Juan Carlos Arteche
Encyclopedia
Juan Carlos Arteche Gómez (11 April 1957 – 13 October 2010) was a Spanish
footballer who played as a central defender.
A player of imposing physical presence with great aerial ability, he played 11 years of his professional career with Atlético Madrid, appearing in nearly 400 official games for the club.
, Cantabria
, Arteche started playing professionally with hometown's Racing de Santander
, making his debuts in the 1976–77 season, playing 19 La Liga
matches as the club finished 15th, barely avoided relegation.
After one more season with Racing, he signed for Atlético de Madrid, early on being an undisputed starter and team captain. In 1984–85, Arteche helped the Colchoneros to the second position in the league, only behind champions FC Barcelona
, and the season's Copa del Rey
; subsequently, the club reached the final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
, a 0–3 loss against FC Dynamo Kyiv
.
After only two matches in 1988–89, mainly due to serious personal problems with elusive club chairman Jesús Gil
, Arteche chose to retire, at 32.
After a long battle with cancer
, he died in Madrid
on 13 October 2010, at the age of 53.
for Spain
in three months, his debut coming against Romania
on 12 November 1986 for the UEFA Euro 1988 qualifiers.
In his last match, Arteche couldn't stop England
's Gary Lineker
from scoring all opposing goals, in the 4–2 friendly loss in Madrid.
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 central defender.
A player of imposing physical presence with great aerial ability, he played 11 years of his professional career with Atlético Madrid, appearing in nearly 400 official games for the club.
Club career
Born in MaliañoMaliaño
Maliaño is a village in the municipality of Camargo . The town is located near the Bay of Santander, 5 km from the regional capital. It is the location of the regionally significant Santander Airport...
, Cantabria
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
, Arteche started playing professionally with hometown's Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
, making his debuts in the 1976–77 season, playing 19 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...
matches as the club finished 15th, barely avoided relegation.
After one more season with Racing, he signed for Atlético de Madrid, early on being an undisputed starter and team captain. In 1984–85, Arteche helped the Colchoneros to the second position in the league, only behind champions 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....
, and the season's 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 ....
; subsequently, the club reached the final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
, a 0–3 loss against FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC Dynamo Kyiv is a professional football club based in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. Founded in 1927, the club currently participates in the Ukrainian Premier League and has spent its entire history in the top league of Soviet and later Ukrainian football...
.
After only two matches in 1988–89, mainly due to serious personal problems with elusive club chairman Jesús Gil
Jesús Gil
Gregorio Jesús Gil y Gil was a Spanish businessman and politician. He served as Mayor of Marbella, between 1996 and 2002, and was also known for his 16-year stint as president of Spanish football club Atlético Madrid....
, Arteche chose to retire, at 32.
After a long battle with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, he died in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
on 13 October 2010, at the age of 53.
International career
Arteche won four capsCap (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...
for Spain
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...
in three months, his debut coming against Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
on 12 November 1986 for the UEFA Euro 1988 qualifiers.
In his last match, Arteche couldn't stop England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
's Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
from scoring all opposing goals, in the 4–2 friendly loss in Madrid.
Honours
- Atlético Madrid:
- Spanish CupCopa 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 ....
: 1984–85 - Spanish SupercupSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 19851985 Supercopa de EspañaThe 1985 Supercopa de España was a two-legged Spanish football match between FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid ; it was played on 9 October and 30 October 1985, with the latter team winning 3–2 on aggregate.-First leg:... - UEFA Cup Winners' CupUEFA Cup Winners' CupThe UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
: Runner-up 1985–86
- Spanish Cup