Spanish footballer
In this
Spanish name , the first or paternal
surname is
Lacruz and the second or maternal family name is
Gómez .
Jesús María Lacruz Gómez (born 25 April 1978) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a versatile defender .
He amassed La Liga totals of 272 games and 12 goals over the course of 12 seasons, representing Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol in the competition.
Club career
Born in Pamplona , Navarre , Lacruz's professional career began in 1994 with hometown side CA Osasuna in the Segunda División , making his first appearance for the main squad aged just 17,[ 1] and in 1997 he joined Athletic Bilbao , where he made his La Liga debut in a 1–0 home win against Atlético Madrid on 13 September.[ 2] He was a regular starter for the latter in six of his nine seasons.
After 251 official matches with Athletic – five in the 1998–99 edition of the UEFA Champions League [ 3] [ 4] – Lacruz moved to RCD Espanyol in summer 2006 for € 300,000 on a three-year contract, reuniting with his former manager Ernesto Valverde .[ 5] His first competitive appearance took place on 17 August in a 0–1 home loss to FC Barcelona in the Supercopa de España ,[ 6] and he scored his first goal for his new team against A.S. Livorno Calcio in a UEFA Cup fixture.[ 7] In the same competition , he added another in a 2–1 away victory over SV Werder Bremen [ 8] as the Catalans went on to lose the final to Sevilla FC on penalties .[ 9] After only ten league appearances in the 2008–09 campaign , the 31-year-old left the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys .
On 14 January 2010, after several months without a club, Lacruz signed for modest Real Unión on a free transfer , until the end of the second-division season , thus returning to the Basque Country .[ 10] He appeared in 20 games in his first year (all starts), in an eventual relegation.[ 11]
International career
Lacruz was part of the Spain squad that won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney , losing the final to Cameroon .[ 12] Additionally, he represented the nation at under-18 , under-20 and under-21 levels .[ 13]
Honours
Espanyol
Spain U23
References
^ "Aitor Buñuel, un debutante que ya destacó en el Interescolar" [Aitor Buñuel, newcomer who already showed promise in Interschool]. Noticias de Navarra (in Spanish). 17 May 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2023 .
^ Castañeda, Eduardo (14 September 1997). "El 'anticiclón' pasa por San Mamés" [The 'anticyclone' goes through San Mamés]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 April 2017 .
^ Ortiz de Lazcano, Javier (19 September 2011). "Llorente jugará en Málaga su partido 250 con el Athletic" [Llorente will play 250th match with Athletic in Málaga]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 September 2023 . [permanent dead link ]
^ Aramendia, Arkaitz (21 October 2014). "Un día para romper con el año 1998" [A day to break free from year 1998]. Deia (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 September 2023 .
^ "Lacruz ficha por el Espanyol" [Lacruz signs for Espanyol] (in Spanish). UEFA. 14 July 2006. Retrieved 14 April 2017 .
^ Aguilar, Francesc (18 August 2006). "La clase se impone" [Class gets on top] (PDF) . Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 April 2017 .
^ "Espanyol ease through against Livorno" . UEFA. 22 February 2007. Retrieved 12 April 2017 .
^ Atkin, John (3 May 2007). "Espanyol ease into Glasgow final" . UEFA. Retrieved 12 April 2017 .
^ a b Henderson, Charlie (16 May 2007). "Espanyol 2–2 Sevilla" . BBC Sport . Retrieved 21 September 2023 .
^ "Jesús Mari Lacruz, presentado como nuevo jugador del Unión" [Jesús Mari Lacruz, presented as new Unión player]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). 14 January 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2017 .
^ Cosín, Raúl (19 June 2010). "El Hércules vuelve a Primera catorce años después" [Hércules return to Primera fourteen years later]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 September 2023 .
^ a b "Sidney 2000: Oro negro" [Sydney 2000: Black gold] (in Spanish). Recuerdos de Nigeria. 26 May 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2016 .
^ González, M. (16 August 2022). "El exrojillo Mari Lacruz intenta ayudar a un corredor del Pilón y resulta cogido" [Former red Mari Lacruz tries to help a Pilón runner and is gored]. Noticias de Navarra (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 September 2023 .
External links