Julen Etxabeguren
 |
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Julen Etxabeguren Leanizbarrutia | ||
| Date of birth | 7 March 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Madrid, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Dundee | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Real Sociedad | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2014 | Real Sociedad B | ||
| 2014–2015 | East Fife | 13 | (0) |
| 2015– | Dundee | 20 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 May 2016 (UTC) | |||
Julen Etxabeguren Leanizbarrutia (born 7 March 1991) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a defender for Dundee. Etxabeguren started his career in his native Basque Country with Real Sociedad, but did not break into their first team. He moved to Scotland in 2014 to study and signed for East Fife. After playing for East Fife in Scottish League Two for six months, he signed a contract with Scottish Premiership side Dundee.
Career
Real Sociedad
After coming through the youth system at Real Sociedad, Etxabeguren progressed to their B side where he was a regular for four years. In the 2013-14 season, Etxabeguren trained with the first team during preseason and was named in their 2013–14 UEFA Champions League squad.[1] He was then affected by injury.[1] Despite being offered a new contract, he decided to give up football.[1]
East Fife
Etxabeguren moved to Scotland to study for a master's degree in electronic engineering.[1] When he had nearly concluded that course, he considered resuming his football career.[1] Etxabeguren signed for semi-professional club East Fife, playing in Scottish League Two, in December 2014.[1][2] This was considered a surprising move for a player who had been at a relatively high level. Etxabeguren quickly became a cult hero with, with his arrival coinciding with an improvement in the club's form[1][2]
Dundee
On June 2, 2015, Dundee confirmed that Etxabeguren had signed a three-year deal with the club and would begin pre-season training in July.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Kennedy, Liam (10 July 2015). "Why Dundee's new Spanish star swapped Real Sociedad for East Fife". Evening Telegraph. DC Thomson. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ^ a b "East Fife sign Champions League player". The Scotsman. 6 December 2014.
- ^ "Dundee sign up Spanish defender Julen Etxabeguren Leanizbarrutia". BBC Sport. 2 June 2015.
External links
- Julen Etxabeguren Leanizbarrutia at Soccerbase