Mikel Arruabarrena

Mikel Arruabarrena
	Arruabarrena with Legia Warsaw
Personal information
Full name	Mikel Arruabarrena Aranbide
Date of birth	9 February 1983 (age 41)
Place of birth	Tolosa, Spain
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Centre-forward
Team information
Current team	Beasain (manager)
Youth career
	Tolosa
1999–2002	Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years	Team
2002–2003	Basconia
2003–2005	Bilbao Athletic
2005–2007	Osasuna B
2006–2007	→ Xerez (loan)
2007–2008	Tenerife
2008–2009	Legia Warsaw
2009	→ Eibar (loan)
2009–2016	Eibar
2010–2011	→ Leganés (loan)
2016	→ Huesca (loan)
2016–2018	AEL Limassol
2018	Fuenlabrada
2018–2019	Pontevedra
Total
International career
1999	Spain U16
2014	Basque Country
Managerial career
2020–2023	Tolosa
2023–	Beasain
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mikel Arruabarrena Aranbide (born 9 February 1983) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a centre-forward, currently manager of SD Beasain.

Club career

Born in Tolosa, Basque Country, Arruabarrena had stints with local giants Athletic Bilbao and Navarrese neighbours CA Osasuna, but did not made it past the reserves on either occasion. From 2006 to 2008, he played in the Segunda División with Xerez CD^[1] and CD Tenerife.^[2]

Arruabarrena was bought by Poland's Legia Warsaw alongside compatriots Iñaki Descarga and Iñaki Astiz in June 2008.^[3] However, in January of the following year, he was loaned to SD Eibar also in his native region and the second division,^[4] not being able to prevent the team from eventually dropping down a tier.^[5]

In that summer, Arruabarrena arranged for a buyout of his Legia contract^[6] to remain at Eibar permanently,^[7] completing several seasons with the side in Segunda División B. On 12 December 2012, he was decisive in eliminating former club Athletic from the Copa del Rey, after scoring in a 1–1 draw at the San Mamés Stadium (his team progressed on the away goals rule).^[8]

Arruabarrena contributed 36 games and seven goals in the 2013–14 season, as the Armeros promoted to La Liga for the first time ever.^[9]^[10] He renewed his link with the club on 27 June 2014,^[11] and made his debut in the competition on 24 August at the age of 31, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home win against Real Sociedad.^[12]

Arruabarrena scored his first goal in the Spanish top flight on 24 September 2014, in a 1–1 home draw against Villarreal CF.^[13] On 24 January 2016, he was loaned to SD Huesca from the second division until the end of the season.^[14]

In 2016, Arruabarrena left Spain again, to join AEL Limassol of the Cypriot First Division. He returned to his country in January 2018, signing a two-year deal with third-tier CF Fuenlabrada.^[15]