF Nations Cups[9] as well as at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[13]

International goals

Scores and results list Honduras' goal tally first.
N. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 29 July 2001 Estadio Nemesio Camacho, Bogotá, Colombia  Uruguay 2–1 2–2 2001 Copa América
2. 3 August 2004 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador  El Salvador 1–0 4–0 friendly match

References

  1. ^ Diez.hn 03/12/2013 11:03PM Junior Izaguirre ha culminado su contrato con Motagua, pero el técnico Diego Vásquez le ha solicitado que se una a la plantilla, pues esta en sus planes para la siguiente campaña.
  2. ^ “Se debe asumir como una final”, dice Júnior Izaguirre - El Heraldo (in Spanish)
  3. ^ Hondureño Izaguirre rescinde contrato con uruguayo Peñarol - Nación (in Spanish)
  4. ^ Motagua se sigue armando Archived 2013-03-29 at the Wayback Machine - La Tribuna (in Spanish)
  5. ^ Júnior Izaguirre: “Debemos jugar como si fuera la final” - La Prensa (in Spanish)
  6. ^ FIFA. "Match Report - Honduras - Spain 1:3 (0:3)". April 11, 1999. Retrieved on April 19, 2013.
  7. ^ FIFA. "Men's Olympic Football Tournament Squad List: Honduras". Retrieved on April 19, 2013.
  8. ^ Courtney, Barrie. "International Matches 2000 - North and Central America and Caribbean" Archived March 31, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. RSSSF, February 2, 2005. Retrieved on April 19, 2013.
  9. ^ a b Courtney, Barrie. "UNCAF (Qualifying Tournament for Gold Cup) 2007 - Details". RSSSF, March 2, 2007. Retrieved on April 19, 2013.
  10. ^ Manaschev, Erlan. "International Matches 2001 - Intercontinental, July-September". RSSSF, February 2, 2005. Retrieved on April 19, 2013.
  11. ^ Júnior IzaguirreFIFA competition record (archived)
  12. ^ Qualifying Tournament for Gold Cup 2001 - Details Archived October 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine - RSSSF
  13. ^ CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 2005 - Full Details Archived October 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine - RSSSF