Place of birth Maliano, Spain Role Footballer Place of death Madrid, Spain Height 1.88 m | 1974–1975 Racing Santander Name Juan Arteche | |
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Full name Juan Carlos Arteche Gomez Date of birth (1957-04-11)11 April 1957 Date of death 13 October 2010(2010-10-13) (aged 53) Died October 13, 2010, Madrid, Spain | ||
Tributo a juan carlos arteche
Juan Carlos Arteche Gómez (11 April 1957 – 13 October 2010) was a Spanish footballer who played as a central defender.
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A player of imposing physical presence with great aerial ability, he played 11 years of his professional career with Atlético Madrid, appearing in nearly 400 official games for the club.
Club career
Born in Maliaño, Cantabria, Arteche began playing professionally with local Racing de Santander after starting in basketball, making his debut in the 1976–77 season and playing 16 La Liga games as the club finished 15th, barely avoiding relegation.
After one more year with Racing, he signed for Atlético Madrid, being an undisputed starter early on and team captain. In 1984–85, Arteche helped the Colchoneros to the second position in the league only behind champions FC Barcelona, and the campaign's Copa del Rey; subsequently they reached the final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, a 0–3 loss against FC Dynamo Kyiv.
After only two matches in 1988–89, mainly due to serious personal problems with elusive club chairman Jesús Gil, Arteche chose to retire at 32.
International career
Arteche won four caps for Spain in three months, his debut coming against Romania on 12 November 1986 for the UEFA Euro 1988 qualifiers. In his last appearance, he couldn't stop England's Gary Lineker from scoring all opposing goals, in the 2–4 friendly loss in Madrid.
Death
After a long battle with blood cancer, Arteche died in Madrid on 13 October 2010, at the age of 53.