Iker Begoña

Iker Begoña Zubiaur (born 15 November 1976) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central defender or a defensive midfielder.

Iker Begoña
Personal information
Full nameIker Begoña Zubiaur
Date of birth (1976-11-15) 15 November 1976 (age 47)
Place of birthBilbao, Spain
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)Centre-back, defensive midfielder
Youth career
Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1996–1997Basconia
1997–1998Bilbao Athletic10(1)
1998–1999Gernika30(2)
1999–2000Bermeo34(1)
2000–2001Amurrio35(2)
2001Alicante12(1)
2001–2006Recreativo141(6)
2006–2007Lorca Deportiva20(0)
2007–2009Albacete73(3)
2009–2011Levadiakos32(1)
2012Thrasyvoulos16(1)
Total403(18)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Born in Bilbao, Basque Country, Begoña reached the Segunda División in late 2001 at already 25, signing with Recreativo de Huelva from lowly Alicante CF. He appeared in 21 games and scored one goal in his first season to help his team return to La Liga after an absence of 23 years, then remained a further four campaigns with the Andalusians, three of them in the second division; he made his debut in his country's top flight on 1 September 2002, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–3 home loss against Málaga CF.[1]

Subsequently, Begoña continued competing in the second tier, with Lorca Deportiva CF[2] and Albacete Balompié. In November 2009, the 33-year-old moved abroad for the first time in his career, signing with Levadiakos F.C. in the Super League Greece.[3] He split the 2011–12 campaign in the same country with that club and Thrasyvoulos F.C. of division two, retiring at its closure.

Personal life

Begoña's older brother, Ibon, was also a footballer and a defender.[4]

References