Josu Urrutia

Josu Urrutia
Urrutia in 2014
Personal information
Full name Josu Urrutia Tellería
Date of birth (1968-04-10) 10 April 1968
Place of birth Bilbao, Spain
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Youth career
1977–1986 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1990 Bilbao Athletic 109 (13)
1988–2003 Athletic Bilbao 348 (10)
Total 457 (23)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Josu Urrutia Tellería (born 10 April 1968) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, and is the current president of Athletic Bilbao.

His 17-year senior career was solely connected with Athletic Bilbao, for which he appeared in 348 La Liga games over the course of 16 seasons, scoring ten goals.[1]

Playing career

Urrutia was born in Bilbao, Biscay, and was a product of the youth academy of Athletic Bilbao based at Lezama. He made his first appearance with the club's B-side on 9 September 1984, aged only 16, due to a strike by the professional players, and lasted 67 minutes in a 3–1 home win against UD Salamanca in the second division.[2]

Urrutia appeared once for the first team during the 1987–88 season, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 home draw against Sporting de Gijón,[3] then amassed a further five La Liga games in the next while also experiencing a relegation followed by a promotion with the reserves. He began 1989–90 still registered with the latter but eventually broke into the former, scoring his first goal for them on 1 April 1990 to help to a 2–2 home draw to Real Valladolid which was played at neighbouring Real Sociedad's ground, Atotxa Stadium.[4]

From the 1990–91 campaign onwards, Urrutia became a very important first-team member, being a valuable midfield element with tackling and stamina skills and a perfect complement for the more attacking Julen Guerrero.[5] He appeared in 30 matches during 1997–98 as the Basques qualified for the UEFA Champions League, as runners-up.

Urrutia (far left) in the directors' box at San Mamés alongside Iñigo Urkullu (Lehendakari of the Basque Community), 2016

After just 25 overall appearances from 2001 to 2003 combined – he only played in one Copa del Rey contest in the latter season – Urrutia retired from the game at the age of 35 due to recurrent problems in his right knee, having appeared in 401 official games.[6]

Presidency

On 7 July 2011, Urrutia won the presidential elections at his only club (54,36% of the votes), becoming only the fourth former player to be chosen for the post.[7] He promised to bring in Marcelo Bielsa as head coach if he was elected, and this eventually came to fruition.[8][9]

In March 2015, Urrutia was re-elected to serve another four-year term after being the only candidate to stand.[10] In the early days of his tenure he had appointed former teammate José Ángel Ziganda to become the coach of the reserves,[11] and six years later, still under the former's presidency, the latter was promoted to first-team duties;[12] he replaced another playing colleague of both men, Ernesto Valverde.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 300 rugidos (300 roars); Mundo Deportivo, 9 March 2000 (in Spanish)
  2. ↑ 3–1: La juventud se impuso en San Mamés (3–1: Youth won at San Mamés); Mundo Deportivo, 10 September 1984 (in Spanish)
  3. ↑ 1–1: Athletic y Sporting, plagados de bajas y de... errores (1–1: Athletic and Sporting, galore of absentees and... mistakes); Mundo Deportivo, 21 March 1988 (in Spanish)
  4. ↑ El Athletic pinchó en el exilio (Athletic fumbled in exile); Mundo Deportivo, 2 April 1990 (in Spanish)
  5. ↑ Historia de San Mamés: Exhibición de Julen Guerrero bajo la nieve (Story of San Mamés: Julen Guerrero show under the snow); Vavel, 22 January 2017 (in Spanish)
  6. ↑ “Mi trayectoria es más que un título” (“My career means more than an honour”); Mundo Deportivo, 13 June 2003 (in Spanish)
  7. ↑ "Josu Urrutia, new president". Athletic Bilbao. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  8. ↑ Josu Urrutia confirma a Marcelo Bielsa como su entrenador si es presidente (Josu Urrutia confirms Marcelo Bielsa as his manager if he is president); Cadena SER, 30 June 2011 (in Spanish)
  9. ↑ Bielsa: "Hay una proporción adecuada entre esfuerzo y creatividad" (Bielsa: "The proportion between effort and creativity is just right"); Marca, 7 July 2011 (in Spanish)
  10. ↑ "Urrutia será proclamado presidente el próximo 20 de marzo" [Urrutia to be proclaimed president the next 20 March] (in Spanish). El Correo. 8 March 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  11. ↑ "'Cuco' Ziganda quiere imprimir en el filial el estilo 'comprometido' de Bielsa" ['Cuco' Ziganda wants to imprint Bielsa's 'committed' style on the reserves] (in Spanish). El Mundo. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  12. ↑ "José Ángel Ziganda, Athletic Club's new manager". Athletic Bilbao. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  13. ↑ "Urrutia: "Ya lo dijo Valverde, de momento no hay noticias sobre su futuro"" [Urrutia: "Valverde has said it already, no news on his future for the moment"] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 4 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
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