Place of birth Pamplona, Spain Name Inigo Larrainzar Years Team Role Footballer | 1989–1990 Osasuna B Height 1.73 m 1990–1993 Osasuna | |
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Full name Inigo Larrainzar Santamaria Date of birth (1971-06-05) 5 June 1971 (age 44) | ||
Inigo larrainzar y su experiencia personal tuplana com
Iñigo Larrainzar Santamaría (born 5 June 1971 in Pamplona, Navarre) is a Spanish retired footballer who played mainly as a right back.
Contents
- Inigo larrainzar y su experiencia personal tuplana com
- El perfil de i igo larrainzar
- Club career
- International career
- References
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.
El perfil de i igo larrainzar
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.
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, 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.