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ÁNGEL JAVIER ARIZMENDI DE LUCAS
Squad Number 06/07: 10
Date of Birth: 3 March, 1984
Nationality: Spain
Period at Deportivo: 2005 (December) - 2007
Transfer: €1,5 million (2005)
Clubs: Valencia (2007 - ?), Deportivo (2005 -2007) Atlético de Madrid (2005), Racing de Santander (2004-2005), Atlético de Madrid (2004)
Sold: €3.75 million (2007, to Atlético Madrid) (Atlético sold him to Valencia for €7 million)
Height: 189 cm
Weight: 76 kg
Position: Striker
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The story of Arizmendi looks like a fairytale. In December 2005 this relatively unknown Atlético youth player was signed by Deportivo to cover the offensive problems. The rest of the season 2005/2006 this creative player received a lot of criticism, but coach Caparrós kept faith. Fourteen months after his arrival he was a pillar of a rejuvenated Deportivo, a Spanish international player and Valencia decided to sign him during a operation with Atlético de Madrid.
As mentioned, it all started in December 2005 when 'operation Arizmendi' was launched. At the start of the month there were rumours appearing about Galician interest in signing the Spanish sub-21 player of Atlético de Madrid. On Thursday 15 December 2005 this deal was finalised. But Depor's supporters asked themselves: "We already have a tall striker with Taborda and young ones with Xisco and Rubén. So, what's this deal for?"
Fast and strong Arizmendi certainly fitted the demands of coach Caparrós, who just days before the arrival of the young striker himself renewed his contract at the club until 2008. The ex-Sevilla coach was signed by Lendoiro with the mission to build up a new team for the coming years without extended financial possibilities. As Arizmendi is to the likening of Caparrós, a deal was quickly made.
His Liga debut Arizmendi made less than two years earlier in a 3-1 loss in February, 2004 at Barcelona when he replaced Iván Romero. Six days later he played the full ninety minutes and formed Atlético's attack against Irureta's Deportivo (0-0). He started his third consecutive match at Mallorca which was won by the Madrid-based team (0-1). His fourth, and final match of the 2003/2004 campaign, was his entrance into the 1-1 home draw with Murcia.
Without having played just a second at the highest Spanish level yet, Arizmendi was part of the Spanish youth team playing the sub-20 FIFA World Youth Championship UAE of 2003. A FIFA report called him 'Spain's golden boy' after he scored a Quarter Final extra-time winner against Canada (2-1). Just five minutes before the official playing time would end he entered the pitch, and ten minutes later skipped past the flailing Canadian keeper and coolly netted the extra-time golden goal.
"Scoring a golden goal in those circumstances makes me happy beyond words. You dream of this sort of thing every night. Imagine what it's like when it really happens!," Arizmendi said just after that match had finished. "I'm never going to forget this, but I want to make it clear this success is down to the whole group." But Spanish coach José Ufarte preferred striker Sergio García during most of the tournament and Spain lost the final in the last minutes against Brazil (0-1).
 In the summer of 2004 the presence of Fernando Torres and the arrival of experienced Liga striker Salva Ballesta (64 Liga goals back then) blocked his progress at that moment. Racing de Santander achieved a loan deal for him and so Arizmendi played the season 2004/2005 in Northern Spain. Early October, 2005 he left the pitch injured during a 0-0 draw against Sevilla and only had a range of entrances from the bench when he started another match in March, 2005. In the meantime he had scored his first goal in the Primera División, but his late strike at Betis Sevilla was not enough to earn his side something (2-1).
Arizmendi shared the dressing room with Juanma, as both players would do so again from December, 2005 on at Deportivo. But at Racing the tall striker faced competition from experienced Benayoun, Javi Guerrero and Regueiro. In total Arizmendi started seven matches that season and played a total of twenty-two matches. He managed to score two goals more, this time important ones: the third one of Racing at Numancia (2-3) and the second one in Racing's win against Getafe (2-1). Three goals in 773 minutes, in not even nine complete matches.
His return to Atlético in the summer of 2005 coincided with other huge investments done by them and supposed interest of Benitez' Liverpool in getting Arizmendi. Atlético signed Galletti from Real Zaragoza, Maxi Rodriguez from Espanyol (15 goals during the season 2004/2005), Mateja Kezman from Chelsea and Martin Petrov from German side VfL Wolfsburg. Fernando Torres and Kezman formed the attacking pair with Maxi and Petrov supporting them. That left no room for Arizmendi, who only played five minutes during the 2-1 loss at Celta in the first three months of the new season.
Still Atlético had faith in the player. But Arizmendi himself didn't see opportunities arising for him after the club had invested so much money in new attacking players. That was the moment when Atlético and Arizmendi were approached by Deportivo and Getafe. The Getafe-option was preferred by Atlético because it concerned a loan deal. But Arizmendi had set his eyes on the Galician club. A compromise was made as Arizmendi's contract at Deportivo contains a clause that Atlético have the option to buy him back until 2008. Atlético tried to renegotiate the deal at the last moment as striker Kezman suffered a serious knee injury, but Arizmendi insisted on the deal going on.
Caparrós repaid this confidence by using him in almost all of the remaining matches of the season 2005/2006. Arizmendi played 1,079 Liga minutes divided over 17 matches and scored two goals in them. But difficult second part of the season for Deportivo also had his impact on Arizmendi, as he also was criticised for his performances. His sometimes 'clumsy' behaviour on the pitch made several supporters question seriously whether indeed this was the talent as mentioned in the media. Neither did his two goals, both against Athlétic de Bilbao, impress much.
 Nobody could have expected that on 15 November 2006 the player was supposed to be part of the Spanish squad of national coach Luis Aragonés, together with defender Lopo. But an injury prevented this. Until then a rejuvenated Deportivo team had been impressing Spain with their determination, with Arizmendi impressing upfront. Maybe the best explanation about Arizmendi's skills was made by Pepe Murcia, a coach that had Arizmendi in his team at Atlético B during the season 2003/2004. "He's a very generous player. Not a great finisher, but he has enormous qualities and always plays for the good of the team."
Certainly Real Madrid will remember Arizmendi when in January 2007 their defence was ripped open on many occasions by unleashed Arizmendi and Riki. After 35 minutes he could have scored the goal of his life after heaving beaten Sergio Ramos, Cannavaro, Helguera and Casillas, but the post prevented this. At the end of the season 2006-2007, Arizmendi was one of the players with more minutes in the squad: 2,721. He also was the pichichi of the squad with five goals scored, and he was named as the best youngster of the year by DLC.com peńa members.
Unfortunately to Deportivo, Arizmendi's progress awakened Atlético Madrid and Valencia. After the presentation with Real Madrid, news reports appeared that Atlético will use their buy-back clause this June of €3 million. At the end the club from Spain's capital reached an agreement with Valencia and Arizmendi was transferred to Quique Sánches Flores's squad. Deportivo received €750,000 in order to allow the operation. Losing Arizmendi is the price that Deportivo had to pay these years because of the financial troubles. But the positive aspect is that talented players like Arizmendi, Arbeloa, Barragán and many others consider Deportivo as a positive step in their career. Without a doubt the club can attach talents like this in the near future for a longer period.
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