Juan Carlos Arteche

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Arteche and the second or maternal family name is Gómez.

Juan Carlos Arteche

Personal information
Full name	Juan Carlos Arteche Gómez
Date of birth	(1957-04-11)11 April 1957
Place of birth	Maliaño, Spain
Date of death
Place of death	Madrid, Spain
Height
Position(s)	Centre back
Youth career
1974–1975	Racing Santander
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1975–1978	Racing Santander	48	(2)
1975–1976	→ Gimnástica (loan)	25	(0)
1978–1989	Atlético Madrid	308	(18)
Total		381	(20)
International career
1986	Spain U23	1	(0)
1986–1987	Spain	4	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Juan Carlos Arteche Gómez (11 April 1957 – 13 October 2010) was a Spanish footballer who played as a central defender.

A player of imposing physical presence with great aerial ability, he played 11 years of his professional career with Atlético Madrid, appearing in nearly 400 official games for the club.

Club career

Born in Maliaño, Cantabria, Arteche began playing professionally with local Racing de Santander after starting in basketball, making his debut in the 1976–77 season and playing 16 La Liga games as the club finished 15th, barely avoiding relegation.

After one more year with Racing he signed for Atlético Madrid, early on being an undisputed starter and team captain. In 1984–85 Arteche helped the Colchoneros to the second position in the league, only behind champions FC Barcelona, and the campaign's Copa del Rey; subsequently the club reached the final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, a 0–3 loss against FC Dynamo Kyiv.

After only two matches in 1988–89, mainly due to serious personal problems with elusive club chairman Jesús Gil, Arteche chose to retire, at 32.

International career

Arteche won four caps for Spain in three months, his debut coming against Romania on 12 November 1986 for the UEFA Euro 1988 qualifiers. In his last appearance, he couldn't stop England's Gary Lineker from scoring all opposing goals, in the 2–4 friendly loss in Madrid.

Death

After a long battle with cancer, Arteche died in Madrid on 13 October 2010, at the age of 53.

Honours

Atlético Madrid

• Copa del Rey: 1984–85; Runner-up 1986–87
• Supercopa de España: 1985
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: Runner-up 1985–86

External links

• Juan Carlos Arteche profile at BDFutbol
• National team data (Spanish)
• Juan Carlos Arteche at National-Football-Teams.com

• Arteche nació central (Arteche was born a stopper); El País, 13 October 2010 (Spanish)
• Cumplió el sueño de la selección (He fulfilled dream of national team); Mundo Deportivo, 27 October 2004 (Spanish)
• European Competitions 1985–86; at RSSSF
• Arteche, Landáburu, Quique y Setién ganan a Gil en los juzgados, pero no juegan (Arteche, Landáburu, Quique and Setién with court battle with Gil, but do not play); El País, 2 December 1988 (Spanish)
• 2–4: Gary Lineker, al frente de la escuadra inglesa, hundió en el Bernabéu a la España de Miguel Muñoz (2–4: Gary Lineker, at the helm of the English side, sank Miguel Muñoz's Spain at the Bernabéu); ABC, 19 February 1987 (Spanish)
• A Lineker se le da bien el Bernabéu (Lineker sure likes the Bernabéu); El País, 19 February 1987 (Spanish)
• Fallece el futbolista Juan Carlos Arteche a causa de un cáncer (Footballer Juan Carlos Arteche dies due to cancer); El País, 13 October 2010 (Spanish)