Fernando Gabriel Amorebieta Mardaras (born 29 March 1985) is a Venezuelan 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

central defender In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

. He spent most of his career with

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 254 competitive matches over eight

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 ...

seasons and scoring four goals. He also competed professionally in England (with

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

and

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

), Argentina and Paraguay. Internationally, Amorebieta played 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 ...

(where he spent most of his early life) at youth level, but later decided to represent his country of birth

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

as a senior, appearing for the nation at the 2015 Copa América.

Club career

Athletic Bilbao

Born in

Cantaura Cantaura () is a city in the state of Anzoátegui, Venezuela. It is the capital of Pedro María Freites Municipality The Pedro María Freites Municipality is one of the 21 municipalities (municipios) that makes up the eastern Venezuelan state of ...

Pedro María Freites Municipality The Pedro María Freites Municipality is one of the 21 municipalities (municipios) that makes up the eastern Venezuelan state of Anzoátegui and, according to the 2011 census by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, the municipality h ...

Anzoátegui Anzoátegui State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, states of Venezuela, located in the northeastern region of the country. Anzoátegui is well known for its beaches that attract many visitors. Its coast consists of a single beach approx ...

, Venezuela, Amorebieta joined

in 1996, aged 11; he met the club's eligibility standards having been raised in the

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

town of

Iurreta Iurreta is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Autonomous Community, northern Spain. Incorporated into the municipality of Durango in 1926, Iurreta regained its independent status in 19 ...

and through his parents, both of whom hailed from the region. After progressing through the ranks – alongside Fernando Llorente– including CD Basconia (the

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 ...

) and Bilbao Athletic (the reserves), he made his first-team debut in 2005–06, becoming first choice in the subsequent

seasons. Amorebieta played a total of 47 official matches in 2009–10, helping Athletic to reach the round of 32 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 well as an eighth-place finish in the league; he collected 18 yellow cards in the process, being sent off twice. Amorebieta began the 2012–13 campaign nursing a pubalgia ailment, and was later involved in a dispute over the extension of his contract.

Fulham

On 15 April 2013, Amorebieta signed a four-year deal with

on a free transfer effective as of 1 July. The

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club officially announced him on 22 May, and he made his debut on 14 September, coming on as a substitute for Kieran Richardson in a 1–1 draw against

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...

Craven Cottage Craven Cottage is a football stadium in Fulham, West London, England, which has been the home of Fulham F.C. since 1896.According to the club'official website The ground's capacity is 29,589; the record attendance is 49,335, for a game agains ...

. Amorebieta was sent off on 22 March 2014 for conceding a penalty with a foul on

David Silva David Josué Jiménez Silva (born 8 January 1986) is a Spanish former professional Association football, footballer who played mainly as a Midfielder#Central midfielder, central or an Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, attacking midfielder and o ...

in an eventual 5–0 defeat at

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

. He scored his first goal in English football on 26 April, his team's second in an eventual 2–2 home draw with Hull City. He made 26 competitive appearances in his debut season, which ended with relegation. On 6 March 2015, after returning from three months out injured, Amorebieta was sent off in Fulham's 5–1 home loss by

AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...

for bringing down

Callum Wilson Callum Eddie Graham Wilson (born 27 February 1992) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Premier League club Newcastle United F.C., Newcastle United and the Englan ...

. On the 25th, he was loaned to fellow

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

side

until the end of the campaign, with left-back James Husband moving in the opposite direction. He scored his first goal for the latter on 8 May, replacing Lee Tomlin after 73 minutes and netting a last-minute winner for a 2–1 away win over

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

in the play-off semi-finals; he was unused in the final at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

, a 2–0 defeat to

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...

. On 28 August 2015, Amorebieta returned to the

Riverside Stadium The Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in Middlesbrough, England, which has been the home of Middlesbrough since its opening in 1995. It has an all-seated capacity of 34,742, although provisional planning permission is in place to expan ...

for the entirety of the season, with Husband again being lent to Fulham for a month as part of the deal. On 1 February of the following year, however, he was recalled.

Sporting Gijón

Amorebieta returned to Spain and its top division on 22 July 2016, after agreeing to a three-year contract at

Sporting de Gijón Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. (), commonly known as Real Sporting, Sporting Gijón, or simply Sporting is a Spanish professional association football, football club from Gijón, Principality of Asturias. Founded on 1 July 1905, it plays in the ...

. He made his debut on 21 August, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 home victory against former club Athletic.

Later years

On 10 July 2017, following Sporting's relegation, Amorebieta moved to Argentina and joined

Club Atlético Independiente () is an Argentine professional sports club, which has its headquarters and stadium in Avellaneda, a city of the Buenos Aires Province. The club is best known for its Association football, football team, which plays in the Argentine Primera Divi ...

. In January 2019, the

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 ...

agreed to a two-year deal at

Cerro Porteño Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan Association football, football club, based in the neighbourhood of Obrero (Asunción), Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 34 Paraguayan Primera División, Primera División titles ...

of the

Paraguayan Primera División The División Profesional de la Paraguayan Football Association, Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol (; "Professional Division of the Paraguayan Football Association"), also known as the Primera División (; "first division"), or due to sponsorship ...

. After retiring aged 35, Amorebieta worked as

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 '' ...

director of football A sporting director, or director of sport, is an senior management, executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many typ ...

. Subsequently, he was assistant manager to his former Athletic teammate Ibai Gómez at Santutxu FC's youths and

Segunda Federación Segunda Federación, previously called Segunda RFEF, also officially known as Segunda B, is the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system containing 90 teams divided into five groups. It is administered by the Royal Spanish Football Fede ...

club Arenas Club de Getxo.

International career

Spain

Amorebieta was part of the Spain under-19 team that won the

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro or Euros, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. In August 2008, he was called up by new senior team manager Vicente del Bosque for a friendly against

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, but did not leave the bench.

Venezuela

As early as 2006, Amorebieta expressed his interest in playing for the Venezuela national team. However, according to

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

rules at the time, he should have switched his affiliation prior to the age of 21, having previously played for Spain's youth sides; FIFA removed the rule in 2009, and talks between the player and the Venezuelan Football Federation resumed. Finally, on 2 September 2011, Amorebieta made his senior debut in a friendly with

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, a 1–0 loss in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

. On 11 October, against the same opponent but 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 ...

qualifying campaign, he scored in a 1–0 home win, which signified Venezuela's first-ever win against the ''Albiceleste'' in the tournament. Amorebieta was included in the squad for the 2015 Copa América, where he was sent off in the team's 1–0 defeat to

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

in the

group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

for a stamp on

Paolo Guerrero José Paolo Guerrero González (; born 1 January 1984) is a Peruvian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker for Peruvian Primera División club Club Alianza Lima, Alianza Li ...

. He retired from international football that November.

Basque Country

Amorebieta also appeared in four matches for the Basque Country national team (a non-FIFA affiliate), debuting against Venezuela in

San Cristóbal, Táchira San Cristóbal () is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Táchira. It is located in a mountainous region of Western Venezuela. The city is situated above sea level in the northern Andes overlooking the Torbes River, from the Colombian ...

on 20 June 2007. The friendly match, a 4–3 Basque victory, was the grand opening for the 43,000 all-seated Pueblo Nuevo Stadium, after two years of construction for the 2007 Copa América.

Coaching

As of 2025, he serves as assistant coach to fellow former Athletic player Ibai Gómez at Arenas Club de Getxo in the

Career statistics

Club

International goals

:''Scores and results list Venezuela's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Amorebieta goal.''

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 *

Supercopa de España The Supercopa de España, also known as the Spanish Super Cup, is a super cup tournament in Football in Spain, Spanish football. Founded in 1982 Supercopa de España, 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2 ...

runner-up:

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

runner-up: 2011–12 Independiente *

Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, also known as Copa Sudamericana (; ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club com ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Spain U19 *

UEFA European Under-19 Championship The UEFA European Under-19 Championship, or simply the Euro Under-19, is an annual football competition, contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Spain is the most successful team in this competit ...

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Amorebieta, Fernando 1985 births Living people People from Durangaldea Venezuelan people of Basque descent Venezuelan people of Spanish descent Venezuelan emigrants to Spain 21st-century Spanish sportsmen Spanish men's footballers Venezuelan men's footballers Footballers from Anzoátegui Footballers from Biscay Men's association football central defenders La Liga players Segunda División B players Tercera División players CD Basconia footballers Athletic Bilbao B footballers Athletic Bilbao footballers Sporting de Gijón players Premier League players English Football League players Fulham F.C. players Middlesbrough F.C. players Argentine Primera División players Club Atlético Independiente footballers Paraguayan Primera División players Cerro Porteño players Copa Sudamericana–winning players Spain men's youth international footballers Venezuela men's international footballers 2015 Copa América players Basque Country men's international footballers Spanish expatriate men's footballers Venezuelan expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Argentina Expatriate men's footballers in Paraguay Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Argentina Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Paraguay Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in England Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in Argentina Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in Paraguay