Mikel Rico

Mikel Rico
Personal information
Full name Mikel Rico Moreno
Date of birth (1984-11-04) 4 November 1984
Place of birth Basauri, Spain
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
Athletic Bilbao
Number 17
Youth career
Padura
2000–2003 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001 Basconia 1 (0)
2003–2004 Conquense B
2004–2005 Conquense 44 (3)
2005–2009 Poli Ejido 55 (2)
2005–2006Conquense (loan) 35 (9)
2007–2008Huesca (loan) 35 (6)
2009–2010 Huesca 42 (5)
2010–2013 Granada 114 (7)
2013– Athletic Bilbao 85 (9)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 April 2016.

† Appearances (goals)
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Rico and the second or maternal family name is Moreno.

Mikel Rico Moreno (born 4 November 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Athletic Bilbao as a central midfielder.

Football career

Born in Basauri, Biscay, Rico played lower league football for the vast majority of his early years as a senior. The exception to this was in the 2006–07 season when he played twenty games for Polideportivo Ejido in Segunda División, starting three times to help the Andalusians rank in 11th position;[1] he also represented during that timeframe CD Basconia, UB Conquense[2] (reserves included) and SD Huesca.

In the 2009 summer, Rico returned to Huesca and the second level. On 19 June 2010 he scored one of his five goals during the campaign in a 1–0 away win against Celta de Vigo, being crucial as the Aragonese side finally avoided relegation.[3]

Rico moved to fellow league club Granada CF on 31 August 2010, for 600.000 and four years.[4] He posted similar individual numbers in his first year – 40 matches, two goals,[5][6] nearly 3,500 minutes of action – and his team returned to La Liga after more than three decades; he displayed versatility in the process, featuring in several positions.[7]

Rico made his debut in the top flight on 27 August 2011 at neary 27 years of age, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–1 derby home loss against Real Betis.[8] He scored his first goal in the competition on 31 October, contributing to a 2–1 success at Sevilla FC through a 90th-minute strike;[9] during his spell, he played as a box-to-box midfielder as well as a defensive one.[10]

Rico joined Athletic Bilbao in late August 2013, penning a three-year deal with a €35 million buyout clause.[11] He played his first game with his new team on 1 September, the first half of a 1–3 away defeat to Real Madrid.[12]

Honours

Athletic Bilbao

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, April 27, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.