Andoni Goikoetxea

Club career Athletic Bilbao Born in Alonsotegi, Biscay, Goikoetxea began playing football with local Arbuyo before joining Athletic Bilbao in 1973 where, after starting out at the reserve side, he soon established himself in the senior team squad. He scored four La Liga goals in 27 games in his debut season, but played a lesser role in the following three years with a total of only 24 appearances.

During the 1980s, along with Dani, José Ramón Gallego, José Núñez, Manuel Sarabia and Andoni Zubizarreta, Goiko was a prominent member of the successful Bilbao side coached by Javier Clemente. In 1984 the Basque club renewed its league title, also achieving the double (league and Copa del Rey) in that year.

Goikoetxea severely injured FC Barcelona midfielder Bernd Schuster in 1981, leaving him with a serious right knee injury from which the German never fully recovered.

Maradona foul On 24 September 1983, Goikoetxea achieved notoriety for a foul on Diego Maradona described as "one of the most brutal fouls ever delivered in the history of Spanish football". In a league match at the Camp Nou, he tackled the Argentine from behind and broke his ankle. and, in the aftermath, English journalist Edward Owen coined the phrase "Butcher of Bilbao" to describe Goikoetxea,

When the two teams met in the 1984 Copa del Rey final in May, the match ended 1–0 for Athletic. Featuring in a mass brawl on the pitch, he kicked Maradona's chest; he was initially banned for 18 games for his actions, but the suspension was later reduced to seven.

Later career After three years with Atlético Madrid where he featured sparingly, Goikoetxea retired aged 33. He appeared in 369 competitive matches for Athletic, scoring 44 times.

International career Goikoetxea played 39 matches with Spain, making his debut against the Netherlands on 16 February 1983. He represented the nation at both UEFA Euro 1984 and the 1986 FIFA World Cup. During the latter competition he scored one of his four international goals, through a penalty in a round-of-16 5–1 win against Denmark – the remaining four came courtesy of Emilio Butragueño.

Coaching career Goikoetxea became a coach two years after retiring, starting to work at club level in 1996 and going on to be in charge of UD Salamanca (twice), SD Compostela, CD Numancia (two spells), Racing de Santander and Rayo Vallecano. In the 1996–97 season he guided Salamanca to promotion from the Segunda División, finishing second. He was assistant with the Spain national team to his former manager Clemente, during the 1994 World Cup held in the United States.

In June 2007, Goikoetxea joined Alicante-based Hércules CF in the second tier, being released at the end of the campaign after being suspended by the club for implying its internal structures "stank". On 6 March 2013, he was appointed coach of Equatorial Guinea on a one-year contract, being dismissed in January 2015 just three weeks before the start of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations due to poor performances in friendlies, which included a loss to a Portuguese lower-league side.

Style of play Although he lacked pace, Goikoetxea was a tall and physically powerful central defender. He was known as El Gigante de Alonsotegui (The Giant of Alonsotegui) among the fans of Athletic Bilbao, a reference to his height and hometown. not least because of the two heavy fouls (see Maradona foul) on Maradona and Schuster which earned him the nickname "Butcher of Bilbao". In 2007, English newspaper The Times named him the "hardest defender of all time".

Manager Spain U21 UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 1996; third place 1994