Roberto López Ufarte
![]() López Ufarte as a Real Sociedad player | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Roberto López Ufarte | ||
Date of birth | 19 April 1958 | ||
Place of birth | Fes, Morocco | ||
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
Playing position | Forward | ||
Youth career | |||
Real Unión | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1974–1975 | Real Unión | ||
1975–1976 | San Sebastián | ||
1975–1987 | Real Sociedad | 363 | (101) |
1987–1988 | Atlético Madrid | 27 | (8) |
1988–1989 | Betis | 28 | (3) |
National team | |||
1975–1976 | Spain U18 | 10 | (4) |
1976–1977 | Spain U21 | 3 | (0) |
1977–1982 | Spain | 15 | (5) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only |
Roberto López Ufarte (born 19 April 1958) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a forward.
Nicknamed The little devil, most of his 14-year career was spent at Real Sociedad where he played for 12 seasons, winning four major titles including two La Liga championships.[1] He also represented in the competition Atlético Madrid and Betis, amassing totals of 418 matches and 112 goals.
Ufarte appeared for Spain at the 1982 World Cup.
Club career
López Ufarte was born in Fes, Morocco. His parents, from Andalusia and Catalonia, moved abroad in search of work, and returned to Irun (Basque Country) when their son was eight. After making his early footballing efforts at neighbouring Real Unión he signed for Real Sociedad, making his La Liga debuts in the 1975–76 season, playing his first game in the competition on 30 November 1975 in a 0–2 derby away loss against Athletic Bilbao, aged only 17; from then on he became an essential first-team member, scoring 16 goals in 63 matches in the side's back-to-back league titles combined.[2]
Ufarte left the Txuriurdin in 1987, after another solid season: 33 games and ten goals in the league, and the conquest of the Copa del Rey. He netted 129 goals in 474 official appearances during his spell.[2]
After one season with Atlético Madrid (third place), López Ufarte closed his career at Real Betis at the age of 31, after struggling with knee injuries and seeing his club relegate to the second division. He then acted as assistant manager to several coaches at his first professional club, following which he returned to Real Unión as director of football.[3]
International career
López Ufarte won 15 caps for the Spain national team, during five years. His debut came on 21 September 1977, scoring in 2–1 friendly win in Switzerland.[4]
Ufarte appeared for the nation at the 1982 FIFA World Cup which was held on home ground, playing his last match in a 1–2 second group stage loss against West Germany.[5]
International goals
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 21 September 1977 | Wankdorf, Bern, Switzerland | ![]() | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
2. | 14 October 1981 | Luis Casanova, Valencia, Spain | ![]() | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
3. | 14 October 1981 | Luis Casanova, Valencia, Spain | ![]() | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
4. | 18 November 1981 | Stadion ŁKS, Łódź, Poland | ![]() | 0–1 | 2–3 | Friendly |
5. | 16 June 1982 | Luis Casanova, Valencia, Spain | ![]() | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1982 FIFA World Cup |
Honours
Real Sociedad
References
- ↑ "Griezmann y López Ufarte, 'les petits diables' cara a cara" [Griezmann and López Ufarte, 'les petits diables' face to face]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). 12 March 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- 1 2 "Leyendas de la Real: López Ufarte" [Real legends: López Ufarte] (in Spanish). Vavel. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ↑ "López Ufarte: "Nos falta experiencia para cerrar los partidos"" [López Ufarte: "We don't have enough experience to close a match"]. Marca (in Spanish). 20 January 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ↑ "Los 11 jugadores nacidos fuera de España con más partidos" [The 11 players born outside of Spain with the most matches]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 5 September 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ↑ "World Cup 1982 finals". RSSSF. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
External links
- Roberto López Ufarte at BDFutbol
- Roberto López Ufarte at National-Football-Teams.com
- Roberto López Ufarte – FIFA competition record (archive)
- Spain stats at Eu-Football