Rodolfo Arruabarrena

Rodolfo Martín Arruabarrena (born on July 20 1975 in Marcos Paz, Buenos Aires) is an Argentina football (soccer) player currently playing as a Defender (football) Full back for Club Atlético Tigre in the Primera División Argentina. He has a Spain passport.

Club career

Argentina

"El Vasco" Arruabarrena (The Basque people) debuted professionally in 1993 with Boca Juniors, where he played until 2000, except for the Apertura 1996, when he was loaned to Rosario Central for 6 months. After returning to Boca, he gained a place in the regular squad.

Whilst with Boca, Rodolfo Arruabarrena won the Apertura in 1998 and the Clausura in 1999 Primera División Argentina tournaments, as well as the Copa Libertadores 2000. He played a total of 178 games for Boca in all competitions, scoring 7 goals.

Villarreal

From Boca he moved to Spain Villarreal in mid 2000. Because of his reliability while playing as the team's left-back, he has been the team's captain in several occasions. He holds Villarreal's record of appearances in La Liga, with 178 first division matches with El Submarino Amarillo (as of December 9, 2005).

Arruabarrena's goals in the UEFA Champions League 2005-06 UEFA Champions League helped to eliminate Scottish giants Rangers F.C. and Italians Internazionale Milano F.C. to reach the semi-finals in the club's first ever season in the competition.

With Villarreal CF he won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2003 and 2004, and played 200 league and international matches for the Spanish team (as of September 10 2006).

AEK Athens

On May 3rd 2007 El Vasco signed a 3-year contract with Super League Greece runners-up AEK Athens FC for 800,000 euros per year for two years, extendable for a third. According to Arruabarrena, an important role for his decision to continue his career in Greece was played by Lorenzo Serra Ferrer (AEK manager) and Demis Nikolaidis (former star player and current president of his new club who played for Atletico Madrid in 2003-2004) .

On Rivaldo's debut Arruabarrena setted up the Brazillian legend to score an amazing header, Arruabarrena also setted up ismael Blanco to score against Getafe in the Uefa Cup. Rodolph Arruabarrena managed to have 25 caps for AEK in one season but half of the season he suffered a serious injury but he has recovered and is fit to play for the 2008 season.

On July 29 2008, AEK Athens F.C. manager Giorgos Donis announced to the press that Arruabarrena is not in the first team plans.

International career

El Vasco played 9 matches with the Argentina national football team, as well as several with the youth team. Arruabarrena made his first cap against Paraguay national football team and won a penalty being dropped by Aldo Bobadilla in 2000. Arruabarrena made his second cap against Bolivia national football team in 2002. Arruabarrena also had another cap that year and played in a friendly match against Peru national football team. Arruabarrena had another cap in 2003 and played against Brazil national football team in a friendly. Arruabarrena got called up for another friendly against Singapore national football team. Arruabarrena had another cap against Uruguay national football team. Arruabarrena was not convocated for the national team until September 2006, when Alfio Basile called him for a friendly match against Spain national football team, and then again in February 2007 for another friendly against France national football team. Arruabarrena was also called up for another friendly match against Chile national football team on the 18 April, 2007 but he was left on the Substitutes.

Honours

Club Atlético Boca Juniors
- Primera División Argentina: Apertura: 1998
- Primera División Argentina: Clausura: 1999
- Copa Libertadores: 2000
- Copa Oro: 1993