Koikili Lertxundi del Campo (born 23 December 1980), known simply as Koikili or Koi for short, is a Spanish former

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 played as a

left-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 ...

. A

late bloomer A late bloomer is a person whose talents or capabilities are not visible to others until later than usual. Late bloomer or Late bloomers may also refer to: * ''Late Bloomers'' (2006 film) (German: ''Die Herbstzeitlosen''), 2006 Swiss film direct ...

, he only became a professional at the age of 26 after signing with Athletic Bilbao. Over a five-year spell with the club, he appeared in 98 competitive matches.

Club career

Koikili was born in

Otxandio Otxandio (in Basque and officially, in Spanish ''Ochandiano'') is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque autonomous community, Spain. Otxandio is part of the ''comarca'' of Durangaldea and has a population of 1,26 ...

, Basque Country. Playing

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 ...

football just two seasons before moving to Athletic Bilbao, he was signed from Segunda División B side

Sestao River Club Sestao River Club is a Spanish football team based in Sestao, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. Founded in 1996 it plays in Segunda División RFEF – Group 2, holding home games at ''Estadio Las Llanas'', with a capacity of 8,905 ...

for the start of 2007–08. 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 26 August, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 home draw against Navarrese neighbours

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 ...

, whose reserves he had already represented in the late 90s/early 2000s. Koikili was first choice for much of the campaign, dislodging

international International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

Asier del Horno Asier del Horno Cosgaya (born 19 January 1981) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a left back. After solid displays with Athletic Bilbao, for which he appeared in 126 official games in five years scoring 17 goals, he moved to Chelse ...

. On his 27th birthday he scored his first top-flight goal, in a 1–1 home draw against

Real Murcia Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., commonly known as Real Murcia (, "Royal Murcia"), is a Spanish football club based in Murcia, in the Región de Murcia. Founded in 1919, it currently plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 2, playing ho ...

. Koi appeared slightly less in the following two seasons for Athletic, but still totalled 52 official games (ten in the

Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...

, with the team reaching

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 ...

in the 2008–09 edition, and one in the newly created

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. ...

). On 11 January 2009, he netted the 1–1 at Atlético Madrid in an eventual 3–2 win. Koikili was deemed surplus to requirements at Athletic in 2011–12 after the appointment of manager

Marcelo Bielsa Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera (, nicknamed ''El Loco Bielsa'' , meaning "The Crazy Bielsa"; born 21 July 1955) is an Argentine professional football manager who was most recently the head coach of Premier League club Leeds United. He is a forme ...

, alongside teammates Aitor Ocio and

Iban Zubiaurre Iban Zubiaurre Urrutia (born 22 January 1983) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a right-back. Club career Zubiaurre was born in Mendaro, Gipuzkoa. After making his Real Sociedad first-team debut during the 2004–05 season, he ac ...

– he remained with the club, however. On 25 June 2014, he retired at age 33 after spending two Segunda División seasons at

CD Mirandés Club Deportivo Mirandés is a Spanish football team based in Miranda de Ebro, Province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 3 May 1927, the club competes in the Segunda División, holding home matches at ''Es ...

Personal life

Koikili was a Greco-Roman wrestler in his youth, once being crowned Spanish champion at under-15 level.

Honours

Athletic Bilbao *

runner-up: 2008–09 * Supercopa de España runner-up: 2009

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Koikili 1980 births Living people People from Durangaldea Sportspeople from Biscay Spanish footballers Footballers from the Basque Country (autonomous community) Association football defenders La Liga players Segunda División players Segunda División B players Tercera División players CD Aurrerá de Vitoria footballers CA Osasuna B players Gernika Club footballers SD Beasain footballers Sestao River footballers Athletic Bilbao footballers CD Mirandés footballers Basque Country international footballers