José Barkero

José Javier Barkero Saludes (born 27 April 1979) is a Spanish retired professional footballer. A left-footed attacking midfielder, he possessed a powerful long-range shot.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Barkero and the second or maternal family name is Saludes.

José Barkero
Barkero celebrates a goal for Levante in 2012
Personal information
Full name José Javier Barkero Saludes
Date of birth (1979-04-27) 27 April 1979
Place of birth Aretxabaleta, Spain
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1985–1991 Aretxabaleta
1991–1996 Real Sociedad
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1999 Real Sociedad B 96 (28)
1998–2006 Real Sociedad 62 (6)
2000 → Toulouse (loan) 3 (0)
2001–2002 → Eibar (loan) 41 (6)
2004 → Poli Ejido (loan) 20 (0)
2006–2008 Albacete 66 (13)
2008–2011 Numancia 114 (33)
2011–2013 Levante 60 (12)
2013–2014 Zaragoza 29 (3)
Total 491 (101)
National team
1997–1998 Spain U18 13 (3)
1999 Spain U20 7 (2)
1999–2000 Spain U21 2 (0)
Teams managed
2016 Aretxabaleta
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He amassed La Liga totals of 159 games and 30 goals over one full decade, representing in the competition Real Sociedad, Numancia and Levante. He added 233 matches and 43 goals in Segunda División during eight seasons, with five clubs including the second.

Club career

Born in Aretxabaleta, Gipuzkoa, Barkero came from the youth system of Real Sociedad, playing one game with the first team in 1998–99. During eight seasons he appeared sporadically for the Basque club (17 La Liga matches maximum, in 2005–06), and served loans at SD Eibar, Polideportivo Ejido and France's Toulouse FC.

For the 2006–07 campaign, Barkero joined Albacete Balompié in the second division, where he remained for two seasons as an undisputed starter. He scored 11 goals in his second year.[1]

After CD Numancia achieved promotion to the top flight, Barkero moved to the team from Soria in July 2008. On 14 September he netted from a wonderful long-range strike in a 3–4 defeat at Real Madrid,[2] and added four more goals in the first 12 games; he finished his first season as the side's top scorer at 12, but they were eventually relegated as second from bottom.[3]

Barkero scored 15 times for Numancia in the 2010–11 campaign, leading his team in that department in an eventual mid-table finish.[4] Aged 32, he returned to the top division for 2011–12, agreeing to a two-year contract with Levante UD.[5]

Barkero netted five league goals in his second season with the Valencians (seven overall). However, late into the campaign, he also accused teammates Sergio Ballesteros, Juanlu and Gustavo Munúa of lack of commitment during a 0–4 home loss against Deportivo de La Coruña, which led to several match fixing allegations.[6][7]

In February 2015, after one year with Real Zaragoza in the second level, 35-year-old Barkero decided to retire from football after not being able to find a new club.[8]

International career

Barkero scored twice to help Spain win the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, including once in the 4–0 final routing of Japan.[9]

Honours
Spain U20

References
  1. "Yordi, del Xerez, máximo goleador con 20 tantos" [Yordi, of Xerez, top scorer with 20 goals] (in Spanish). Diario Sur. 15 June 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  2. Real Madrid 4–3 Numancia; ESPN Soccernet, 14 September 2008
  3. Carretero, Rodrigo (17 April 2011). "Barkero, la zurda del Numancia" [Barkero, Numancia's lefty] (in Spanish). El País. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  4. "Breve enciclopedia numantina" [Brief numantina encyclopedia] (in Spanish). Desde Soria. 29 May 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  5. El Levante ficha por dos temporadas a Barkero (Levante sign Barkero for two seasons); Marca, 19 May 2011 (in Spanish)
  6. Incendio en el vestuario del Levante por las acusaciones de amaño entre jugadores (Fire in Levante locker room for match-fixing accusations between players); Libertad Digital, 1 May 2013 (in Spanish)
  7. Levante thrown into doubt; Football España, 6 May 2013
  8. “Me retiro con la espina de no haber triunfado en la Real” (“I retire with not having made it with Real as a thorn in my side”) Archived 22 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine; Noticias de Gipuzkoa, 15 February 2015 (in Spanish)
  9. José Barkero – FIFA competition record
  10. "Qué fue de los campeones del mundo sub20" [What happened to the under-20 world champions] (in Spanish). Marca. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
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