Roberto Martínez Rípodas (born 15 September 1976), known as Tiko, is a Spanish retired 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 played as a central or a

defensive 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 boundari ...

, and is the assistant manager of CD Basconia. He was known for his powerful shots and creative play, his long-range efforts being dubbed ''Tikotazo''. Over 12 professional seasons he played mainly for Athletic Bilbao, appearing in 230 official games for his main club (nearly 200 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' ...

) and scoring 26 goals.

Club career

Born in

Pamplona Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region. Lying at near above ...

, Navarre, Tiko emerged through the ranks 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 ...

, alternating between the A and

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

for some time, with the former competing in the

second division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

. His professional debut came on 10 May 1997, as he scored an

injury time Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

-winner away against CD Badajoz (1–0). In 1999–2000, Tiko signed with neighbours Athletic Bilbao, making his

debut on 12 October 1999 in a 4–3 away victory over Málaga CF. He made 20 appearances all competitions comprised during the campaign, netting once. From 2001 to 2006, Tiko was an undisputed starter in midfield for the Basques, often scoring from free kicks and dictating his team's play. In his final two seasons he was severely hampered by injuries and the emergence of Carlos Gurpegui and

Javi Martínez Javier "Javi" Martínez Aginaga (; born 2 September 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or central defender for Qatar Stars League club Qatar SC. He arrived at Athletic Bilbao in 2006, before his 18t ...

, playing only a combined seven league matches. In August 2008, deemed surplus to requirements, Tiko joined second level side

SD Eibar Sociedad Deportiva Eibar (in eu, Eibar Kirol Elkartea) is a professional Spanish football club based in Eibar, Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous Basque Country. Founded on 30 November 1940, the team currently plays in the Segunda División, the s ...

on a one-year loan deal. He was immediately released upon his return to Athletic following the former's relegation, and retired from the game shortly after at the age of 33. After his playing days ended, Tiko embarked on a career as a coach. In 2015, he joined the staff of Athletic Bilbao's reserves under former Osasuna teammate

José Ángel Ziganda José Ángel 'Cuco' Ziganda Lakunza (born 1 October 1966) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a centre-forward. He is the current manager of SD Huesca. He played 381 La Liga matches over the course of 12 seasons (111 g ...

; in 2017 he became assistant manager of CD Basconia (the former club's

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

), working with Ander Alaña.

International career

Tiko topped a successful 2001–02 season (32 games, seven goals) with his sole

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

for

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, playing in a friendly with

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 ...

on 27 March 2002 as the nation lost 0–1 in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

Personal life

Tiko's younger brother, Francisco, was also a footballer and a midfielder. He played exclusively in the lower leagues, also representing Osasuna B. Tiko's uncle

Patxi Patxi is a male given name in the Basque language area in northern Spain and south-west France, but more commonly a nickname for those officially named Francisco (or François in the French zone, ultimately cognates of Francis); the original Basqu ...

was also involved in the sport, also playing as a midfielder and also beginning his career at Osasuna before moving to Athletic Bilbao.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tiko 1976 births Living people Footballers from Pamplona Spanish footballers Men's association football midfielders La Liga players Segunda División players Segunda División B players CA Osasuna B players CA Osasuna players Athletic Bilbao footballers SD Eibar footballers Spain men's international footballers Basque Country men's international footballers Athletic Bilbao non-playing staff