César Azpilicueta Tanco (born 28 August 1989) is a Spanish professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
defender for club
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
and the
Spain national team.
A youth product of
Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club in Pamplona, Navarre. Founded on 24 October 1920, the club currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at the 23,576-capacity El ...
, Azpilicueta spent three seasons in
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
before switching to
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
, winning four major honours with the French club. In the summer of 2012, he moved to
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, winning the
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
in his first season and a domestic
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* ...
two years later. He has made over 450 appearances for Chelsea and is currently joint sixth on their
list of all-time appearances; no other non-English person has played more times for the club. He
captained Chelsea to win the Europa League in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, the
Champions League in
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
and the
FIFA Club World Cup in
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
.
Azpilicueta earned 55
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...
for
Spain at youth level in all age groups, and represented the
under-21s in two
European Championships,
winning the 2011 edition. He made his first appearance with
the full side in 2013 and was selected for three
World Cups
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
as well as
Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
and
Euro 2020
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
.
Club career
Osasuna
A product of hometown club
CA Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club in Pamplona, Navarre. Founded on 24 October 1920, the club currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at the 23,576-capacity El S ...
's
youth system
In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if t ...
, he made his
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
debut on 8 April 2007 in a 0–2 away loss against
Real Madrid, while still registered with
the reserve team; he started his career as a
forward then switched to
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
and, throughout both his club and international career (senior and youth), appeared in several positions, including
centre-back and
central midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
.
In
2007–08, due to injuries in the main squad, Azpilicueta established himself as a first-team regular at the age of just 18, albeit as a
right-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
. He went on to retain this position for
the following season, appearing in all but two league games.
Marseille
![César Azpilicueta 5401](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/C%C3%A9sar_Azpilicueta_5401.jpg)
On 21 June 2010,
French club
Olympique de Marseille confirmed an agreement had been reached with Osasuna for the transfer of Azpilicueta, in a four-year contract for €7 million. A week later, the Navarrese confirmed the agreement, with the transfer fee possibly rising to as much as €9.5 million depending on appearances. In his
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
debut he scored the match's only goal in a
group stage home match against
Spartak Moscow Spartak Moscow may refer to the following teams based or formerly based in Moscow, Russia:
* FC Spartak Moscow, an association football club
* HC Spartak Moscow, a professional ice hockey team
* Spartak GM Moscow, a semi-professional rugby club
* WB ...
, though in
his own net.
On 27 November 2010, in the early minutes of a 4–0 home win against
Montpellier – which meant Marseille
climbed to the top of the league – Azpilicueta ruptured the
anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...
s in his left knee. He was sidelined for six months. On 13 May 2012, he scored his first and only
Ligue 1 goal for Marseille in a 3–0 win over
Auxerre
Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...
.
In August 2012, amid speculation of clubs showing interest in Azpilicueta, including
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
club
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, Marseille confirmed that he could leave, saying, "If Chelsea makes a fair offer for Azpi
zpilicueta we will let him leave." Despite his loyalty to Marseille, the player said he was willing to leave if his "departure can help Marseille's finances".
Chelsea
![César Azpilicueta Chelsea vs AS-Roma 10AUG2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/C%C3%A9sar_Azpilicueta_Chelsea_vs_AS-Roma_10AUG2013.jpg)
On 24 August 2012, Chelsea completed the signing of Azpilicueta for an undisclosed fee, reported as £7 million. According to teammate and countryman
Juan Mata
Juan Manuel Mata García (born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray. He mostly plays as a central attacking midfielder, but he can also play on the wing.
A gr ...
, "He is a strong running right-back who has pace as well, so I think he is already a complete player." Due to his surname being difficult for some speakers of English to pronounce, club fans gave him the
mononymous
A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...
nickname "Dave".
Azpilicueta made his debut on 25 September 2012, starting in a 6–0 home win against
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
in a
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
tie. He played his first Premier League game the following week, coming on as a
substitute for
Branislav Ivanović in a 4–1 success over
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
, also at
Stamford Bridge.
On 3 November 2012, Azpilicueta made his first league start, appearing against
Swansea City in a 1–1 away draw. He played 48 official contests in
his first year with the
Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez Maudes (born 16 April 1960) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who most recently managed club Everton.
Benítez joined Real Madrid's coaching staff at the age of 26, going on to work as the under- ...
-led side, including eight in the Blues'
victorious campaign in the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
. In
the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
against
Benfica, his 67th-minute handball led to
Óscar Cardozo
Óscar René Cardozo Marín (; born 20 May 1983) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Club Libertad and the Paraguay national team.
Known for his powerful left-foot shot and free-kick skills, he first gained att ...
equalising through a
penalty kick
A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
, in an eventual 2–1 win in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
.
Azpilicueta scored his first competitive goal for Chelsea on 29 October 2013, netting the first in a 2–0 victory at
Arsenal in the fourth round of the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
. Following the arrival of new manager
José Mourinho, he began appearing regularly as a left-back, taking the place of longtime incumbent
Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole (born 20 December 1980) is an English football coach and former player who is currently a first-team coach at Premier League club Everton. As a player, he played as a left-back, most notably for Arsenal and Chelsea. Cole is cons ...
. Mourinho said of him: "Azpilicueta is the kind of player I like a lot. I think a team with 11 Azpilicuetas would probably win the competition (Champions League) because football is not just about pure talent". At the end of
the season, he was voted the club's Players' Player of the Year.
![César Azpilicueta - Сесар Аспиликуэта (22362918831)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/C%C3%A9sar_Azpilicueta_-_%D0%A1%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%B0%D1%80_%D0%90%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D1%83%D1%8D%D1%82%D0%B0_%2822362918831%29.jpg)
Before the start of the
2014–15 season, Cole was released and the club spent £15.8 million on
Filipe Luís
Filipe Luís Kasmirski (born 9 August 1985), known as Filipe Luís, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left back for Flamengo.
A player of tireless approach also known for his tactical awareness, he spent most of his early p ...
, but Azpilicueta began the season as first-choice left-back. On 2 September 2014, he signed a new five-year contract with the club and on 18 October, he was
sent off
In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
in the first half of a 2–1 win at
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
for a foul on
Mile Jedinak
Michael John "Mile" Jedinak (; ; born 3 August 1984) is an Australian former professional footballer who served as the captain of the Australia national team. He is currently the Loan Player Development Coach at Aston Villa.
Jedinak was born a ...
.
Azpilicueta started as Chelsea won the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
on 1 March 2015. In the second half, he was injured in a collision with
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
's
Eric Dier
Eric Jeremy Edgar Dier (born 15 January 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays for club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team. A versatile defensive player, Dier has been deployed as a defensive midfielder, a centre-b ...
, and had to leave the pitch for a bandage to be wrapped around his head.
The campaign ended with the additional conquest of the domestic league title, after a five-year wait.
On 2 August 2015, Azpilicueta featured for 69 minutes in the 1–0
2015 FA Community Shield loss to
Arsenal. Nineteen days later, he scored the team's third goal in a 3–2 away win over
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
, for what was his first Premier League goal, and he netted again in a 2–2 draw in the reverse fixture on 13 January 2016.
![César Azpilicueta 2017](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/C%C3%A9sar_Azpilicueta_2017.jpg)
Although Azpilicueta was initially used as a left-back under new coach
Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte (; born 31 July 1969) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.
Playing as a midfielder, Conte began his career at local club Lecce and later ...
, after two consecutive league defeats the latter converted into a back-three formation, with the former playing as a centre-back in the following match against
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
on 1 October 2016, which ended in a 2–0 away win. On 13 December 2016, he signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with Chelsea, running until 2020; in his first appearance following the agreement he made his 200th competitive appearance for the club, in a 1–0 away victory over
Sunderland.
Azpilicueta played every minute of
the season as his team won the domestic league, and scored in a 4–3 home win against
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
after the title was already won. In late July 2017, after the departure of
John Terry
John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional football coach and former player who played as a centre-back. He was previously captain of Chelsea, the England national team and Aston Villa. He was most recently the a ...
, he was appointed
vice-captain Vice-captain, alternate captain (ice hockey) or vice-skip (curling) may refer to a role in a number of sports immediately below the role of captain. The vice-captain may have a number of different roles, including substituting as captain when the r ...
to
Gary Cahill
Gary James Cahill (born 19 December 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
Cahill began his career playing for the AFC Dronfield youth system in Derbyshire. In 2000, he joined the Aston Villa Academy an ...
. On 12 September that year, he scored his first Champions League goal, in a
6–0 group stage home win against
Qarabağ FK.
Azpilicueta signed a new deal in December 2018, lasting to 2022. After Cahill left Chelsea, he was named club captain ahead of the
2019–20 season; he had already worn the armband on the pitch while the Englishman was out of the team, including in the
2019 UEFA Europa League Final
The 2019 UEFA Europa League Final was the final match of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, the 48th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 10th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA E ...
victory against Arsenal in Azerbaijan. On 23 October, he marked his 350th Chelsea appearance with a
1–0 group stage away win against
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...
in the Champions League.
On 1 January 2020, Azpilicueta marked his 100th appearance as club captain with a goal and being named man of the match in the 1–1 draw against
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
. On 1 August, during the 2–1 defeat to Arsenal in the
2020 FA Cup Final
The 2020 FA Cup Final, known officially as the Heads Up FA Cup Final, was an association football match played behind closed doors (sport), behind closed doors between Arsenal F.C., Arsenal and Chelsea F.C., Chelsea at Wembley Stadium in London, ...
, Azpilicueta conceded a penalty and was later injured, leading to his substitution.
Azpilicueta became the 13th player in Chelsea's history to make 400 appearances, when he featured against
Manchester City on 3 January 2021. On 23 May, the final matchday of the
league season, he was sent off for appearing to strike
Aston Villa's
Jack Grealish
Jack Peter Grealish (born 10 September 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for club Manchester City and the England national team.
Grealish joined Aston Villa at the age of six, and ...
during a 1–2 defeat, but the three-game suspension was overturned on appeal. Six days later, he captained the team to a 1–0 victory in the
UEFA Champions League Final
The UEFA Champions League is a seasonal football competition established in 1955. Prior to the 1992–93 season, the tournament was named the European Cup. The UEFA Champions League is open to the league champions of all UEFA (Union of Europea ...
against Manchester City at the
Estádio do Dragão
The Estádio do Dragão (; English: Dragon Stadium) is an All-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Porto, Portugal, and the home ground of FC Porto since 2003. It has a seating capacity of 50,033, making it the Lis ...
,
Porto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
, winning their first Champions League title in 9 years.
On 28 August 2021, Azpilicueta reached a milestone as he became the fourth Chelsea player to reach 300 Premier League appearances after
John Terry
John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional football coach and former player who played as a centre-back. He was previously captain of Chelsea, the England national team and Aston Villa. He was most recently the a ...
(492),
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Everton. He is widely regarded as one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players, and one of the greatest midfielder ...
(429) and
Petr Čech
Petr Čech (; born 20 May 1982) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He also plays semi-professional ice hockey as a goaltender for Chelmsford Chieftains. Described by numerous players, pundits and managers as ...
(333). He started against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
in a 1–1 draw.
On 8 October 2021, Azpilicueta was one of five Chelsea players included in the final 30-man shortlist for the 2021
Ballon d'Or
The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual association football, football award presented by French news magazine ''France Football'' since 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Pl ...
.
On 12 February 2022, Azpilicueta lifted the trophy in the
2021 FIFA Club World Cup Final in their second FIFA Club World Cup Final, the first one being in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
when Chelsea lost to
Corinthians
The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-aut ...
. With this trophy and the
UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...
secured shortly before, it meant he became the first and only Chelsea player to have won every major trophy at the club. On 4 August 2022, he signed a new contract with Chelsea until 2024.
International career
Youth
![César Azpilicueta U21](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/C%C3%A9sar_Azpilicueta_U21.jpg)
In
2007, Azpilicueta helped the
Spain under-19 team win the
UEFA European Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA). The competition is conte ...
.
Shortly after he moved to
the under-21s, being picked for the
2009 European Championships in Sweden where he started three matches in an eventual group stage exit.
On 11 May 2010, 20-year-old Azpilicueta was named by
senior side manager
Vicente del Bosque
Vicente del Bosque González, 1st Marquess of Del Bosque (; born 23 December 1950) is a Spanish retired football manager and former player. He is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and is to date the only football manager to ha ...
in a provisional list of 30 players, in view of
the forthcoming edition of the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
. Eventually, he did not make the final cut. A year later, after recovering from a long-term injury, he went to the
European Under-21 Championship
The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the compe ...
in Denmark, and won the tournament.
Azpilicueta was picked for
Spain's squad for the
2012 Summer Olympics, after missing out on selection for the
UEFA Euro 2012
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th UEFA European Championship, European Championship for List of men's national association football teams#UEFA (Europe), men's ...
tournament. Due to the presence of
Álvaro Domínguez, he only appeared in the last group match, a 0–0 draw with Morocco at
Old Trafford, as the national team
exited in the group stage.
Senior
On 1 February 2013, Azpilicueta was named in the squad for the upcoming international
friendly against
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
. The manager said of the selection: 'Azpilicueta is playing many games for Chelsea. He has a lot of energy, defends well and is always willing to attack. We have a lot of hope for him. He made his debut five days later, playing the full 90 minutes in the 3–1 win in
Doha
Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...
, Qatar; after the match, he said that it was his "dream to play for Spain" at the senior level. Azpilicueta was selected to the
2013 FIFA Confederations Cup tournament held in Brazil: he started in the second group game against
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...
which Spain won 10–0 in a record for the largest margin of victory in the competition, and replaced
Álvaro Arbeloa
Álvaro Arbeloa Coca (; born 17 January 1983) is a Spanish retired footballer, currently manager of Real Madrid Juvenil A. He predominantly played as a right-back, and occasionally on the left side.
He started his professional career with R ...
at
half-time
In several team sports, matches are played in two halves. Half-time (also written halftime or half time) is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match. Typically, after half-time, teams swap ends of the field of play in or ...
in
the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
against
the hosts, in an eventual 3–0 loss.
In June 2014, Azpilicueta was selected to represent Spain in the
2014 FIFA World Cup. He was the starting right-back during the first two fixtures, against the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, as the nation was eliminated at the group stage.
Azpilicueta was also included in the 23-man squad for the
2018 World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...
in Russia, as well as the
24-man squad for
UEFA Euro 2020
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
. At the latter, he scored his first senior international goal, his team's second of a 5–3 win against
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
in the
round of 16
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
.
Azpilicueta captained Spain for the first time in a
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualificationAlso the "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers". was the qualifying process which decided the 31 teams that would join hosts Qatar, who received an automatic spot, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Parallel tourn ...
match against
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
on 5 September 2021. He was included in Spain's 26-man squad for the
2022 World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022; it is the first ...
in Qatar, appearing twice at the tournament.
Personal life
Azpilicueta was born in
Zizur Mayor,
Navarre, to Patxi Azpilicueta, a painter, and Charo Tanco, a primary school teacher. Azpilicueta's older brother, Juan Pablo (born 1980), was also a footballer. A midfielder, he competed exclusively in lower-league football. Since retiring, Juan Pablo has transitioned into management. Most recently, he served as manager of
CD Subiza
Club Deportivo Subiza is a Spanish football team based in Subiza, Galar in the autonomous community of Navarre. Founded in 1984, it plays in Tercera División RFEF – Group 15, playing their home matches at the ''Estadio Sotoburu'', with a c ...
in Spain's
Tercera División
Tercera División ( en, Third Division) was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the '' Segunda División'', and the semi-professional '' Segunda ...
.
In June 2015, he married his long-term girlfriend Adriana Guerendiain. Together, the couple has three children: two daughters and a son. Adriana gave birth to the couple's first daughter, Martina, in March 2014.
Since 2018, Azpilicueta has been a board member and co-owner of English
non-league
Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to d ...
side
Hashtag United, which plays in the . In 2020, Azpilicueta announced the formation of his own
esports team, Falcons. He is part-owner along with Jose Antonio Cacho and Jesus Rincon, both of whom are top players in Spain with millions of
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
subscribers.
Azpilicueta is
trilingual
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all E ...
. He is fluent in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
,
French, and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
. As of 2021, he is working to complete an online degree, an MBA in Business Management at the Berlin School of Business and Innovation.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Azpilicueta goal''
Honours
![Andre_Ayew,_Cesar_Azpilicueta_and_Edouard_Cisse_-_TdC_2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Andre_Ayew%2C_Cesar_Azpilicueta_and_Edouard_Cisse_-_TdC_2011.jpg)
Marseille
*
Coupe de la Ligue:
2011–12
*
Trophée des Champions
The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the super cups found in many other countries.
His ...
:
2010,
2011[
Chelsea
*]Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
: 2014–15, 2016–17
*FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
: 2017–18; runner-up: 2016–17, 2019–20, 2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
, 2021–22
* Football League Cup/EFL Cup: 2014–15; runner-up: 2018–19, 2021–22
*UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
: 2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
*UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
: 2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
, 2018–19
*UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...
: 2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
* FIFA Club World Cup: 2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
; runner-up: 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
Spain U19
*UEFA European Under-19 Championship
The UEFA European Under-19 Championship, or simply UEFA Under-19 Championship or the UEFA Euro U-19, is an annual football competition contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the member associations of UEFA.
Spain and England ...
: 2007[
Spain U21
*]UEFA European Under-21 Championship
The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...
: 2011[
Spain
* FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: ]2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
[
*]UEFA Nations League
The UEFA Nations League is a biennial international football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body.
The first tournament began in September 2018. The ...
runner-up: 2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
Individual
* Chelsea Players' Player of the Year: 2013–14
*UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2018–19
*UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
References
External links
Chelsea official profile
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azpilicueta, Cesar
1989 births
Living people
Footballers from Pamplona
Spanish footballers
Association football defenders
CA Osasuna B players
CA Osasuna players
Olympique de Marseille players
Chelsea F.C. players
Segunda División B players
La Liga players
Ligue 1 players
Premier League players
FA Cup Final players
UEFA Europa League winning players
UEFA Champions League winning players
Spain youth international footballers
Spain under-21 international footballers
Spain under-23 international footballers
Spain international footballers
2013 FIFA Confederations Cup players
2014 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2016 players
2018 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2020 players
2022 FIFA World Cup players
Olympic footballers of Spain
Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Spanish expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in England
Expatriate footballers in France
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in France