Igor Gabilondo


Igor Gabilondo del Campo is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a left midfielder.
He played mainly for Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao during his career, amassing La Liga totals of 276 games and 33 goals.

Club career

Gabilondo was born in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa. A product of Real Sociedad's youth system, he appeared sparingly for the first team in his first two seasons as a professional but went on to become an important element for the Basque club, scoring five La Liga goals in 33 games during the 2003–04 campaign.
In 2006, Gabilondo moved to arch rivals Athletic Bilbao on a free transfer, producing roughly the same numbers in his first two seasons combined. On 7 April 2007, he scored the game's only goal in a home win against Valencia CF.
Gabilondo was sparingly played in 2008–09, but the 30-year-old regained his importance in the following year, netting three times during the season, two of those coming in 4–1 home triumphs against CD Tenerife and UD Almería– Athletic finished eighth.
In 2010–11, veteran Gabilondo was regularly used by Athletic Bilbao, alternating between the starting XI and the substitutes bench. He equalled a career-best five goals, either from free kicks or long-distance shots, also scoring against AD Alcorcón for the campaign's Copa del Rey in a 2–0 home win and 3–0 on aggregate.
On 10 July 2012, aged 33, Gabilondo moved abroad for the first time in his career, signing for one year with AEK Larnaca FC in the Cypriot First Division and rejoining former Athletic teammate Ander Murillo.

International career

On 28 December 2011, Gabilondo equalled Julen Guerrero as the most capped played in the history of the Basque Country regional team. The match against Tunisia was his 12th appearance with the Euskal Herriko Selekzioa.

Honours

Athletic Bilbao