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DANIEL ARANZUBIA AGUADO
Squad Number 08/09: ?
Date of Birth: 18 September 1979
Birthplace: Logroño, La Rioja
Nationality: Spain (international in 2004)
Contract: 2008 - 2011
Transfer: Free transfer
Previous Clubs: Athlétic de Bilbao (2000-2008)
Buy-out Clause: ?
Height: 186 cm
Weight: ?
Position: Goalkeeper
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 DANIEL ARANZUBIA signed for Deportivo in the summer of 2008 and, at the moment of writing (July 2008), might succeed either Munúa, Aouate or both as goalkeeper of Deportivo. He already was related to the Galicians during the days of Javier Irureta and in 2007 rejected a move to Real Zaragoza. But when ex-Deportivo coach Caparrós made clear that he didn’t have a future at Bilbao, he decided to move on and eventually ended up in Galicia. His target is to become the goalkeeper he was once, at first one of the most promising goalkeepers and Spain and in five seasons the starting goalkeeper of Bilbao.
Athlétic de Bilbao had been his club all his life. Aranzubia passed through their well-known youth system and was a U-20 Spanish international player. With the Spanish team he won the 1999 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Nigeria and he also won a silver medal during the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. His enormous potential back then was demonstrated by the fact that Real Madrid’s Iker Casillas was his substitute. Interest of Deportivo in signing him back then wasn’t materialized. In June 2001 he started his first two Liga matches for the Basques under coach José Francisco Rojo although these weren’t much of a success: mid-table Bilbao lost both and leaked six goals. Especially as his debut match concerned the regional derby against Real Sociedad, all in all it was not the best way to start a career in the Primera División. But 20-year-old Aranzubia he was there to stay.
 Iñaki Lafuente was Bilbao’s starting goalkeeper though and remained so during the season 2001/2002 when Bilbao once again played an anonymous season. Only in September and at the end of the campaign was Aranzubia give new opportunities and this time the results were somewhat more encouraging. His first match that season concerned a surprising 1-2 win at Irureta’s Bilbao while Aranzubia also defended Bilbao’s goal during a 2-3 win at Tenerife on the final day of the season. Three other matches were drawn and three others lost. His breakthrough came during the season 2002/2003, under coach Heynckes, when he took over from Iñaki Lafuente in December 2002 and didn’t waste a single minute until the end of the season. His best campaign, and the one of Bilbao of recent years, came in 2003/2004 when the Basques finished fifth and qualified for UEFA Cup football. Aranzubia played 34 full matches and was picked for Spain’s squad playing the EURO 2004 tournament in Spain. He hade made his debut on 5 June 2004 in a friendly against Andorra under national coach Iñaki Sáez, the same coach who had been there in 1999 in Nigeria. In 2004/2005 the goalkeeper only missed one match Liga because of a suspension. Aranzubia had consolidated himself as one of Spain’s best goalkeepers for several years now.
7 January 2006 seemed just another match day of the season 2005/2006, in which Aranzubia hadn’t missed a minute yet. In fact, the matches he missed since December 2002 could be counted on one hand. But something had changed. Aranzubia wasn’t that secure anymore and mistakes of his side were costing points to Bilbao. Everything exploded on that day, in a match played against… Deportivo. Coach Javier Clemente showed no mercy when Aranzubia might a crucial mistake against a weak effort of debuting Arizmendi which led to a 1-2 home defeat. Aranzubia was blamed for the defeat and wasn’t seen again that season (Iñaki Lafuente returned to the goalkeeping spot) in a team that once more played an anonymous season. With Clemente gone, Aranzubia kept on fighting and reclaimed the spot for the season 2006/2007 only to give it away again after leaking eight goals against Real Sociedad, Betis Sevilla and Atlético de Madrid. But neither Iñaki Lafuente in the next ten matches was a success: 16 goals leaked and once more 27-year old Aranzubia returned as starting goalkeeper. Not even an injury sustained at Sevilla prevented that he started all remaining matches of the season in which Bilbao avoided relegation on the final day of the season.
 Spanish football-expert Sid Lowe wrote about him although in a kind of ironical way: … the boy is a genius. Dumped from the team by mouthy miracle-worker Javier Clemente as he led Athletic Bilbao to safety last season and left out by Clemente's not quite so miracle-working replacement Félix Sarriugarte this term, the goalkeeper's days as San Mamés saviour appeared to be numbered. And that number was zero. But, rather than resign himself to his bench-warming fate, he hatched a plan. One that came together so perfectly it left Face with the southern belle and him back in the side, a hero once more. First, Aranzubía wiped out competitor Iñaki Lafuente, whistling innocently as he brilliantly stuck out a toe to divert a ball into the keeper's face with a perfectly-placed training ground coup. Next, with Lafuente still rubbing his eye in confusion and pain, he nabbed his spot in the side just as Athletic were becoming half-decent under Sarriugarte's replacement Mané. And, to round things off, he then cemented his position with a heroic penalty save. Not just any penalty save, either: a penalty save against a man who'd never missed before and in the Basque derby against Real Sociedad. A penalty save his coach described as "the turning point." What a turning point, too. For Aranzubía, Athletic and Real Sociedad it could prove a marker for the season. With Athletic leading 1-0 at Anoeta thanks to Andoni Iraola's neat volley yesterday, la Real were clawing their way into the game when Aranzubía saved Xabi Prieto's spot kick. And, much as la Real had a couple more opportunities before Iraola ultimately made it 2-0, there was something strangely definitive about it. A feeling that the game - and maybe the season - was all over after just 35 minutes, that la Real's one shot had been wasted. A shot not just at victory but survival. Because, if yesterday's Basque derby proved anything, it was that Aranzubía is a genius and so too is Mané, who has picked up 14 of a possible 21 points since taking over; and also that Athletic, who are now fifteenth, should survive…”
But the paths of Deportivo and Aranzubia met each other again when Caparrós was fed up with Deportivo, and vice versa, and signed at Bilbao. Of course, Caparrós knew about Aranzubia’s past and asked for a new goalkeeper. New signing Gorka Iraizoz, coming from Espanyol, became his starting goalkeeper of the 2007/2008 campaign, while Aranzubia rejected an offer of Real Zaragoza. A serious injury in November ruled Iraizoz out for the next weeks. Aranzubia took over his role , with 19-year old Raúl Fernández on the bench, and debuted on 25 November 2007 against Lotina’s Deportivo (2-2). During the winter transfer period, the Basques signed 37-year old goalkeeper Armando from Cádiz. Iraizoz returned to the team on 12 January 2008 but immediately had to be replaced by Aranzubia. With Iraizoz out injured again, Aranzubia started the next two Liga matches until Armando finally took over. Aranzubia only returned for one match when this time Armando suffered a minor injury.
 Aranzubia now was third choice at the club after Iraizoz and Armando. In April his agent already admitted that he had received calls from Deportivo, and other clubs in Spain, England and Italy (Torino), asking about his status. As Aranzubia’s contract was going to run out in June. One month before that happened, Aranzubia already confirmed that he wasn’t going to continue at Bilbao. It was said that Lotina immediately contacted Aranzubia and the goalkeeper gave his word to the Basque coach. But a deal wasn’t materialized yet as Deportivo doubted about what to do with Munúa and Aouate, who hadn’t exactly been living in harmony in the months before. But it remained very quiet even after the day that Aranzubia’s contract at Bilbao expired. When asked about the topic, Lotina called him “still one of the best goalkeepers in Spain” but for the moment there was no deal. A deal was finally completed between 7 and 14 July. First, his agent told that negotiations were ‘advanced’ and that Deportivo had to make the final move. His agent added that Aranzubia had lowered his financial demands to play at Deportivo. “Deportivo is Dani’s first option, and that’s why we have waited so long and even have lowered the initial amounts. There had been better offers in the economical aspect. But before becoming better financially, Dani wants to feel as a football player again”.
Aranzubia was presented as a Deportivo on Monday 14 July 2008 next to defender Zé Castro. The goalkeeper affirmed that Lotina had asked for him something which had “calmed the nerves” of Aranzubia. He added that he understood the situation Deportivo were in with their goalkeepers but rejected to talk about that topic: “I am not the right person to talk about that”. When asked about what Aranzubia the supporters of Deportivo were going to see, Aranzubia said: “It’s true that my final two years at Bilbao weren’t the best. But we as a team lived through difficult moments, something we weren’t really used of, and we all paid for it. I was one of the players paying the highest prices. But personally I would like to forget those days as soon as possible. Caparrós had it clear that Gorka Iraizoz was going to be his starting goalkeeper, and that’s fair. Every coach has his own ideas”. Aranzubia added that he signed for Deportivo “because it’s a team that I’ve always liked. I’m excited and proud about playing here. Hopefully we reach the UEFA Cup in the pre-season and in the Liga get to the European spots”. Finally, Aranzubia referred to the players he already knew personally. “Valerón I know from the Spanish team and Lopo I met in the Spanish U-21 squad. And I remember Dani Mallo, a great goalkeeper and an excellent person who I met at the 1999 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Nigeria”.
Coach Lotina and goalkeeper coach Sambade have confidence in him. Lotina commented that “Dani is a goalkeeper with tremendous conditions. But for now he has to improve his pace”. Sambade called Aranzubia the “the big promise of Lezama, Athlétic’s sporting city. He possesses talent, but last season was tough. We are a bit worried about his mental state, but want to recuperate his talents and he is willing. Lotina trusts him. And Dani has played more than 180 matches in Primera, so it would be crazy to think that the pressure will overwhelm him”.
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