Rafael Alkorta

Rafael Alkorta
Personal information
Full name Rafael Alkorta Martínez
Date of birth (1968-09-16) 16 September 1968
Place of birth Bilbao, Spain
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Centre-back
Youth career
1978–1985 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1987 Bilbao Athletic 44 (2)
1987–1993 Athletic Bilbao 172 (2)
1993–1997 Real Madrid 107 (2)
1997–2002 Athletic Bilbao 91 (4)
Total 414 (10)
National team
1985 Spain U16 7 (0)
1985–1986 Spain U18 3 (0)
1987–1990 Spain U21 6 (0)
1990–1998 Spain 54 (0)
1990–1999 Basque Country 5 (0)
Teams managed
2014–2015 Olympiacos (assistant)
2015–2016 Marseille (assistant)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Rafael Alkorta Martínez (born 16 September 1968) is a Spanish retired footballer who played mainly as a central defender.

Having represented Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid during a 17-year professional career, he amassed La Liga totals of 370 games and eight goals, winning three trophies with the latter club.

Alkorta appeared in three World Cups with the Spanish national team during the 1990s.

Club career

Born in Bilbao, Biscay, Alkorta began playing as a child with local Athletic Club in 1978, and made his senior debut with the second team seven years later, making 44 Segunda División appearances before being promoted by Howard Kendall to the senior side for the 1987–88 season,[1] making his debut in a 0–1 away defeat against Real Valladolid on 24 October 1987. He subsequently played 172 La Liga games, and established himself as an outstanding man marker.

Alkorta attracted the attention of Real Madrid, for whom he signed in the 1993–94 campaign.[2] During his spell at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium he formed a notable partnership with Fernando Hierro[3] for club and country, and accumulated more than 150 official appearances and two league titles.

Alkorta returned to Athletic in 1997–98, swapping teams with fellow defender Aitor Karanka.[4] He helped the Basques finish second in the first campaign upon his return and went on to feature regularly in the following years but, after only six matches in 2001–02, decided to retire from the game aged nearly 34.

Alkorta later worked as an assistant manager to former Real Madrid teammate Michel at several clubs, including Olympique de Marseille and Olympiacos FC.[5]

International career

An international since 26 May 1990 (a 1–0 friendly away win with Yugoslavia),[6]Alkorta earned 54 caps for Spain during the next eight years. He played in three FIFA World Cups – 1990, 1994 and 1998 – and UEFA Euro 1996, also representing the country at under-16, under-18 and under-21 levels.

In the first competition, in Italy, Alkorta played ten minutes in a 2–1 group stage win against Belgium,[7] starting in a further 11 matches (ten complete) in the other senior tournaments combined.[8]

Personal life

Alkorta's younger brother, Óscar, was also a footballer. A fellow Athletic Bilbao youth graduate (alongside José Félix Guerrero who also had a more famous sibling in the first team),[9] the younger Alkorta never made it past the reserves and played out his career in Segunda División B; the brothers were on the staff at Athletic together for a few months in 1997, between Rafael's return from Madrid and Óscar's move to CD Aurrerá de Vitoria.[10]

Honours

Real Madrid

References

  1. ↑ "Remembering Howard Kendall's days as Athletic Bilbao manager". ESPN. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  2. ↑ "El traspaso de Alkorta al Real Madrid solventaría el déficit del Athletic" [Alkorta's transfer to Real Madrid would solve Athletic's deficit]. El País (in Spanish). 8 July 1993. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "La huella de Hierro y Alkorta" [The footprint of Hierro and Alkorta]. ABC (in Spanish). 1 August 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  4. ↑ "Karanka, defensa central del Athletic, acepta la oferta para fichar por el Madrid" [Karanka, Athletic's central defender, accepts the offer to sign for Madrid]. El País (in Spanish). 13 August 1997. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  5. ↑ "Alkorta y Alkiza, entre los posibles ayudantes de Ziganda" [Alkorta and Alkiza, among the possible assistants of Ziganda]. El Correo (in Spanish). 26 May 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  6. ↑ "Con esta flor... ¡campeones!" [With this flower... champions!]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 27 May 1990. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  7. ↑ "¡España, campeona de grupo!" [Spain, group champions!]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 22 June 1990. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  8. ↑ Rafael Alkorta – FIFA competition record (archive)
  9. ↑ "El último Bilbao Athletic en Segunda División: temporada 1995/96" [The last Bilbao Athletic in Second Division: 1995/96 season] (in Spanish). La Cantera de Lezama. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  10. ↑ "Alkorta: Óscar Alkorta Martínez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
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