Óscar Vales

Óscar Vales Varela (born 13 September 1974) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a utility defender, and sometimes as a defensive midfielder.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Vales and the second or maternal family name is Varela.
Óscar Vales
Personal information
Full name Óscar Vales Varela
Date of birth (1974-09-13) 13 September 1974
Place of birth Bilbao, Spain
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position(s) Defender
Youth career
1991–1994 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991 Basconia 1 (0)
1994 Bilbao Athletic 14 (0)
1994–2005 Athletic Bilbao 178 (1)
1997–1999 → Celta (loan) 58 (0)
2008–2009 Gatika
Total 251 (1)
National team
1993 Spain U18 3 (0)
1993 Spain U20 3 (0)
1994–1995 Spain U21 4 (0)
1995–1997 Basque Country 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Born in Bilbao, Biscay, Vales appeared in one Segunda División B game for CD Basconia as the Basque club still not acted as Athletic Bilbao's farm team, which only took place in 1997. Aged 17, he was purchased by the latter and finished his football development there.

After a handful of matches for the reserves, Vales made his first-team debut on 6 April 1994, playing as a defensive midfielder in a 0–3 away loss against Real Oviedo.[1] In the following decade he would almost never be an automatic first-choice for Athletic, but managed to appear regularly in various defensive positions; on 6 December 1994 he scored a rare goal, at Parma F.C. for the campaign's UEFA Cup, but his side lost 2–4 and 3–4 on aggregate.[2]

Vales was loaned for two years to fellow La Liga club RC Celta de Vigo, playing UEFA Cup in his second season. In the summer of 1999 he returned to the San Mamés Stadium, managing to be regularly used during his second spell; however, after only two appearances combined from 2003 to 2005, he decided to retire from the game at the age of 30.

In 2008–09, after three years out of football, Vales joined longtime Athletic Bilbao teammate Aitor Larrazábal at regional side Gatika, the latter acting as manager. After one season he retired for good, having appeared in 236 matches in Spain's top division.[3]

gollark: Well, it's generally not something I'd want to program in, since I don't do "C-requiring" stuff.
gollark: I don't really like Lisp for practical stuff, but it's a neat toy.
gollark: Go is also bad and should be potatodeleted.
gollark: yes.
gollark: Actually two competing ones.

References
  1. "Sin Guerrero, muy poco Athletic en Oviedo" [Without Guerrero, very little Athletic in Oviedo]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 7 April 1994. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  2. "El Athletic no pierde en Italia desde 1994" [Athletic do not lose in Italy since 1994] (in Spanish). EITB. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  3. "Oskar Vales: "Finiquité con el Athletic sobre un capó, fue vergonzoso"" [Oskar Vales: "I signed my release from Athletic on top of a car hood, it was a disgrace"] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
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