Zuhaitz Gurrutxaga Loiola (born 23 November 1980) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a defender.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Zuhaitz Gurrutxaga Loiola | ||
| Date of birth | (1980-11-23) 23 November 1980 (age 41) | ||
| Place of birth | Elgoibar, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Real Sociedad | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2002 | Real Sociedad B | 18 | (0) |
| 1999–2004 | Real Sociedad | 34 | (0) |
| 2003 | → Algeciras (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | Rayo Vallecano | 9 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Real Unión | 13 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Lemona | 28 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Zamora | 35 | (1) |
| 2008–2010 | Real Unión | 51 | (3) |
| 2010–2012 | Lemona | 57 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Beasain | 23 | (0) |
| Total | 271 | (4) | |
| National team | |||
| 1996–1997 | Spain U16 | 10 | (0) |
| 1997 | Spain U17 | 5 | (0) |
| 2000 | Spain U21 | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Born in Elgoibar, Gipuzkoa, Gurrutxaga played four La Liga seasons with Real Sociedad, but was almost always a fringe player during his spell, his best output being 16 games in his first year. He made his debut in the competition on 23 January 2000 in a 1–1 away draw against Atlético Madrid, being sent off in the process.[1]
After leaving Sociedad in the summer of 2004, following a short loan spell in the second division with Algeciras CF, Gurrutxaga resumed his career in the lower leagues, the sole exception being the 2009–10 campaign with Real Unión (24 matches, team relegation from the second tier).[2]
Gurrutxaga was the front man and lead singer of Van Popel, an unattached band who toured mostly within the Basque Country.[3]
Spain U16