Mikel Arruabarrena Explained

Mikel Arruabarrena
Fullname:Mikel Arruabarrena Aranbide
Birth Date:9 February 1983
Birth Place:Tolosa, Spain
Height:1.88 m
Position:Centre-forward
Currentclub:Beasain (manager)
Youthclubs1:Tolosa
Youthyears2:1999–2002
Youthclubs2:Athletic Bilbao
Years1:2002–2003
Caps1:36
Goals1:5
Years2:2003–2005
Caps2:68
Goals2:17
Years3:2005–2007
Caps3:35
Goals3:12
Years4:2006–2007
Clubs4:Xerez (loan)
Caps4:25
Goals4:5
Years5:2007–2008
Caps5:31
Goals5:6
Years6:2008–2009
Caps6:6
Goals6:0
Years7:2009
Clubs7:Eibar (loan)
Caps7:13
Goals7:1
Years8:2009–2016
Caps8:175
Goals8:44
Years9:2010–2011
Clubs9:Leganés (loan)
Caps9:34
Goals9:21
Years10:2016
Clubs10:Huesca (loan)
Caps10:16
Goals10:1
Years11:2016–2018
Caps11:48
Goals11:17
Years12:2018
Caps12:7
Goals12:0
Years13:2018–2019
Caps13:32
Goals13:8
Totalcaps:526
Totalgoals:137
Nationalyears1:1999
Nationalcaps1:1
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2014
Nationalcaps2:1
Nationalgoals2:0
Manageryears1:2020–2023
Managerclubs1:Tolosa
Manageryears2:2023–
Managerclubs2:Beasain

Mikel Arruabarrena Aranbide (born 9 February 1983) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a centre-forward, currently manager of SD Beasain.

Club career

Born in Tolosa, Basque Country, Arruabarrena had stints with local giants Athletic Bilbao and Navarrese neighbours CA Osasuna, but did not made it past the reserves on either occasion. From 2006 to 2008, he played in the Segunda División with Xerez CD[1] and CD Tenerife.[2]

Arruabarrena was bought by Poland's Legia Warsaw alongside compatriots Iñaki Descarga and Iñaki Astiz in June 2008.[3] However, in January of the following year, he was loaned to SD Eibar also in his native region and the second division,[4] not being able to prevent the team from eventually dropping down a tier.[5]

In that summer, Arruabarrena arranged for a buyout of his Legia contract[6] to remain at Eibar permanently,[7] completing several seasons with the side in Segunda División B. On 12 December 2012, he was decisive in eliminating former club Athletic from the Copa del Rey, after scoring in a 1–1 draw at the San Mamés Stadium (his team progressed on the away goals rule).[8]

Arruabarrena contributed 36 games and seven goals in the 2013–14 season, as the Armeros promoted to La Liga for the first time ever.[9] [10] He renewed his link with the club on 27 June 2014,[11] and made his debut in the competition on 24 August at the age of 31, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home win against Real Sociedad.[12]

Arruabarrena scored his first goal in the Spanish top flight on 24 September 2014, in a 1–1 home draw against Villarreal CF.[13] On 24 January 2016, he was loaned to SD Huesca from the second division until the end of the season.[14]

In 2016, Arruabarrena left Spain again, to join AEL Limassol of the Cypriot First Division. He returned to his country in January 2018, signing a two-year deal with third-tier CF Fuenlabrada.[15]

Honours

Eibar

2013–14[10]

Notes and References

  1. http://archivo.marca.com/edicion/marca/futbol/2a_division/xerez/es/desarrollo/681992.html El Xerez presenta a Raúl Medina y Arruabarrena (Xerez present Raúl Medina and Arruabarrena)
  2. http://archivo.marca.com/edicion/marca/futbol/1a_division/osasuna/es/desarrollo/1024794.html Mikel Arruabarrena se marcha al Tenerife (Mikel Arruabarrena goes to Tenerife)
  3. http://archivo.marca.com/edicion/marca/futbol/2a_division/tenerife/es/desarrollo/1133518.html Arruabarrena ficha por el Legia de Varsovia (Arruabarrena signs for Legia Warsaw)
  4. http://archivo.marca.com/edicion/marca/futbol/2a_division/eibar/es/desarrollo/1196631.html El Eibar cierra el fichaje de Arruabarrena (Eibar complete the signing of Arruabarrena)
  5. http://gara.naiz.eus/paperezkoa/20090603/140253/es/Una-regeneracion-completa-o-casi-para-una-nueva-etapa Una regeneración completa, o casi, para una nueva etapa (Complete regeneration, or nearly, for a new spell)
  6. http://legionisci.com/news/30914_Kontrakt_z_Arruabarrena_rozwiazany.html Kontrakt z Arruabarreną rozwiązany! (Contract with Arruabarrena resolved!)
  7. http://www.diariovasco.com/20090709/bajo-deba/gran-interes-eibar-obliga-20090709.html «El gran interés del Eibar me obliga a decidirme pronto» ("Eibar's great interest forces me to decide quickly")
  8. http://www.marca.com/eventos/marcador/futbol/2012_13/copa/dieciseisavos/vuelta/ath_eib/ El pequeño se come al grande (Little fish eat big fish)
  9. News: El Eibar encabeza una candidatura con cimientos muy sólidos. Eibar spearhead candidacy with quite solid foundations. El Correo. es. 4 March 2014. 20 April 2021.
  10. Web site: ¡Campeones de Segunda!. Segunda champions!. Cadena SER. es. 8 June 2014. 20 April 2021.
  11. http://www.sdeibar.com/-/mikel-arruabarrena-renueva-por-dos-temporadas Mikel Arruabarrena renueva por dos temporadas (Mikel Arruabarrena renews for two seasons)
  12. http://www.espnfc.com/spanish-primera-divisi%C3%B3n/story/2001649/eibar-beat-real-sociedad-in-la-liga Lara seals dream start for Eibar
  13. http://www.espnfc.com/spanish-primera-divisi%C3%B3n/match/402588/eibar-villarreal/report Eibar 1–1 Villarreal
  14. http://www.marca.com/futbol/huesca/2016/01/24/56a5359246163f19148b457a.html Arruabarrena refuerza el ataque del Huesca (Arruabarrena bolsters Huesca offense)
  15. News: Mikel Arruabarrena, nuevo jugador del Fuenlabrada. Mikel Arruabarrena, new Fuenlabrada player. Diario AS. es. 22 January 2018. 30 March 2018.