PROFILE: Koikili Lertxundi
Posted on | August 31, 2009 | No Comments
Who?: A stocky and intelligent full-back who has blossomed relatively late at Athletic Bilbao in Spain. Will be among a number of players who will need to be on their game again this season to keep the club out of the relegation scrap and on the comeback trail after a very shaky start at the beginning of last season.
Known for keeping Lionel Messi quiet in a 2-0 loss for Bilbao at the Camp Nou in March, and first grabbed attention by keeping Asier Del Horno out of the Bilbao starting eleven.
Some stats: At 28 years of age, he’s only been tasting top-flight football for two years having been signed from Segunda Division B side Sestao River in 2007. Since then he’s played 57 times for Bilbao and scored twice. Stands at 1.68 and weighs 67kg.
Clubs interested: None that we know of – and that’s part of what makes him stand out. Very much a local Basque boy with a humble temperament – enough to have made him a minor cult figure in the Basque country.
Has been compared to: He is, quite simply, unique. Among his off-the-pitch quirks is a camper van he drives to training, rather than the high performance sports cars preferred by his colleagues.
They say: “He has a degree in history and was once the Spanish under-15 champion at Greco-Roman wrestling. During his spare afternoons, he runs a human resources business in Vitoria, the capital of the Basque country.” – Times Online
Others stats: ‘Cult hero’ is often synonymous with a sizeable yellow and red card count, and Koikili doesn’t disappoint, with 22 cautions in his Bilbao appearances to date, including a handful in friendly matches. Has only picked up two reds though.
Video: Goals are few and far between, but this strike against Atletico Madrid must’ve been worth the wait.
Chris Breese
[Photo: Athletic Bilbao]
Tags: Asier Del Horno > Athletic Bilbao > Koikili Lertxundi > Lionel Messi
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