Óscar de Marcos explained

Óscar de Marcos
Full Name:Óscar de Marcos Arana[1]
Birth Date:14 April 1989[2]
Birth Place:Laguardia, Spain
Height:1.82 m
Position:Full-back, midfielder
Currentclub:Athletic Bilbao
Clubnumber:18
Youthclubs1:Alavés
Years1:2007–2009
Caps1:16
Goals1:4
Years2:2008–2009
Caps2:20
Goals2:3
Years3:2009–
Caps3:409
Goals3:25
Years4:2010
Caps4:1
Goals4:0
Nationalyears1:2009
Nationalcaps1:3
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2009
Nationalcaps2:1
Nationalgoals2:0
Nationalyears3:2012
Nationalcaps3:1
Nationalgoals3:0
Nationalyears4:2013
Nationalcaps4:1
Nationalgoals4:0
Club-Update:19:27, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

Óscar de Marcos Arana (in Basque os̺kar de maɾkos̺ aɾana/; pronounced as /es/; born 14 April 1989) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Athletic Bilbao mainly as a full-back.

He began his career at Alavés, but went on to spend most of it at Athletic Bilbao, making over 500 official appearances and winning the 2023–24 Copa del Rey as well as two Supercopa de España titles with the club.

Club career

Alavés

Born in Laguardia, Álava, de Marcos made his professional debut for nearby Deportivo Alavés. He first appeared in the Segunda División in the home fixture against CD Tenerife on 21 December 2008, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–1 loss.[3]

De Marcos eventually played 20 games with the first team, as they dropped down a level at the season's end. He started his career as a forward.[4]

Athletic Bilbao

In July 2009, de Marcos went straight into La Liga, penning a four-year deal with Athletic Bilbao for about €350,000. He made his club debut on 6 August in a 2–1 win at BSC Young Boys in the UEFA Europa League (2–2 aggregate, victory on the away goals rule), as a starter.[5] Ten days later he opened the scoring against FC Barcelona in the season's Supercopa de España,[6] as the Basques eventually lost 2–1 at home and 5–1 on aggregate.[7]

Having been signed initially for the reserve squad, de Marcos had more impact than expected – as did 16-year-old Iker Muniain – making 29 official appearances during 2009–10 and scoring three goals. He played his only match with the B team on 14 April 2010 against Zamora CF, in a campaign where they narrowly avoided relegation from the Segunda División B.

De Marcos appeared less in his second season, but was also used as a full-back by manager Joaquín Caparrós, finishing the year with 15 games in all competitions. The following campaign, under Marcelo Bielsa, he played in that position and also in central midfield.[8] [9]

On 17 December 2011, de Marcos played roughly one hour of the league fixture against Real Zaragoza (2–1 home win) with a tear in his scrotum, which later required 25 stitches.[10] [11] On 4 January of the following year he extended his contract with the Lions until June 2016, with a release clause of €32 million.[12]

De Marcos scored both legs of the 2011–12 Europa League round of 16 against Manchester United, as Athletic won both games and went through 5–3 on aggregate.[13] [14] He also scored in the next round against FC Schalke 04,[15] playing in a total of 15 ties to help his team reach the final in Bucharest, where they were defeated by Atlético Madrid.[16] They also made it to the decisive match in the domestic cup, losing to Barcelona.[17]

On 13 October 2014, de Marcos agreed to a new three-year extension until 30 June 2019, with a buyout clause being set at €40 million.[18] He also featured in all ten matches in both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, but did not take part in the 2015 Spanish Cup final due to suspension[19] (once again the result was a defeat to Barcelona, and his inexperienced replacement Unai Bustinza struggled to cope with the skill of Neymar);[20] he did play the full 180 minutes of the 2015 Supercup, in which his club finally overcame the same opponent to claim the silverware.[21] [22]

Following the departure of veteran Andoni Iraola, de Marcos became the regular right-back in Ernesto Valverde's line-ups.[23] In November 2016, he suffered an injury to his left foot which caused him to miss two months of action.[24] On his first start since recovering on 22 January 2017, he scored in a 2–2 draw at home to Atlético Madrid,[25] regaining a starting place for the remainder of the season.[26] On 20 August he received another significant injury, a sprain to his left ankle in the opening fixture of the domestic campaign against Getafe CF;[27] he returned three months later, starting in a 2–2 draw away to Deportivo La Coruña on 26 November although he lasted less than an hour before being substituted with an injury once more – this time a problem with his right foot.[28]

In July 2019, de Marcos reached the milestone of ten years with the same club.[29] [30] An injury to his left ankle ligaments forced him to miss much of 2019–20, but he was able to return after the delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain.[31]

On 29 November 2020, de Marcos played his 400th match for Athletic as a substitute against Getafe, becoming the 19th player to reach that mark.[32] The following 17 January, he was on target against Barcelona – seconds after Antoine Griezmann's opening goal – in a 3–2 win in the Spanish Supercup final.[33] On 2 February he agreed an extension to his contract to run to the summer of 2022, with no buyout clause.[34] He did likewise in April 2022.[35] Having played over 40 times in the 2022–23 season, he signed a further year's contract in May 2023.[36]

On the opening matchday of the 2023–24 campaign (a 2–0 loss to Real Madrid at San Mamés), de Marcos made his 500th appearance for Athletic, aged 34, becoming only the seventh player to do so.[37] [38]

International career

In November 2015, de Marcos and Nacho were called up into the Spain squad as replacements for the injured Sergio Ramos and Juanfran, ahead of friendlies against England[39] and Belgium.[40] De Marcos did not play either match, with the latter in Brussels being cancelled due to a terrorism-related lockdown.[41]

De Marcos also featured for the unofficial Basque Country regional team.[42]

Personal life

Outside football, de Marcos is known for his humanitarian work, including non-publicised visits to see sick children in local hospitals on a weekly basis and frequent charity visits to Africa and South America,[43] [44] in addition to occasionally offering lifts in his car to supporters who attended training sessions at Lezama on foot.[11] [45]

In 2019, he authored a short book in collaboration with Athletic Bilbao's community foundation, describing the high and low points of his first year at the club which were followed by a trip to the West African country of Togo (the book's title) which helped him put his newfound fame as a sportsman in perspective.[46] [47]

Career statistics

Club!rowspan="2"
SeasonLeagueCopa del ReyEuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Alavés B2008–09Tercera División164–––164
Alavés2008–09Segunda División20300––203
Bilbao Athletic2009–10Segunda División B10–––10
Athletic Bilbao2009–10La Liga191108111293
2010–1113020––150
2011–1234481144–569
2012–133662081–467
2013–1435540––395
2014–1535170101–522
2015–163415113020542
2016–172710050–321
2017–182110071–282
2018–1930140––341
2019–2013010––140
2020–2125140–21312
2021–2222120–20261
2022–2337161––432
2023–2428150––331
Total409255136587253238
Career total446325136587256945

Honours

Athletic Bilbao

2023–24;[48] runner-up: 2011–12,[49] 2014–15,[50] 2019–20,[51] 2020–21[52]

2015,[53] 2021[54]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Óscar de Marcos. Athletic Bilbao. 18 January 2019.
  2. Web site: Oscar De Marcos. Eurosport. 26 January 2021.
  3. News: El Tenerife se estrena en Vitoria y se mete en la pelea. Tenerife get first in Vitoria and enter scrap. Marca. es. 21 December 2008. 27 June 2017.
  4. News: Bielsa descubre a otro De Marcos. Bielsa finds another De Marcos. El Correo. Orio. Iván. es. 1 October 2011. 7 December 2018.
  5. Web site: Muniaín se erige en salvador. Muniaín turned saviour. UEFA. Macho. Álvaro. es. 6 August 2009. 26 November 2017.
  6. News: Todo sigue igual en el Barcelona. Everything the same at Barcelona. El Mundo. Herguedas. Miguel Ángel. es. 16 August 2009. 25 May 2017.
  7. News: Dos goles de Messi dan al Barça la Supercopa de España. Two Messi goals give Barça Spanish Supercup. Diario AS. F. Sanchidrián. David. es. 23 August 2009. 25 May 2017.
  8. Web site: De Marcos: "Está bien lo de ser comodín, he jugado más que el año pasado". De Marcos: "I'm fine with joker role, i've played more than last year". Canal Athletic. es. 12 September 2011. 25 January 2012.
  9. News: Bielsa dejará de volver loco a su equipo. Bielsa will no longer make team loco. Marca. Beato. Rafa. es. 13 September 2011. 25 January 2012.
  10. News: De Marcos jugó una hora con el escroto desgarrado. De Marcos played one hour with tear in scrotum. Diario AS. Cuenca. Nika. es. 19 December 2011. 25 January 2012.
  11. Web site: Óscar de Marcos and the torn scrotum. These Football Times. McTear. Euan. 22 July 2019. 27 June 2020.
  12. Web site: De Marcos signs new Athletic deal. UEFA. 4 January 2012. 25 January 2012.
  13. Web site: Enterprising Athletic stun United at Old Trafford. UEFA. Hart. Simon. 8 March 2012. 15 March 2012.
  14. Web site: Athletic see off United with room to spare. UEFA. Bryan. Paul. 15 March 2012. 15 March 2012.
  15. Web site: Schalke stunned by late Athletic fightback. UEFA. 29 March 2012. 6 November 2017.
  16. Web site: Falcao at double as Atlético march to title. UEFA. Atkin. John. 9 May 2012. 6 November 2017.
  17. News: Barcelona end Guardiola era with Copa del Rey win over Athletic Bilbao. The Guardian. Lowe. Sid. 26 May 2012. 6 November 2017.
  18. News: De Marcos renueva hasta el 2019. De Marcos renews until 2019. Marca. Velasco. Juanma. es. 13 October 2014. 21 March 2016.
  19. Web site: Bustinza gana enteros para Valverde. Bustinza a better option for Valverde by the day. El Desmarque. Beltrán. Javi. es. 4 May 2015. 6 November 2017.
  20. Web site: Lionel Messi stars as Barcelona win Copa Del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao. Eurosport. 30 May 2015. 6 November 2017.
  21. Web site: Athletic Bilbao 4–0 Barcelona: Aduriz hits hat-trick in Supercopa shocker. Goal. 14 August 2015. 6 November 2017.
  22. News: Athletic Bilbao hold off Barcelona to claim Spanish Super Cup. The Guardian. 17 August 2015. 6 November 2017.
  23. News: Los leones actuales son más 'europeos' que los míticos. The current lions are more "European" than the legends. Mundo Deportivo. Zubieta. Jon. es. 14 February 2017. 26 November 2017.
  24. News: El largo túnel de Óscar de Marcos. The long tunnel of Óscar de Marcos. El Correo. Basic. Robert. es. 27 November 2016. 6 November 2017.
  25. Web site: Athletic Bilbao 2 Atletico Madrid 2: Griezmann magic rescues point. FourFourTwo. 22 January 2017. 27 June 2020.
  26. Web site: Right-back Oscar De Marcos enjoys season despite injury setbacks. Soccer Box. Stratmann. Edward. 18 April 2017. 6 November 2017.
  27. News: De Marcos aún deberá esperar para reaparecer. De Marcos must still wait to reappear. Mundo Deportivo. Suso. Ramón. es. 3 October 2017. 6 November 2017.
  28. News: Deportivo 2 – Athletic 2: resumen, resultado y goles del partido. Deportivo 2 – Athletic 2: summary, result and match goals. Diario AS. Iranzo. Pedro. es. 26 November 2017. 26 November 2017.
  29. Web site: Óscar de Marcos: "It's a luxury to be here for ten seasons". Athletic Bilbao. 16 July 2019. 18 July 2019.
  30. Web site: Oscar De Marcos "I'm starting my eleventh year with a lot of pride". Inside Athletic. 16 July 2019. 27 June 2020.
  31. News: De Marcos regresa a la convocatoria del Athletic. De Marcos returns to Athletic's squad. Mundo Deportivo. Zaballa. Carlos. es. 13 June 2020. 19 January 2021.
  32. News: De Marcos llega a los 400 partidos en el Athletic. De Marcos reaches 400 games for Athletic. Mundo Deportivo. Sainz. Javier. es. 29 November 2020. 19 January 2021.
  33. Web site: Lionel Messi sent off as Athletic Club stun Barcelona to win Supercopa after dramatic extra time. Eurosport. Ruthven. Graham. 17 January 2021. 19 January 2021.
  34. Web site: De Marcos signs one-year contract extension. Athletic Bilbao. 2 February 2021. 21 February 2021.
  35. Web site: De Marcos renueva hasta 2023. De Marcos renews until 2023. Diario AS. es. 26 April 2022. 14 August 2023.
  36. News: De Marcos decide seguir hasta 2024. De Marcos decides to continue until 2024. Marca. Velasco. Juanma. es. 23 May 2023. 14 August 2023.
  37. News: De Marcos y sus 500 partidos: "El mejor momento fue Manchester y el más difícil, el despido de Berizzo". De Marcos and his 500 games: "The best moment was Manchester and the most difficult, the dismissal of Berizzo". El Correo. Ortiz de Lazcano. Javier. es. 9 August 2023. 14 August 2023.
  38. Web site: De Marcos reaches 500 official appearances for Athletic. Athletic Bilbao. 12 August 2023. 14 August 2023.
  39. Web site: Spain 2–0 England. BBC Sport. McNulty. Phil. 14 November 2015. 6 November 2017.
  40. Web site: Juanfran y Ramos, baja; De Marcos y Nacho, altas en la convocatoria. Juanfran and Ramos, out; De Marcos and Nacho, in the selection. Royal Spanish Football Federation. es. 9 November 2015. 9 November 2015.
  41. News: Belgium friendly with Spain called off due to heightened terror threat. The Guardian. 17 November 2015. 23 October 2021.
  42. Web site: Euskal Selekzioa 6–0 Perú. Basque XI 6–0 Peru. Basque Football Federation. es. 28 December 2013. 29 December 2016.
  43. News: The humanitarian work of Athletic Club's Oscar de Marcos. Marca. Velasco. Juanma. 29 August 2018. 27 June 2020.
  44. Web site: Athletic Bilbao star Oscar de Marcos and Inaki Williams to visit Ghana for charity. Ghana Soccernet. 1 September 2018. 27 June 2020.
  45. News: El gesto de De Marcos: visita a niños enfermos de cáncer en un hospital cada viernes. De Marcos's gesture: visit children with cancer in a hospital every Friday. Diario AS. Santos. Eric. es. 29 August 2018. 27 June 2020.
  46. News: Proud Athletic Bilbao are on a journey to find ways to win beyond ball games. The Guardian. Lowe. Sid. 2 November 2019. 27 June 2020.
  47. Web site: Óscar de Marcos, de Laguardia a Togo. Óscar de Marcos, from Laguardia to Togo. Panenka. Segura. Arnau. es. 9 January 2020. 27 June 2020.
  48. News: Athletic 1–1 (4–2) Mallorca, en directo: final de Copa del Rey 2024 Celebración del Athletic, campeón de Copa. Athletic 1–1 (4–2) Mallorca, live: 2024 King's Cup final Celebrations of Athletic, Cup champions. Diario AS. Mario. Reinoso del Real. es. 7 April 2024. 7 April 2024.
  49. Web site: Final de la Copa del Rey 2012 Athletic 0–3 Barcelona – Un soberbio Barcelona despide a Guardiola con el título de Copa ante el Athletic (0–3). 2012 King's Cup Final Athletic 0–3 Barcelona – Superb Barcelona say goodbye to Guardiola with Cup title against Athletic (0–3). RTVE. Pizarro. Ramón. es. 25 May 2012. 26 January 2021.
  50. News: Aduriz y Etxeita conducen al Athletic a la final de Copa. Aduriz and Etxeita lead Athletic to Cup final. Diario AS. Molero. Iván. es. 4 March 2015. 26 January 2021.
  51. News: Athletic Club 0–1 Real Sociedad: result, summary, goal. Diario AS. Reidy. Paul. 3 April 2021. 4 April 2021.
  52. News: Messi stars as Barcelona thrash Athletic Bilbao to lift Copa del Rey. The Guardian. Lowe. Sid. 17 April 2021. 19 April 2021.
  53. Web site: Acta del partido celebrado el 14 de agosto de 2015, en Bilbao. Minutes of the match held on 14 August 2015, in Bilbao. Royal Spanish Football Federation. es. 24 January 2021.
    Web site: Acta del partido celebrado el 17 de agosto de 2015, en Barcelona. Minutes of the match held on 17 August 2015, in Barcelona. Royal Spanish Football Federation. es. 24 January 2021.
  54. Web site: Acta del partido celebrado el 17 de enero de 2021, en Sevilla. Minutes of the match held on 17 January 2021, in Seville. Royal Spanish Football Federation. es. 24 January 2021.
  55. Web site: Atletico Madrid 3–0 Athletic Bilbao: Falcao strikes twice and Diego adds clincher as Simeone's men are crowned Europa League champions. Goal. Sinanan. Keeghann. 9 May 2012. 26 January 2021.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Óscar de Marcos".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.