Andoni Goikoetxea Olaskoaga (born 23 August 1956), Goiko for short, is a Spanish former footballcentre-back and manager.
He was known for his aggressive play, and was nicknamed "The Butcher of Bilbao". He mainly played for Athletic Bilbao, being known as El Gigante de Alonsotegui (The Giant of Alonsotegui) among the club's fans.[2][3]
Born in Alonsotegi, Biscay, Goikoetxea began playing football with local Arbuyo before joining Athletic Bilbao in 1973 where, after starting out at the reserve side, he soon established himself in the senior team squad. He scored four La Liga goals in 27 games in his debut season, but played a lesser role in the following three years with a total of only 24 appearances.[4]
On 24 September 1983, Goikoetxea achieved notoriety for a foul on Diego Maradona described as "one of the most brutal fouls ever delivered in the history of Spanish football".[5] In a league match at the Camp Nou, he tackled the Argentine from behind and broke his ankle.[5] Maradona compared the sound he heard to that of wood breaking[6] and, in the aftermath, English journalist Edward Owen coined the phrase "Butcher of Bilbao" to describe Goikoetxea,[5][6] a nickname which stayed with him for the rest of his career. Maradona's compatriot César Luis Menotti, the coach of FC Barcelona, accused the Spaniard of "belonging to a 'race of anti-footballers'" and called for a lifelong ban;[5] he was served a ten-match ban by the Royal Spanish Football Federation.[5] It was later reported he kept "the boot he had used to destroy...(Maradona's) ankle ligaments" at home in a glass case.[7]
Two seasons earlier, Goikoetxea had severely injured Barcelona midfielder Bernd Schuster, leaving him with a serious right knee injury from which the German never fully recovered.[8] When the two teams met in the 1984 Copa del Rey final in May, the match ended 1–0 for Athletic. Featuring in a mass brawl on the pitch, he kicked Maradona's chest;[5][9] he was initially banned for 18 games for his actions, but the suspension was later reduced to seven.[10]
Later career
After three years with Atlético Madrid[11] where he featured sparingly, Goikoetxea retired aged 33. He appeared in 369 competitive matches for Athletic, netting 44 times.[12]
International career
Goikoetxea played 39 matches with Spain, making his debut against the Netherlands on 16 February 1983.[13] He represented the nation at both UEFA Euro 1984 and the 1986 FIFA World Cup. During the latter competition he scored one of his four international goals, through a penalty in a round-of-16 5–1 win against Denmark – the remaining four came courtesy of Emilio Butragueño.[14]
In June 2007, Goikoetxea joined Alicante-based Hércules CF in the second tier,[22] being released at the end of the campaign after being suspended by the club for implying its internal structures "stank".[23] In late February 2013 he was appointed coach of Equatorial Guinea,[24] being dismissed in January 2015 just three weeks before the start of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations due to poor performance in friendlies, which included a loss to a lower league side in Portugal.[25]
Style of play
Goikoetxea was notorious for his aggressive style of play,[26][27][28][29] not least because of the two heavy fouls (see Maradona foul) on Maradona and Schuster which earned him the nickname "Butcher of Bilbao". In 2007, English newspaper The Times named him the "hardest defender of all time".[6][7]
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[30]
^Astruells, Andrés (19 June 1986). "5–1: ¡Buitre, que grande eres!" [5–1: Vulture, you're so great!]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 June 2014.
^Martínez, Amancio (7 December 2005). "Goikoetxea regresa al banquillo soriano" [Goikoetxea returns to soriano bench] (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 December 2015.
^Muriendas, Mauro (5 December 2000). "Ratificado y destituido en 48 horas" [Confirmed and dismissed in 48 hours]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 December 2015.
^Torres, Diego; Sanz, Óscar (1 October 2001). "El vestuario se traga a 'Goiko'" [Locker room eats 'Goiko' up]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 December 2015.
^Paradinas, Juan José (24 September 1992). "Goikoetxea, con Clemente" [Goikoetxea, with Clemente]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 December 2015.