Personal information | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Luis Miguel Arconada Etxarri | |||||||||||||
Date of birth | 26 June 1954 | |||||||||||||
Place of birth | San Sebastián, Spain | |||||||||||||
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) [1] | |||||||||||||
Position(s) | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||||
Lengokoak | ||||||||||||||
Real Sociedad | ||||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
1972–1974 | San Sebastián | 40 | (0) | |||||||||||
1974–1989 | Real Sociedad | 414 | (0) | |||||||||||
Total | 454 | (0) | ||||||||||||
International career | ||||||||||||||
1972 | Spain U18 | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||
1976 | Spain amateur | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||
1977–1985 | Spain | 68 | (0) | |||||||||||
1979 | Basque Country | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Luis Miguel Arconada Etxarri (born 26 June 1954) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
He played only for Real Sociedad for nearly 20 years, and helped the club to four titles including two La Liga championships. [2] Arconada collected 68 caps for Spain over eight years, and was part of the squads at two World Cups and two European Championships. [3]
Arconada has served for the Board of Directors of the big industrial company of his home region Gipuzkoa, CAF, since 1992. [4]
Arconada was born in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa. Aged 16, he joined local giants Real Sociedad's youth ranks, going on to play there his entire career and being known as "El pulpo" (Octopus in English). [1] [5]
After two seasons backing up Urruti, Arconada became the club's undisputed starter. [6] He was instrumental in consecutive La Liga titles, which led – after the second – to a semi-final run in the European Cup.
Arconada was seriously injured in 1985–86's league opener, which caused him to miss the remainder of the campaign and the 1986 FIFA World Cup. [7] He still returned strong for three more seasons, helping Real Sociedad to two consecutive Copa del Rey finals before retiring at 35 with a total of 414 appearances (551 overall); after that, he remained apart from the football world. [8]
On 27 March 1977, Arconada played his first game for Spain, a 1–1 friendly with Hungary in Alicante, replacing Real Madrid's Miguel Ángel for the second half. Having captained the nation on many occasions, he represented it at the 1978 and 1982 FIFA World Cups as well as at UEFA Euro 1980 and 1984. In the latter competition, his blunder resulted in the opening goal for hosts France in a 2–0 final defeat: he appeared to have smothered a free kick from Michel Platini under his chest in a diving save, but he fumbled the ball, which slid off under his body and rolled slowly into the net; despite his reputation as a world-class goalkeeper, several years later he was still widely remembered for the error, known as "Arconada's goal" in Spain. [9] [10] [11] [12]
Arconada's last game was a 3–0 defeat in Wales for the 1986 World Cup qualifiers. [13] A severe cruciate ligament injury while playing for Real ousted him from the final stages, [7] being replaced by fellow Basque Andoni Zubizarreta.
During the ceremony following Spain's victory in Euro 2008, third choice Andrés Palop wore Arconada's original Euro 84 final shirt as he received the gold medal from Platini, now president of UEFA. [14] Arconada also represented his native country at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where Spain was eliminated in the first round.
Arconada was known for his leadership, bravery and consistency, and was regarded as one of the best Spanish goalkeepers of all time. His athleticism, speed, shot-stopping ability, reflexes, footwork and acrobatic style served as an inspiration to Iker Casillas. [11] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]
In 2017, former goalkeeper Manuel Almunia also praised Arconada for his ability to produce saves with his feet. [20]
Arconada's younger brother, Gonzalo, never played professional football, but had an extensive coaching career, mainly in the third division. For a few months in early 2006, he coached Real Sociedad's first team. [21]
Real Sociedad
Spain
Individual
Iker Casillas Fernández is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and currently works as a football commentator. Popularly dubbed "San Iker" for his ability to produce spectacular saves, Casillas is widely considered to be one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. He is known for his athleticism, quick reactions and outstanding shot-stopping ability. Having spent the majority of his career at Real Madrid, Casillas is one of the few players to achieve over 1000 professional career matches, and holds the record for the most clean sheets in the UEFA Champions League, as well as for the Spain national team. Currently, he works for RTVE, Movistar Plus+ and Azteca Deportes.
Diego López Rodríguez is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper.
José Ángel Iribar Kortajarena, nicknamed El Chopo, is a Spanish retired football goalkeeper and manager.
José Vicente Fernández Biurrun is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Andrés Palop Cervera is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, currently a manager.
Agustín Aranzábal Alkorta is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left-back.
Xabier "Xabi" Prieto Argarate is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played mainly as a right midfielder. A player of good dribbling skills, he was also a penalty kick specialist.
Francisco Javier González Urruticoechea, known as Urruti, was a Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Daniel Aranzubia Aguado is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and the goalkeeper coach of Athletic Bilbao B.
Luis García Conde is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Miguel Ángel Moyá Rumbo is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Pedro María Artola Urrutia is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Gonzalo Arconada Echarri is a Spanish football manager.
Eñaut Zubikarai Goñi is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, currently goalkeeping coach of New Zealand club Auckland City FC.
Manuel Fernández Muñiz, commonly known as Manu, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Javier 'Javi' Varas Herrera is a Spanish former footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Agustín de Carlos Elduayen is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
David Rangel Pastor is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Roberto Olabe Aranzábal is a Spanish former football goalkeeper and manager.
Iñigo Martínez Berridi is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team.