Spanish footballer (born 1993)
In this
Spanish name , the first or paternal
surname is
Lekue and the second or maternal family name is
Martínez .
Iñigo Lekue
Lekue in 2017
Full name
Iñigo Lekue Martínez Date of birth
(1993-05-04 ) 4 May 1993 (age 31) [ 1] Place of birth
Bilbao , Spain[ 1] Height
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[ 1] Position(s)
Full-back Current team
Athletic Bilbao Number
15 2008–2012
Danok Bat Years
Team
Apps
(Gls ) 2012–2013
Basconia
34
(0) 2013–2015
Bilbao Athletic
60
(1) 2015–
Athletic Bilbao
192
(3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:18, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
Iñigo Lekue Martínez (Basque: [iɲiɣo lekue maɾtines̻] ; Spanish: [ˈiɲiɣo ˈlekwe maɾˈtineθ] ; born 4 May 1993) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right or left-back for Athletic Bilbao .
Formed at Athletic Bilbao, he made over 250 appearances, winning the Supercopa de España twice and also the 2023–24 Copa del Rey .
Club career
Lekue with Athletic Bilbao in 2018
Born in Bilbao , Basque Country , Lekue graduated from Danok Bat CF 's youth system.[ 2] In summer 2012 he moved to Athletic Bilbao , and made his debut as a senior with the farm team in the Tercera División .[ 3]
On 21 June 2013, Lekue was promoted to the reserves in the Segunda División B .[ 4] On 29 June 2015, after being an ever-present figure during the side's promotion to Segunda División after a 19-year absence,[ 5] he was promoted to the main squad in La Liga .[ 6]
Lekue made his official debut with the first team on 15 August 2015, coming on as a second-half substitute for fellow youth graduate Sabin Merino in a 4–0 home rout of FC Barcelona in the Supercopa de España .[ 7] [ 8] He made his first league appearance 15 days later, being taken off at half-time in a 2–0 loss at neighbouring SD Eibar .[ 9]
Lekue scored his first senior goal on 21 December 2015, equalising for the reserves in a 1–1 home draw against CD Lugo .[ 10] The following 3 April he scored for the first time in the top flight, opening a 1–1 draw with Granada CF at the San Mamés Stadium .[ 11] On 8 June 2016, he agreed to a contract extension until 2019.[ 12]
On 24 November 2016, Lekue netted his first European goal to win a UEFA Europa League group match 3–2 at home to US Sassuolo Calcio .[ 13] In January 2018, he extended his contract to 2023.[ 14] He missed most of the 2018–19 season with back issues,[ 15] returning as a late substitute on 16 March in a 2–0 home win over Atlético Madrid .[ 16]
Lekue played rarely under Gaizka Garitano , and looked for a new club in the January 2021 transfer window , but was reinstated by new manager Marcelino and won another Super Cup that month, again against Barcelona.[ 17] That April, he was involved in two Copa del Rey finals in one month, losing both to Real Sociedad and Barcelona respectively; he played the latter 4–0 defeat as a half-time substitute.[ 18]
In 2022–23, due to injuries to Yuri Berchiche and Mikel Balenziaga , Lekue played frequently. In April, during his own recovery, he prolonged his contract to 2025.[ 19]
International career
On 22 May 2016, Lekue was called up to the Spain national team by manager Vicente del Bosque , after Jonny withdrew due to "personal reasons".[ 20]
Career statistics
As of match played 8 January 2025 [ 21] [ 22] [ 23] [ 24]
Honours
Athletic Bilbao
Individual
References
^ a b c "Iñigo Lekue" . Eurosport . Retrieved 26 January 2021 .
^ Ruiz, Pako (23 June 2015). "El lateral Lekue es uno de los 'cachorros' de moda" [Full-back Lekue is one of the fashionable 'pups']. Deia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 31 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015 .
^ Zubieta, Jon (22 June 2015). "Lekue llama a la puerta de Ernesto" [Lekue knocks on Ernesto's door]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 August 2015 .
^ "Bilbao Athletic pre-season" . Athletic Bilbao. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2015 .
^ "El Bilbao Athletic, a Segunda 19 años después y el Cádiz tendrá que esperar" [Bilbao Athletic, into Segunda 19 years later and Cádiz will have to wait] (in Spanish). EFE . 28 June 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2018 .
^ "Dismissals in Bilbao Athletic" . Athletic Bilbao. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015 .
^ "Athletic Bilbao 4–0 Barcelona: Aduriz hits hat-trick in Supercopa shocker" . Goal . 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015 .
^ Estepa, Javier (14 August 2015). "Aduriz echa al Barça a los leones" [Aduriz throws Barça to the lions]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 August 2015 .
^ Martínez, Jonathan (30 August 2015). "El liderato lleva el nombre del Eibar" [The leadership carries Eibar's name]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 March 2016 .
^ "Bilbao Athletic y Lugo no cumplen sus objetivos" [Bilbao Athletic and Lugo fail to complete their objectives]. Marca (in Spanish). 21 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015 .
^ "Villarreal tighten grip on top four; Athletic Bilbao held by lowly Granada" . ESPN FC . 3 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016 .
^ "Iñigo Lekue's renewal" . Athletic Bilbao. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2016 .
^ Campanale, Susy (24 November 2016). "EL: Il Sassuolo esce a Bilbao" [EL: Sassuolo go out in Bilbao] (in Italian). Football Italia. Retrieved 8 September 2023 .
^ Velasco, Juanma (16 January 2018). "Lekue renueva hasta 2023" [Lekue renews until 2023]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 December 2023 .
^ Suso, Ramón (26 December 2018). "Lekue empieza otra vez de cero" [Lekue starts from square one again]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 July 2020 .
^ Velasco, Juanma (20 March 2019). "Lekue: "Quiero que lo que aporte sea de calidad" " [Lekue: "I want what I contribute to be of quality"]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 July 2020 .
^ Velasco, Juanma (26 January 2021). "Marcelino sube al tren a Lekue, que ya tenía un pie fuera en este mercado de invierno" [Marcelino gets on board with Lekue, who already had one foot outside in this winter transfer window]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 December 2023 .
^ Agiriano, Jon (17 April 2021). "El sueño se convierte en pesadilla" [The dream becomes a nightmare]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 December 2023 .
^ Mallo, Juanma (23 April 2023). "Lekue renueva hasta 2025" [Lekue renews until 2025]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 December 2023 .
^ "Lekue sustituye a Jonny en el grupo de promesas citado por Del Bosque" [Lekue replaces Jonny in the group of prospects called by Del Bosque]. Marca (in Spanish). 22 May 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016 .
^ Iñigo Lekue at Athletic Bilbao
^ Iñigo Lekue – UEFA competition record (archive )
^ Iñigo Lekue at Soccerway
^ Iñigo Lekue at FBref.com
^ Reinoso del Real, Mario (7 April 2024). "Athletic 1–1 (4–2) Mallorca, en directo: final de Copa del Rey 2024 | Celebración del Athletic, campeón de Copa" [Athletic 1–1 (4–2) Mallorca, live: 2024 King's Cup final | Celebrations of Athletic, Cup champions]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 April 2024 .
^ Lowe, Sid (3 April 2021). "Real Sociedad beat Athletic to claim Copa del Rey and Basque glory" . The Guardian . Retrieved 19 April 2021 .
^ Lowe, Sid (17 April 2021). "Messi stars as Barcelona thrash Athletic Bilbao to lift Copa del Rey" . The Guardian . Retrieved 19 April 2021 .
^ "Acta del partido celebrado el 14 de agosto de 2015, en Bilbao" [Minutes of the match held on 14 August 2015, in Bilbao] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation . Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021 ."Acta del partido celebrado el 17 de agosto de 2015, en Barcelona" [Minutes of the match held on 17 August 2015, in Barcelona] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021 .
^ "Acta del partido celebrado el 17 de enero de 2021, en Sevilla" [Minutes of the match held on 17 January 2021, in Seville] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021 .
^ "Nico Williams and Iñigo Lekue win LALIGA EA SPORTS Move of the Month for December" . La Liga . 6 January 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024 .
External links