Ander Iturraspe Derteano (; ; born 8 March 1989) is a Spanish former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a
defensive midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
.
He spent all but the final season of his career at
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...
, appearing in 320 matches in all competitions after making his debut with the first team at the age of 19. In
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
, he also played with
Espanyol.
Iturraspe won two
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
for
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, in 2014.
Club career
Athletic Bilbao
Born in
Abadiño
Abadiño (; ) is a town located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the north of Spain, about 35 km from the provincial capital of Bilbao. The area of the municipality is about and according to the ...
,
Biscay
Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...
, Iturraspe joined
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...
in 1999, at the age of 10; he returned to his hometown four years later due to
homesickness
Homesickness is the distress caused by being away from home.Kerns, Brumariu, Abraham. Kathryn A., Laura E., Michelle M.(2009/04/13). Homesickness at summer camp. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 54. Its cognitive hallmark is preoccupying thoughts of home ...
, but went back to
Lezama to complete his development shortly after. He spent several seasons in the various junior levels of the club and, in 2007, moved to
farm team
In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a Team sport, team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any s ...
CD Basconia
Club Deportivo Basconia is a Spanish football club based in Basauri, Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. Founded on 14 March 1913, it currently plays in , holding home games at the ''Artunduaga Sports Centre'', in the town o ...
in the
Tercera División
Tercera División () was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Until 1977, it was the third tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the ''Segund ...
.
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
Club Portugalete is a List of football clubs in Spain, Basque football team based in Portugalete, in the autonomous community of Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country. Founded in 1909, it plays in , holding its home games in the '' ...
and
Aviron Bayonnais FC.
On 23 June 2008, Iturraspe was officially promoted to the main squad, being issued with the squad number 26. He made his
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
debut on 14 September, starting in a 0–0 draw at
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol (, ''Málaga Football Club''), or simply Málaga, is a club based in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain, who compete in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish football league system, Spanish league system, following the ...
in the same match as another youth graduate,
Mikel Balenziaga; his second appearance came as a
substitute, in the 2–0 home victory over
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., or simply Real Valladolid (), is a Spanish professional List of football clubs in Spain, football club based in Valladolid, Castile and León that will compete from the 2025–26 season in the .
The club ...
.
Iturraspe made his second start for Athletic in a
Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
match
A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...
against
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. () is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in Huelva, Andalucia, Spain. Founded on 23 December 1889, they are the oldest football club in Spain, and currently play in , holding home ...
, being replaced at
half-time
In several team sports, matches are played in two halves. Half-time (also written halftime or half time) is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match. Typically, after half-time, teams swap ends of the field of play in or ...
by
Pablo Orbaiz
Pablo Orbaiz Lesaka (born 6 February 1979) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
After starting out at Osasuna, he went on to play 11 years in La Liga with Athletic Bilbao, appearing in 318 competiti ...
. He continued appearing almost exclusively for
the reserves until the end of the season, however.
Benefitting from physical problems to veteran
Carlos Gurpegui, Iturraspe played 58 official games in
2011–12 under new manager
Marcelo Bielsa
Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera (, nicknamed ''El Loco Bielsa'' , meaning 'The Madman Bielsa'; born 21 July 1955) is an Argentine professional Association football, football manager who is the current manager of the Uruguay national football team ...
; Athletic reached both the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
and the
domestic cup finals.
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
Liga (Spanish and Portuguese: ''League'') or LIGA may refer to:
Sports
Basketball
* Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain
* Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, women's professional basketball league in Spain
Football
Latin Amer ...
.
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.
Espanyol
On 8 July 2019, Iturraspe signed a one-year deal with
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as RCD Espanyol, is a Spanish professional sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spa ...
as a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
. He made his debut on 1 August in the second leg of the
second qualifying round
The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...
in the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
, as a 65th-minute substitute in a 3–1 win at
Stjarnan
Ungmennafélagið Stjarnan (, ), commonly known as Stjarnan (), is an Icelandic multi-sports club specialising in handball, football, basketball, volleyball and gymnastics located in Garðabær.
Basketball Men's basketball
As of the 2017–2 ...
(7–1 aggregate). Hampered by a shoulder injury, he did not feature for the
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
-based side until 15 December, again off the bench in a 2–2 home draw against
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It plays in La Liga, the Spanish football league system, top flight of Spanish football. It plays home ...
.
In September 2020, after his link expired and with his team
having been relegated to
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
, Iturraspe decided to decline offers from other clubs and retire from playing, aged 31.
[
]
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
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...
, making his debut on 30 May in a friendly with Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
in Seville
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
where he played the full 90 minutes (2–0 win). However, the following day, he was omitted from the final list.
Personal life
Iturraspe's younger brother, Gorka, also came through Athletic's academy and became a professional in the same position.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Athletic Bilbao
*Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
runner-up: 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15[
*]UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
runner-up: 2011–12[
Individual
* La Liga Team of the Year: 2013–14][
]
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iturraspe, Ander
1989 births
Living people
People from Abadiño
21st-century Spanish sportsmen
Spanish men's footballers
Footballers from Biscay
Men's association football midfielders
La Liga players
Segunda División B players
Tercera División players
CD Basconia footballers
Athletic Bilbao B footballers
Athletic Bilbao footballers
RCD Espanyol footballers
Spain men's under-23 international footballers
Spain men's international footballers
Basque Country men's international footballers