Mikel Arruabarrena

Mikel Arruabarrena Aranbide (born 9 February 1983) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a centre forward.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Arruabarrena and the second or maternal family name is Aranbide.
Mikel Arruabarrena
Arruabarrena with Legia Warsaw
Personal information
Full name Mikel Arruabarrena Aranbide
Date of birth (1983-02-09) 9 February 1983
Place of birth Tolosa, Spain
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Tolosa
1999–2002 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2003 Basconia 36 (5)
2003–2005 Bilbao Athletic 68 (17)
2005–2007 Osasuna B 35 (12)
2006–2007 → Xerez (loan) 25 (5)
2007–2008 Tenerife 31 (6)
2008–2009 Legia Warsaw 6 (0)
2009 → Eibar (loan) 13 (1)
2009–2016 Eibar 175 (44)
2010–2011 → Leganés (loan) 34 (21)
2016 → Huesca (loan) 16 (1)
2016–2018 AEL Limassol 48 (17)
2018 Fuenlabrada 7 (0)
2018–2019 Pontevedra 32 (8)
National team‡
1999 Spain U16 1 (0)
2014– Basque Country 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19 May 2019
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 January 2015

Club career

Born in Tolosa, Basque Country, Arruabarrena had stints with local giants Athletic Bilbao and Navarrese neighbours CA Osasuna, but did not made it past the reserves on either occasion. From 2006 to 2008, he played in the second division with Xerez CD[1] and CD Tenerife,[2] with relative impact.

In the summer of 2008, Arruabarrena was bought by Poland's Legia Warsaw alongside compatriots Iñaki Descarga and Iñaki Astiz.[3] However, in January of the following year, he was loaned to SD Eibar also in his native region and the second level,[4] not being able to prevent the team from eventually dropping down a tier.[5]

In that summer, Arruabarrena arranged for a buyout of his Legia contract[6] to remain at Eibar permanently,[7] completing several seasons with the side in division three. On 12 December 2012, he was decisive in eliminating former club Athletic from the Copa del Rey, after scoring in a 1–1 draw at the San Mamés Stadium (his team progressed on the away goals rule).[8]

Arruabarrena contributed with 36 games and seven goals in the 2013–14 season, as the Armeros promoted to La Liga for the first time ever. He renewed his link with the club on 27 June 2014,[9] and made his debut in the competition on 24 August at the age of 31, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home win against Real Sociedad.[10]

Arruabarrena scored his first goal in the Spanish top flight on 24 September 2014, in a 1–1 home draw against Villarreal CF.[11] On 24 January 2016, he was loaned to SD Huesca from the second division until the end of the season.[12]

In 2016, Arruabarrena left Spain again, to join AEL Limassol of the Cypriot First Division. He returned to his country in January 2018, signing a two-year deal with third-tier CF Fuenlabrada.[13]

References
  1. El Xerez presenta a Raúl Medina y Arruabarrena (Xerez present Raúl Medina and Arruabarrena); Marca, 23 August 2006 (in Spanish)
  2. Mikel Arruabarrena se marcha al Tenerife (Mikel Arruabarrena goes to Tenerife); Marca, 8 August 2007 (in Spanish)
  3. Arruabarrena ficha por el Legia de Varsovia (Arruabarrena signs for Legia Warsaw); Marca, 10 June 2008 (in Spanish)
  4. El Eibar cierra el fichaje de Arruabarrena (Eibar complete the signing of Arruabarrena); Marca, 6 January 2009 (in Spanish)
  5. Una regeneración completa, o casi, para una nueva etapa (Complete regeneration, or nearly, for a new spell); Gara, 3 June 2009 (in Spanish)
  6. Kontrakt z Arruabarreną rozwiązany! (Contract with Arruabarrena resolved!); Legionisci, 24 June 2009 (in Polish)
  7. «El gran interés del Eibar me obliga a decidirme pronto» ("Eibar's great interest forces me to decide quickly"); El Diario Vasco, 9 July 2009 (in Spanish)
  8. El pequeño se come al grande (Little fish eat big fish); Marca, 12 December 2012 (in Spanish)
  9. Mikel Arruabarrena renueva por dos temporadas (Mikel Arruabarrena renews for two seasons) Archived 9 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine; SD Eibar, 27 June 2014 (in Spanish)
  10. Lara seals dream start for Eibar; ESPN FC, 24 August 2014
  11. Eibar 1–1 Villarreal; ESPN FC, 24 September 2014
  12. Arruabarrena refuerza el ataque del Huesca (Arruabarrena bolsters Huesca offense); Marca, 24 January 2016 (in Spanish)
  13. "Mikel Arruabarrena, nuevo jugador del Fuenlabrada" [Mikel Arruabarrena, new Fuenlabrada player] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
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