Igor Gabilondo
Gabilondo with Athletic Bilbao in 2008
Personal information
Full name Igor Gabilondo del Campo
Date of birth (1979-02-10) 10 February 1979
Place of birth San Sebastián, Spain
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Añorga
1993–1997 Real Sociedad
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2000 Real Sociedad B
2000–2006 Real Sociedad 129 (13)
2006–2012 Athletic Bilbao 147 (20)
2012 AEK Larnaca 6 (0)
Total 282 (33)
International career
2002–2011 Basque Country 12 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Igor Gabilondo del Campo (born 10 February 1979) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a left midfielder.

He played mainly for Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao (six seasons apiece) during his career, amassing La Liga totals of 276 games and 33 goals.[1]

Club career

Gabilondo was born in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa. A product of Real Sociedad's youth system, he appeared sparingly for the first team in his first two seasons as a professional but went on to become an important element for the Basque club,[2] scoring five La Liga goals in 33 games in the 2003–04 campaign.[3]

In 2006, Gabilondo moved to local rivals Athletic Bilbao on a free transfer,[4] producing roughly the same numbers in his first two seasons (59 matches and seven goals).[3] On 7 April 2007, he scored the game's only goal in a home win against Valencia CF.[5]

Gabilondo was used sparingly in 2008–09,[6] but the 30-year-old regained his importance the following year, netting three times during the season, two of those coming in 4–1 home victories over CD Tenerife and UD Almería[7][8]– his side finished eighth.

In 2010–11, veteran Gabilondo was regularly used by Athletic Bilbao, alternating between the starting XI and the substitutes' bench. He equalled a career-best five goals, either from free kicks or long-distance shots,[9][10][11][12] also scoring in a 2–0 home defeat of AD Alcorcón in that campaign's Copa del Rey (3–0 on aggregate).[13] In what proved to be his final season at the San Mamés Stadium, he featured 21 times in all competitions but only completed 90 minutes on two occasions. His most significant involvement was opening the scoring with a volley in the 2–0 win over Paris Saint-Germain F.C. in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League;[14] they reached the final of that competition, in which he was an unused substitute (as was the case in the decisive match in the domestic cup, both matches ending in 3–0 losses).[15][16]

On 10 July 2012, aged 33, Gabilondo moved abroad for the first time in his career, signing for one year with an option for a further season with AEK Larnaca FC in the Cypriot First Division and rejoining his former Athletic teammate Ander Murillo.[17] He left shortly after, however, with injuries and recently becoming a father cited as the reasons.[18]

International career

On 28 December 2011, Gabilondo equalled Julen Guerrero as the most capped played in the history of the Basque Country regional team. The match against Tunisia was his 12th appearance with the Euskal Herriko Selekzioa.[19][20]

Personal life

Gabilondo's father José Manuel and his uncle Francisco Javier were both footballers, spending their careers mostly in the Segunda División B.[21][22]

Honours

Athletic Bilbao

References

  1. ↑ "Athletic Club-Real Sociedad: jugadores en los dos bandos" [Athletic Club-Real Sociedad: players on both sides]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 9 May 2014. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  2. ↑ "Gabilondo gets Real deal". UEFA. 26 June 2003. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Gabilondo cumplirá ante el Atlético 250 partidos en Primera" [Gabilondo will reach 250 games in Primera against Atlético]. El Correo (in Spanish). 25 January 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "Los otros realistas que acabaron en el Athletic" [The other realistas who ended up at Athletic]. El Correo (in Spanish). 2 July 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "Athletic Bilbao 1–0 Valencia". ESPN Soccernet. 7 April 2007. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  6. ↑ Ortiz de Lazcano, Javier (16 January 2009). "El mejor Gabilondo" [The best Gabilondo]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  7. ↑ "El Athletic golea y el Zaragoza se hunde" [Athletic rout and Zaragoza sink] (in Spanish). RTVE. 21 February 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  8. ↑ Rodrigálvarez, Eduardo (12 April 2010). "Javi Martínez, genio de San Mamés" [Javi Martínez, wizard of San Mamés]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  9. ↑ "Valencia 2–1 Athletic Bilbao". ESPN Soccernet. 2 October 2010. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  10. ↑ "Bilbao ease past Getafe". ESPN Soccernet. 31 October 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  11. ↑ "Bilbao pick up away win". ESPN Soccernet. 18 December 2010. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  12. ↑ Ortí, Francisco (30 September 2011). "Gabilondo, zurda gran reserva" [Gabilondo, vintage ("reserva" also meaning "substitute" in Spanish) lefty] (in Spanish). Fútbol Primera. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  13. ↑ "El Athletic, sin problemas" [Athletic, no problems]. El País (in Spanish). 11 November 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  14. ↑ Bryan, Paul (29 September 2011). "Athletic attacking prowess puts paid to PSG". UEFA. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  15. 1 2 Wilson, Jonathan (9 May 2012). "Europa League: Radamel Falcao's Atlético Madrid rout Athletic Bilbao". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  16. 1 2 Lowe, Sid (26 May 2012). "Barcelona end Guardiola era with Copa del Rey win over Athletic Bilbao". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  17. ↑ Beato, Rafa (10 July 2012). "Igor Gabilondo jugará en Chipre" [Igor Gabilondo will play in Cyprus]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  18. ↑ "Igor Gabilondo abandona el fútbol chipriota por motivos personales" [Igor Gabilondo quits Cypriot football for personal reasons]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). 29 January 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  19. ↑ Gondra, Aner (29 December 2011). "Esqueleto rojiblanco" [Red-and-white skeleton]. Deia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 April 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  20. ↑ Zaballa, Carlos (29 December 2011). "Sin gol" [No goal]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  21. ↑ José Manuel Gabilondo at BDFutbol
  22. ↑ Francisco Gabilondo at BDFutbol
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