Gaizka Mendieta
Encyclopedia
Gaizka Mendieta Zabala (born 27 March 1974) is a retired Spanish
footballer who played as a midfielder
.
Versatile, with good offensive and tackling skills, also being capable of creating goals for teammates and himself, he played mainly for Valencia CF
, and finished his career at Middlesbrough
of England
.
He played 40 times with the Spanish national team
, appearing with it in one World Cup
and one European Championship
.
, Basque Country
, Mendieta made his professional debuts at just 17 with CD Castellón
, in the second division
. After just one season, he moved to La Liga
after signing with Valencia CF
. He spent the vast majority of his first year with the reserves, making his first team debut on 13 June 1993. Mendieta played 34 of 42 games during the 1995–96 season as Valencia finished runners-up, its best result since 1990.
The 1997–98 season was Mendieta's breakthrough season, under new manager Claudio Ranieri
. He played in 30 of 38 games, scoring 10 goals, and soon made his debut for the national team. In June 1999, he won his first trophy with Valencia, beating Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey
.
Under new manager Héctor Cúper
, Mendieta had an even better year in 1999–2000. He helped Valencia beat FC Barcelona
4–3 on aggregate to win the Spanish Supercup
, and scored a career-best 13 goals, as the Che finished third. However, the biggest triumph of the season was helping Valencia reach the final
of the season's UEFA Champions League
, a 0–3 loss to fellow league side Real Madrid
; later, he was awarded the "European Midfielder of the Season" award.
Valencia reached the final of the Champions League in the following year and lost it again, now to FC Bayern Munich
after a penalty shootout. Mendieta scored a penalty
in normal time (1–1) and also converted his attempt in the shootout, being again named "UEFA Best Midfielder of the Year".
48 million transfer to Italian
club S.S. Lazio
, being at the time the sixth most expensive player of all time. However, he disappointed in Serie A
, spending only one year with the Rome
club, while failing to match the performances of departed playmakers Juan Sebastián Verón
and Pavel Nedvěd
.
Mendieta was loaned to FC Barcelona
for the 2002–03 season – he started most of the year, but the Catalans
could only rank sixth – and subsequently to Middlesbrough
.
, bringing the Teesside
club its first ever silverware. At the end of the season, the move was made permanent.
In his last two years at Middlesbrough, a string of injuries and long duration of regaining match fitness relegated Mendieta to the substitutes bench. He fell out of favour with manager Gareth Southgate
, who made it clear that the player no longer featured in his first team plans. Reports suggested that Real Sociedad
, Athletic Bilbao
and Málaga CF
were interesting in purchasing the midfielder in the January 2007 transfer window
, however no concrete agreement was ever made. The summer transfer window passed amid speculation that Mendieta was set for a move to Los Angeles Galaxy
; however, towards the end of the deadline, he was quoted to have said that he would fight for his place at Middlesbrough. A day later, Boro's chief executive Keith Lamb disregarded Mendieta's comments saying that there was "no chance" of Mendieta entering the first team. He played his last game on 26 December 2006, against Everton
.
On 5 December 2007, according to a Spanish newspaper, Mendieta announced his retirement from professional football when his Middlesbrough contract expired at the end of the 2007–08 season, He was finally released by Middlesbrough on 13 May 2008, ending a successful 17-year professional career.
On 3 November 2009, Mendieta was quoted as saying a part of him would be interested in football management when interviewed by the BBC
. He said: "A part of me can see the excitement and challenge of being a manager, definitely." After retiring, he settled with his family near Middlesbrough
, in Yarm
.
which were runners-up in the UEFA European Championship
.
He made his senior side
debut on 27 March 1999, replacing Juan Carlos Valerón
in a 9–0 thrashing of Austria
, for UEFA Euro 2000's qualifying stages; he was included in the list of 23 for the competition in Belgium
and the Netherlands
, helping the national side reach the last eight.
Despite his form slump at Lazio, Mendieta was picked for the squad at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
, scoring one goal in three matches for the eventual quarterfinalists, against South Africa
(3–2 win). The last of his 40 caps
was gained in a friendly with Bulgaria
in Granada
, four months after the World Cup.
|1991–92||Castellón
||Segunda División
||16||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992–93||rowspan="9"|Valencia
||rowspan="9"|La Liga
||2||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993–94||20||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994–95||13||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995–96||34||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996–97||30||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997–98||30||10||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998–99||38||7||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999–00||33||13||||||||||9||5||42||18
|-
|2000–01||31||11||||||||||13||2||44||13
|-
|2001–02||Lazio
||Serie A
||20||0||||||||||7||0||27||0
|-
|2002–03||Barcelona
||La Liga
||33||4||||||||||13||1||46||5
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="4"|Middlesbrough
||rowspan="4"|Premier League||31||2||1||0||6||1||0||0||38||3
|-
|2004–05||7||0||0||0||0||0||1||0||8||0
|-
|2005–06||17||2||6||1||0||0||6||0||29||3
|-
|2006–07||7||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||8||0
280||49||||||||||||||||
20||0||||||||||||||||
62||4||7||1||7||1||7||0||73||6
362||54||||||||||||||||
|}
|1999||9||1
|-
|2000||13||3
|-
|2001||8||3
|-
|2002||10||1
|-
!Total||40||8
|}
Middlesbrough
Spain U21
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who played as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Versatile, with good offensive and tackling skills, also being capable of creating goals for teammates and himself, he played mainly for Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, and finished his career at Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
He played 40 times with the Spanish national team
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, appearing with it in one World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and one European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
.
Valencia
Born in BilbaoBilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
, Mendieta made his professional debuts at just 17 with CD Castellón
CD Castellón
Club Deportivo Castellón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Castellón de la Plana, in the Valencian Community. Founded in 1922, it currently plays in Tercera División – Group 6, holding home games at Nou Estadi Castalia, which has a capacity of 16,000.-History:Football first appeared in...
, in the second division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
. After just one season, he moved to La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
after signing with Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
. He spent the vast majority of his first year with the reserves, making his first team debut on 13 June 1993. Mendieta played 34 of 42 games during the 1995–96 season as Valencia finished runners-up, its best result since 1990.
The 1997–98 season was Mendieta's breakthrough season, under new manager Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St...
. He played in 30 of 38 games, scoring 10 goals, and soon made his debut for the national team. In June 1999, he won his first trophy with Valencia, beating Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
.
Under new manager Héctor Cúper
Héctor Cúper
Héctor Raúl Cúper is an Argentinean former football defender and a current manager.-Coach:...
, Mendieta had an even better year in 1999–2000. He helped Valencia beat FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
4–3 on aggregate to win the Spanish Supercup
Supercopa de España
The Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
, and scored a career-best 13 goals, as the Che finished third. However, the biggest triumph of the season was helping Valencia reach the final
2000 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2000 UEFA Champions League Final took place at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France on 24 May 2000. The match pitted Spanish rivals Real Madrid and Valencia...
of the season's UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, a 0–3 loss to fellow league side Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
; later, he was awarded the "European Midfielder of the Season" award.
Valencia reached the final of the Champions League in the following year and lost it again, now to FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
after a penalty shootout. Mendieta scored a penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
in normal time (1–1) and also converted his attempt in the shootout, being again named "UEFA Best Midfielder of the Year".
Moving abroad
Mendieta was one of the most sought-after players in the 2001 off-season, eventually earning a €Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
48 million transfer to Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
club S.S. Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
, being at the time the sixth most expensive player of all time. However, he disappointed in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, spending only one year with the Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
club, while failing to match the performances of departed playmakers Juan Sebastián Verón
Juan Sebastián Verón
Juan Sebastián Verón is an Argentinian professional football player who is the current captain and midfielder for Estudiantes de La Plata in the Argentine Primera División....
and Pavel Nedvěd
Pavel Nedved
Pavel Nedvěd is a retired Czech football midfielder. He is one of the most successful Czech players to emerge from the newly formed Czech Republic, winning numerous accolades with Lazio and Juventus, including the last ever Cup Winners' Cup...
.
Mendieta was loaned to FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
for the 2002–03 season – he started most of the year, but the Catalans
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
could only rank sixth – and subsequently to Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
.
Middlesbrough
In his first season at Middlesbrough, Mendieta was part of the team that won the Football League CupFootball League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
, bringing the Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
club its first ever silverware. At the end of the season, the move was made permanent.
In his last two years at Middlesbrough, a string of injuries and long duration of regaining match fitness relegated Mendieta to the substitutes bench. He fell out of favour with manager Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate in Crawley, West Sussex is a retired English footballer and ex-manager. He is known as the "Penalty Misser of '96." He served as manager of Middlesbrough from June 2006, until he was dismissed in October 2009...
, who made it clear that the player no longer featured in his first team plans. Reports suggested that Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909...
, Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
and Málaga CF
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
were interesting in purchasing the midfielder in the January 2007 transfer window
Transfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...
, however no concrete agreement was ever made. The summer transfer window passed amid speculation that Mendieta was set for a move to Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
; however, towards the end of the deadline, he was quoted to have said that he would fight for his place at Middlesbrough. A day later, Boro's chief executive Keith Lamb disregarded Mendieta's comments saying that there was "no chance" of Mendieta entering the first team. He played his last game on 26 December 2006, against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
.
On 5 December 2007, according to a Spanish newspaper, Mendieta announced his retirement from professional football when his Middlesbrough contract expired at the end of the 2007–08 season, He was finally released by Middlesbrough on 13 May 2008, ending a successful 17-year professional career.
On 3 November 2009, Mendieta was quoted as saying a part of him would be interested in football management when interviewed by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. He said: "A part of me can see the excitement and challenge of being a manager, definitely." After retiring, he settled with his family near Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, in Yarm
Yarm
Yarm is a small town and civil parish in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in North East England. It is on the south bank of the River Tees and for ceremonial purposes is in North Yorkshire...
.
International career
In the summer of 1996, Mendieta was part of the Spanish under-21 national teamSpain national under-21 football team
The Spain national under-21 football team, is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita , competes in the biannual European Under-21 Football Championship.Following the realignment of UEFA's youth...
which were runners-up in the UEFA European Championship
1996 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 1996, which spanned two years , had 44 entrants. After the quarter-finals stage, Spain were chosen as the hosts of the final stages, consisting of four matches in total....
.
He made his senior side
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
debut on 27 March 1999, replacing Juan Carlos Valerón
Juan Carlos Valerón
Juan Carlos Valerón Santana is a Spanish footballer who plays for Deportivo de La Coruña as an attacking midfielder.Valerón is known for his technical abilities, especially passing skills and ball control...
in a 9–0 thrashing of Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
, for UEFA Euro 2000's qualifying stages; he was included in the list of 23 for the competition in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, helping the national side reach the last eight.
Despite his form slump at Lazio, Mendieta was picked for the squad at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, scoring one goal in three matches for the eventual quarterfinalists, against South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
(3–2 win). The last of his 40 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
was gained in a friendly with Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
in Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
, four months after the World Cup.
Club
|-|1991–92||Castellón
CD Castellón
Club Deportivo Castellón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Castellón de la Plana, in the Valencian Community. Founded in 1922, it currently plays in Tercera División – Group 6, holding home games at Nou Estadi Castalia, which has a capacity of 16,000.-History:Football first appeared in...
||Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
||16||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992–93||rowspan="9"|Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
||rowspan="9"|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||2||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993–94||20||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994–95||13||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995–96||34||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996–97||30||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997–98||30||10||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998–99||38||7||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999–00||33||13||||||||||9||5||42||18
|-
|2000–01||31||11||||||||||13||2||44||13
|-
|2001–02||Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
||Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||20||0||||||||||7||0||27||0
|-
|2002–03||Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
||La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||33||4||||||||||13||1||46||5
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="4"|Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
||rowspan="4"|Premier League||31||2||1||0||6||1||0||0||38||3
|-
|2004–05||7||0||0||0||0||0||1||0||8||0
|-
|2005–06||17||2||6||1||0||0||6||0||29||3
|-
|2006–07||7||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||8||0
280||49||||||||||||||||
20||0||||||||||||||||
62||4||7||1||7||1||7||0||73||6
362||54||||||||||||||||
|}
National team
|-|1999||9||1
|-
|2000||13||3
|-
|2001||8||3
|-
|2002||10||1
|-
!Total||40||8
|}
International goals
- Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 5 June 1999 Estadio El Madrigal Estadio El MadrigalEstadio El Madrigal is a multi-purpose stadium in Vila-real, Spain. It is currently used mostly for football matches, as it is the home of Villarreal CF.The stadium with 25,000 seats was originally built in 1923...
, Villarreal9–0 9–0 Euro 2000 qualifying 2 7 June 2000 Stade Josy Barthel Stade Josy BarthelStade Josy Barthel is the national stadium of Luxembourg, home to the Luxembourg national football team and also used for athletics. It is located on route d'Arlon, in Luxembourg City.It was first constructed in 1928 and it was entirely rebuilt in 1990...
, LuxembourgLuxembourg (city)The city of Luxembourg , also known as Luxembourg City , is a commune with city status, and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers in southern Luxembourg...
1–0 1–0 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...3 21 June 2000 Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges BrugesBruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
3–3 4–3 Euro 2000 4 25 June 2000 Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges 1–1 1–2 Euro 2000 5 24 March 2001 Estadio José Rico Pérez Estadio José Rico PérezEstadio José Rico Pérez is a multi-purpose stadium in Alicante, Spain. It is currently used mostly for football matches, being home to Hércules CF. It also held World Cup matches when Spain organized the event in 1982. The stadium can hold up to 30,000 people...
, AlicanteAlicanteAlicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
4–0 5–0 2002 World Cup qualification 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)Listed below are the dates and results for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification....6 24 March 2001 Estadio José Rico Pérez Estadio José Rico PérezEstadio José Rico Pérez is a multi-purpose stadium in Alicante, Spain. It is currently used mostly for football matches, being home to Hércules CF. It also held World Cup matches when Spain organized the event in 1982. The stadium can hold up to 30,000 people...
, Alicante5–0 5–0 2002 World Cup qualification 7 1 September 2001 Estadio Mestalla, Valencia 4–0 4–0 2002 World Cup qualification 8 12 June 2002 Daejeon World Cup Stadium, Daegu DaeguDaegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the...
2–1 3–2 2002 World Cup 2002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
Team
Valencia- Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1998–99 - Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 19991999 Supercopa de EspañaThe 1999 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 8 August and 15 August 1999. It contested by Valencia CF, who were Spanish Cup winners in 1998–99, and FC Barcelona, who won the 1998–99 Spanish League.-First leg:-Second leg:... - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: Runner-up 1999–00, 2000–01
Middlesbrough
- English League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
: 2003–04
Spain U21
- European Football ChampionshipUEFA European Under-21 Football ChampionshipThe European Under-21 Football Championship is a football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. It is held every two years. The competition has existed in its current form since 1978. It was preceded by the Under 23 Challenge Cup which ran from 1967 to 1970...
: Runners-up 19961996 UEFA European Under-21 Football ChampionshipThe UEFA U-21 Championship 1996, which spanned two years , had 44 entrants. After the quarter-finals stage, Spain were chosen as the hosts of the final stages, consisting of four matches in total....
Individual
- UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: Best Midfielder 1999–2000, 2000–01