Susaeta, 500 matches as a lion

Markel Susaeta (15/12/1987) has completed 500 official matches with Athletic Club and has thus become part of a select and legendary group of red-and-white footballers who have reached that figure. Specifically, it becomes the fifth lion to achieve it, within a classification headed by Jose Angel Iribar, with 614 matches, followed by Txetxu Rojo, with 541, and in third and fourth place, two old teammates on the right wing of the extreme of Eibar, the also Gipuzkoan Joseba Etxeberria, 514, and Andoni Iraola, with 510 matches.

Susaeta entered Lezama’s youngsters when he was only 10 years old, and he moved up the ranks until, in the summer of 2007, under the guidance of Joaquín Caparrós, he made his debut in the Camp Nou against FC Barcelona, a match that ended in a 3-1 defeat but in which Susaeta scored his first goal.

It has not been the goal scorer facet in which he has stood out during the twelve seasons he has been in Athletic, but as an assistant, as he is the red and white footballer who has given the most recent passes so far this century.

Likewise, another of Susaeta’s outstanding characteristics is his availability. Not by chance, during Marcelo Bielsa’s first season, 2011/12, he played each and every one of the matches played by Athletic Club, a total of 63, also scoring 13 goals, his record to the date. Precisely his availability, together with his good game, is what makes Susaeta the architect of another record, that of being the lion with the greatest number of games played in Europe, 75, of which 67 have been in Europa League, 11 goals, and the other 8 in Champions, 1 goal.