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Mikel Balenziaga

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Balenziaga and the second or maternal family name is Oruesagasti.
Mikel Balenziaga
Personal information
Full name Mikel Balenziaga Oruesagasti[1]
Date of birth (1988-02-29) 29 February 1988 (age 36)[2]
Place of birth Zumarraga, Spain[2]
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Left back
Team information
Current team
 Athletic Bilbao
Number 24
Youth career
Real Sociedad
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2008 Real Sociedad B 53 (0)
2008–2011 Athletic Bilbao 25 (0)
2009–2010 → Numancia (loan) 26 (0)
2011–2013 Valladolid 68 (0)
2013– Athletic Bilbao 178 (1)
International career‡
2007 Spain U19 5 (0)
2008 Spain U21 1 (0)
2012– Basque Country 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 January 2021
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:29, 17 November 2020 (UTC)

Mikel Balenziaga Oruesagasti (Basque: [mikel balens̻iaɣa]; Spanish: [ˈmikel βalenˈθjaɣa];[a] born 29 February 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left back for Athletic Bilbao.

Club career

Born in Zumarraga, Gipuzkoa, Balenziaga started his football grooming at Real Sociedad, playing two full seasons with its B team in the third division. However, in 2008–09, he switched to neighbours Athletic Bilbao.[3]

Initially thought of as a member of the reserve side, Balenziaga quickly beat competition from veterans Koikili and Javier Casas to become the undisputed first choice for the vast majority of the campaign, making his first-team debut on 14 September 2008 in a 0–0 away draw against Málaga CF; another club graduate, Ander Iturraspe, also made his first La Liga appearance in that game.[4]

In July 2009, Athletic bought Xabi Castillo from neighbours Real Sociedad and Balenziaga, seeing his chances for the upcoming season dim, accepted a loan move to CD Numancia, recently relegated from the top division.[5] He transferred to Real Valladolid on a three-year contract in the summer of 2011, after an unassuming campaign in which he made only one official appearance for the Lions.[6]

After two solid years in Castile and León,[7] Balenziaga returned to Athletic for 2013–14 to challenge for a first-team spot under new manager Ernesto Valverde.[8] He scored his first ever goal as a professional on 24 September 2016, helping the hosts defeat Sevilla FC 3–1 in the domestic league.[9]

International career

Balenziaga appeared once for the Spain under-21 team, playing 58 minutes in a 1–4 friendly away loss to Portugal on 18 November 2008.[10] He also featured for the unofficial Basque Country regional side.[11]

Career statistics

Club

As of 23 November[12]
Club Season League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Real Sociedad B 2006–07 Segunda División B 17 0 – – 17 0
2007–08 36 0 – – 36 0
Total 53 0 0 0 0 0 53 0
Athletic Bilbao 2008–09 La Liga 24 0 2 0 – 26 0
Numancia 2009-10 Segunda División 26 0 0 0 – 26 0
Athletic Bilbao 2010–11 La Liga 1 0 0 0 - 1 0
Valladolid 2011–12 Segunda División 36 0 1 0 4[b] 0 41 0
2012–13 32 0 2 0 – 34 0
Total 68 0 3 0 4 0 75 0
Athletic Bilbao 2013–14 La Liga 31 0 6 0 – 36 0
2014–15 33 0 7 0 8[c] 0 48 0
2015–16 34 0 4 0 13[d] 0 51 0
2016–17 33 1 3 0 7[e] 0[f] 43 1
2017–18 18 0 0 0 10[e] 0 28 0
2018–19 11 0 2 0 – 13 0
2019–20 9 0 2 0 – 11 0
2020–21 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
Total 174 1 26 0 36 0 236 1
Career total 346 1 31 0 40 0 417 1
  1. ^ In isolation, Balenziaga is pronounced [balenˈθjaɣa].
  2. ^ Appearances in 2012 Segunda División play-offs.
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League.
  4. ^ 11 appearances in 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, 2 appearances in 2015 Supercopa de España.
  5. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League.
  6. ^ Athletic Bilbao credited him with one goal in the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League match at home to APOEL FC, but the official report listed this as an own goal, and match footage confirmed a big deflection off a defender.

Honours

Athletic Bilbao

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b "Mikel Balenziaga". Athletic Bilbao. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Mikel Balenziaga". Eurosport. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Los otros realistas que acabaron en el Athletic" [The other realistas who ended up at Athletic]. El Correo (in Spanish). 2 July 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  4. ^ "Málaga CF 0-Athletic Club 0: First Point". Athletic Bilbao. 14 September 2008. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  5. ^ Ortiz de Lazcano, Javier (11 August 2009). "Balenziaga se va cedido al Numancia y Murillo, al Salamanca" [Balenziaga goes on loan to Numancia and Murillo, to Salamanca]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Mikel Balenziaga ficha por el Real Valladolid por tres temporadas" [Mikel Balenziaga signs with Real Valladolid for three seasons]. Marca (in Spanish). 4 August 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  7. ^ Encinas, Mikel (15 March 2013). "Balenziaga: el eslabón perdido" [Balenziaga: the missing link]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  8. ^ Atkinson, Tre (28 June 2013). "Mikel Balenziaga returns to Athletic Bilbao". Inside Spanish Football. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  9. ^ Campos, Tomás (24 September 2016). "Balenziaga prolonga la fiesta en San Mamés" [Balenziaga extends party at San Mamés]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  10. ^ "Selecção de sub-21 vence Espanha por 4–1 em particular" [Under-21 national team beat Spain 4–1 in friendly] (in Portuguese). TSF. 18 November 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  11. ^ "Catalunya 0–1 Euskal Selekzioa" [Catalonia 0–1 Basque XI] (in Spanish). Basque Football Federation. 26 December 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  12. ^ "Balenziaga". Soccerway. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  13. ^ "Acta del partido celebrado el 14 de agosto de 2015, en Bilbao" [Minutes of the match held on 14 August 2015, in Bilbao] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
    "Acta del partido celebrado el 17 de agosto de 2015, en Barcelona" [Minutes of the match held on 17 August 2015, in Barcelona] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Acta del partido celebrado el 17 de enero de 2021, en Sevilla" [Minutes of the match held on 17 January 2021, in Seville] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 24 January 2021.

External links

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