José Antonio Pikabea
Encyclopedia
José Antonio Pikabea Larrarte (born 26 September 1970) is a retired Spanish
professional footballer who played as a central defender.
, Basque Country
, Pikabea joined Real Sociedad
's youth system at the age of 17, going on to play four seasons with the reserves
. On 8 March 1992, he made his La Liga
debut, playing 21 minutes in a 2–1 away win against Valencia CF
, his first appearance being handed by Welsh
manager John Toshack
.
Still under Toshack, Pikabea became an undisputed starter for the Gipuzkoa outfit from 1992–93 onwards. In the 1997–98 season, he only missed two league games (3,214 minutes of action) as the club finished in third position, thus qualifying to the UEFA Cup.
During most of his spell, Pikabea often partnered another Real Sociedad youth graduate, Loren
. A continuous loss of form made him appear in only six games in his penultimate season (again under Toshack, who was having his third stint as club manager), and none whatsoever in his last, with French
Raynald Denoueix
as coach; he retired in June 2003 at nearly 33, having appeared in 313 official games for his only club.
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...
professional footballer who played as a central defender.
Football career
Born in San SebastiánSan Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
, 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....
, Pikabea joined 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...
's youth system at the age of 17, going on to play four seasons with the reserves
Real Sociedad B
Real Sociedad de Fútbol B is a Spanish football club based in San Sebastián, in the autonomous community of Basque Country...
. On 8 March 1992, he made his 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...
debut, playing 21 minutes in a 2–1 away win against 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...
, his first appearance being handed by Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
manager John Toshack
John Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
.
Still under Toshack, Pikabea became an undisputed starter for the Gipuzkoa outfit from 1992–93 onwards. In the 1997–98 season, he only missed two league games (3,214 minutes of action) as the club finished in third position, thus qualifying to the UEFA Cup.
During most of his spell, Pikabea often partnered another Real Sociedad youth graduate, Loren
Lorenzo Juarros García
Lorenzo Juarros García , aka Loren, is a retired Spanish professional footballer who played as either a central defender or striker....
. A continuous loss of form made him appear in only six games in his penultimate season (again under Toshack, who was having his third stint as club manager), and none whatsoever in his last, with French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Raynald Denoueix
Raynald Denoueix
Raynald Denoueix is a French football manager and former defender.Born in Rouen, Denoueix spent his whole playing career as a defender at FC Nantes before becoming a coach at the club's youth academy. During his time at the youth academy, he discovered players such as Didier Deschamps or Marcel...
as coach; he retired in June 2003 at nearly 33, having appeared in 313 official games for his only club.