Inaxio Kortabarria

Inaxio Kortabarria Abarrategi (born 31 July 1950) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central defender.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Kortabarria and the second or maternal family name is Abarrategi.
Inaxio Kortabarria
Kortabarria in 1981
Personal information
Full name Inaxio Kortabarria Abarrategi
Date of birth (1950-07-31) 31 July 1950
Place of birth Mondragón, Spain
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Youth career
Real Sociedad
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1968–1971 San Sebastián 77 (1)
1971–1985 Real Sociedad 355 (16)
Total 432 (17)
National team
1974–1976 Spain amateur 4 (0)
1976–1977 Spain 4 (0)
1979 Basque Country 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Kortabarria was born in Mondragón, Gipuzkoa. During his career he played solely for Real Sociedad, making his first-team – and La Liga – debut on 19 September 1971 against Deportivo de La Coruña and finishing his first season with 14 appearances.

From there onwards, Kortabarria rarely missed a game, contributing with 30 and 31 matches respectively as the Basques won back-to-back leagues (whilst adding five and six goals, his career-bests) with him as club captain. In the last round of the 1980–81 campaign, he opened the scoresheet as Real drew 2–2 at Sporting de Gijón to eventually edge Real Madrid on goal difference.[1]

After losing his place to younger Agustín Gajate, Alberto Górriz and Juan Antonio Larrañaga, all brought up in the club's youth ranks, Kortabarria chose to retire from the game at nearly 35, at the end of 1984–85. He played in 355 Spanish top flight games (442 overall, eighth all-time for Real Sociedad).

International career

Kortabarria received four caps for Spain, during less than one year. His debut came on 22 May 1976, in a 0–2 loss in West Germany for UEFA Euro 1976's qualifying stages.

Political views

On 5 December 1976, before a game against Athletic Bilbao, Kortabarria and the opposing captain, José Ángel Iribar, carried out the Ikurriña, the Basque flag, and placed it ceremonially on the centre-circle.[2] This was the first public display of the flag since the death of Francisco Franco, but it was still illegal.

Honours

See also

References
  1. ¡Vaya epilogo! (What a finish!); Mundo Deportivo, 27 April 1981 (in Spanish)
  2. Aquel histórico 5 de diciembre de 1976 (That historic 5 December 1976); El Correo, 3 December 2010 (in Spanish)
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