Aritz Aduriz

Aritz Aduriz Zubeldia (Basque: ; Spanish: ; born 11 February 1981) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Athletic Bilbao as a striker.

Known for his aerial ability and first touch, he spent most of his career with Athletic Bilbao, scoring over 150 goals across all competitions for the team over three spells. He also surpassed a century of goals in La Liga, in which he additionally represented Mallorca and Valencia.

In addition to playing for Spain, Aduriz was a regular goalscorer for the Basque national side. He appeared for the former at Euro 2016, at the age of 35.

Born in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Aduriz came from a family keen on sport but more inclined towards the likes of surfing, mountaineering and cross-country skiing, and he excelled at the latter as a child. Learning to play football on the sand at La Concha beach, he was brought through the ranks of local youth club Antiguoko where he shared teams with future elite players Xabi Alonso, Mikel Arteta and Andoni Iraola, but was not initially picked up by a professional club like his teammates; he became part of the famed Lezama youth system at Athletic Bilbao, although he was already 19 when he arrived from amateurs CD Aurrerá de Vitoria.