Gari Uranga
Spanish footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Garikoitz 'Gari' Uranga Luluaga (born 21 June 1980) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played mainly as a left winger.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Garikoitz Uranga Luluaga[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 21 June 1980[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Tolosa, Spain[1] | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Tolosa | |||
| Real Sociedad | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2002 | Real Sociedad B | 67 | (8) |
| 2002–2008 | Real Sociedad | 116 | (9) |
| 2003 | → Eibar (loan) | 19 | (2) |
| 2003–2004 | → Getafe (loan) | 38 | (5) |
| 2008–2010 | Castellón | 52 | (6) |
| Total | 292 | (30) | |
| International career | |||
| 2005–2006 | Basque Country | 3 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
Uranga was born in Tolosa, Gipuzkoa. A product of Basque Country giants Real Sociedad's youth system, he played one game for its first team in 2001–02's La Liga[2] then spent two seasons on loan in the Segunda División, being instrumental to Getafe CF's first ever top-flight promotion.[3]
Over the next four seasons after his return, Uranga would be regularly used by Real, appearing in 33 scoreless matches in 2005–06 but missing several months of the following campaign, which ended in relegation after 40 years, due to a knee injury.[4] His father Luis was also club president during that period.[5]
After his contract expired, Uranga signed a two-year deal with CD Castellón also in the second tier.[6][7] He retired in June 2010 at only 30 as the Valencian Community side suffered relegation, having made 225 appearances at the professional level in an eight-year career (22 goals).[8]