Place of birth Onati, Spain Name Ricardo Mendiguren Playing position Role Footballer | Height 1.72 m Years Team Position Forward | |
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Full name Ricardo Maria Mendiguren Egana Date of birth (1968-10-19) 19 October 1968 (age 47) |
Ricardo María Mendiguren Egaña (born 19 October 1968) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a forward.
Club career
Born in Oñati, Gipuzkoa, Mendiguren emerged through Athletic Bilbao's youth ranks. Still a junior, he managed to make his debuts for both the reserve team and the main squad, respectively in Segunda División and La Liga, first appearing for the latter on 8 February 1987 in a 0–0 home draw against Cádiz CF.
Mendiguren's best years were from 1988 to 1990, as he appeared in 62 league matches for the Basque side (54 starts) whilst scoring 14 goals combined, with the team ranking seventh and 12th respectively; in the following seasons, he returned to his role as a bench player, but still managed to be used regularly.
In the 1994–95 UEFA Cup, Mendiguren appeared in six matches as Athletic reached the third round, starting in both legs against Newcastle United (3–3 aggregate win). He amassed official totals for the club of 223 matches and 23 goals, and left in the 1997 January transfer window to UD Las Palmas in the second level, retiring after no competitive appearances due to injury.