Guerrero made his senior debut on 6 September 1992 aged 18, under Jupp Heynckes.[8] He quickly made an impact and, although a midfielder, totalled 28 La Liga goals in his first two seasons (65 in six). He was awarded the New Spanish Player of the Year by El País in 1993, and won the Spanish Footballer of the Year by both Don Balón and El País the following year.[9] In 1993–94 he scored a hat-trick against Albacete (4–1, home),[10] adding four against Sporting de Gijón (7–0 also at the San Mamés Stadium);[11] his arrival at the first team was met with unprecedented furor amongst the younger population due to both his footballing abilities and his charisma,[12] and he became one of the first football celebrities as his pop-like figure boosted Athletic's image overseas.[13] He finished the campaign with 18 – fifth in the charts[14]– and was named the side's youngest-ever captain by Dragoslav Stepanović shortly after.[15][16]
The early promise Guerrero showed attracted interest from, among others, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Juventus, Lazio and Manchester United. However, he remained loyal to Athletic and, in 1997, signed a ten-year contract which was the longest in the club's history, and also made him the team's highest-paid player.[17][18][19][5][8]
In 1997–98, Guerrero netted eight times in 29 matches as the Basques finished second, leading to direct qualification for the UEFA Champions League where he put on strong performances in the group stage against Juventus and Galatasaray.[20] Subsequently, however, his career went into decline and, in 2002, he was deemed surplus to requirements by coach Luis Fernández while still only 28;[4][8] in his last four seasons he could only manage 57 games with just four goals but, despite his poor form, remained a fan favourite,[2] and the decision to drop him caused some controversy.[21][22]
Guerrero announced his retirement as a player at an emotional press conference on 11 July 2006.[4][5] He scored 116 goals in 430 competitive matches over the course of 14 seasons, including four in 17 appearances in various European competitions,[23] but did not win any major honours.[2]
Among Guerrero's personal international highlights were hat-tricks against Malta (3–0 in Attard, on 18 December 1996)[26] and Cyprus (8–0, 8 September 1999).[27] His last international took place in October 2000.[28]
Guerrero also played 11 times[a] for the Basque Country autonomous team between 1993 and 2006, scoring six goals – this included another hat-trick in 1997, against Yugoslavia. Both were records for some years,[29] although Xabi Prieto went on to appear in more matches[30] and Aritz Aduriz scored more goals.[31]
Style of play
Often hailed as one of the greatest attacking midfielders of his generation,[32][4] Guerrero was ambidextrous, and was renowned for his free kicks and finishing skills, derived from his sharp nose for goals. He was often referred to by the media as El Rey León (The Lion King) and La Perla de Lezama (The Pearl of Lezama).[33][34]
Coaching career
Immediately after retiring, Guerrero took charge of the Lezama youth ranks,[5] leaving the post after two years.[35] He was subsequently in charge of Spain's youths, working with the under-16s, under-15s and under-17s until his departure on 5 June 2023.[36]
On 20 June 2024, Guerrero was appointed manager of Amorebieta, recently relegated to Primera Federación.[37] On 29 October, with only one win in ten matches and with his team bottom of the table, he was dismissed.[38]
Personal life
Guerrero's younger brother, José Félix, was also a footballer and a midfielder. He also represented Athletic Bilbao, but only the reserves.[39]
Julen also opened the Restaurante Julen Guerrero in Zamudio, and worked as an online columnist for Eurosport.[40]
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[41]
^Castañeda, Eduardo (4 April 1994). "Goles en una tarde de cátedra" [Goals in an afternoon for lessons]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 May 2018.
^Ortiz de Lazcano, Javier (9 October 2015). "Los discípulos de Pichichi" [Pichichi's disciples]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 February 2016.
^Gascón, Javier (28 January 1993). "Más joven, pero igual de gris" [Younger, but just as grey]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 December 2014.
^Encinas, Mikel (26 December 2016). "Para Prieto todo empezó contra Honduras" [For Prieto everything started against Honduras]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 December 2017.
^Victoria de Lecea, Jokin (31 December 2016). "La interminable racha de Aduriz" [The endless streak of Aduriz]. Deia (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 January 2023.
^Rodríguez Beltrán, Javier (29 October 2024). "Julen Guerrero, cesado en la SD Amorebieta" [Julen Guerrero, sacked at SD Amorebieta]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2024.
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