Iñigo Larrainzar

Iñigo Larrainzar
Personal information
Full name	Iñigo Larrainzar Santamaría
Date of birth	5 June 1971 (age 53)
Place of birth	Pamplona, Spain
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s)	Right back
Youth career
	Osasuna
Senior career*
Years	Team
1989–1990	Osasuna B
1990–1993	Osasuna
1993–2003	Athletic Bilbao
2003–2005	Córdoba
Total
International career
1990	Spain U20
1991	Spain U21
1991–1992	Spain U23
1994	Spain
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Template:Spanish name Iñigo Larrainzar Santamaría (born 5 June 1971 in Pamplona, Navarre) is a Spanish retired footballer who played mainly as a right back.

Also a central defender on occasion, his older brother Domingo, often referred to as Larrainzar I, was also a footballer, and both played at Osasuna.^[1]

Club career

A product of hometown CA Osasuna's youth ranks, Larrainzar made his first-team – and La Liga – debut on 21 March 1990 in a 0–1 away loss against Rayo Vallecano, and was definitely promoted to the main squad for the following season: aged 19, he was instrumental, as brother Domingo, in helping the Navarrese side finish fourth and qualify for the UEFA Cup.^[2]

In the 1993 summer, Athletic Bilbao paid 200 million pesetas to acquire Larrainzar's services, then the second-highest figure by the club, and he was an undisputed starter in the campaigns to come. In 1997–98, alongside youth graduate Aitor Larrazábal who played in the opposite flank, he featured in 34 matches and scored two goals to help the Basques to a runner-up place, with a direct qualification to the UEFA Champions League.

After some years battling for first-choice status with younger Jesús María Lacruz, who also represented Osasuna (although they did not coincide), and also dealing with injuries, Larraínzar moved south for Córdoba CF in the second division,^[3] where he played a further two seasons. He retired at the age of 34, with 366 top level appearances to his credit.

International career

Larrainzar was capped once for Spain. On 19 January 1994, he played the entire 2–2 friendly match with Portugal in Vigo.^[4]

References

^ César Azpilicueta supera a Iñigo Larrainzar al llegar a los 100 partidos con sólo 20 años y 9 meses de edad (César Azpilicueta passes Iñigo Larrainzar by reaching 100 games at only 20 years and 9 months); Diario de Navarra, 6 April 2010 Template:Es icon
^ Aquella UEFA de hace 20 años (That UEFA from 20 years ago); Diario de Navarra, 4 October 2011 Template:Es icon
^ Larrainzar: "No he venido aquí para cubrir expediente y pasar de largo" (Larrainzar: "I did not come here to sow my wild oats); Diario de Córdoba, 11 February 2004 Template:Es icon
^ "España, de cal y arena" (PDF) (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 20 January 1994. Retrieved 3 February 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)

External links

Iñigo Larrainzar at BDFutbol
National team data
Iñigo Larrainzar at Athletic Bilbao
Iñigo Larrainzar at National-Football-Teams.com
Spain stats at Eu-Football

[1] César Azpilicueta supera a Iñigo Larrainzar al llegar a los 100 partidos con sólo 20 años y 9 meses de edad (César Azpilicueta passes Iñigo Larrainzar by reaching 100 games at only 20 years and 9 months); Diario de Navarra, 6 April 2010 Template:Es icon

[2] Aquella UEFA de hace 20 años (That UEFA from 20 years ago); Diario de Navarra, 4 October 2011 Template:Es icon

[3] Larrainzar: "No he venido aquí para cubrir expediente y pasar de largo" (Larrainzar: "I did not come here to sow my wild oats); Diario de Córdoba, 11 February 2004 Template:Es icon

[4] "España, de cal y arena" (PDF) (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 20 January 1994. Retrieved 3 February 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)

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