Ignacio Agirrezabala

Ignacio María Agirrezabala Ibarbia, nicknamed Chirri II (10 May 1909 – 11 September 1979) was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward. He played four times for Spain.[1][2]

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Agirrezabala and the second or maternal family name is Ibarbia.
For his brother Chirri I, see Marcelino Agirrezabala.
Chirri II
Chirri II in 1931
Personal information
Full name Ignacio María Agirrezabala Ibarbia
Date of birth (1909-03-29)29 March 1909
Place of birth Bilbao, Spain
Date of death 11 September 1979(1979-09-11) (aged 70)
Place of death Bilbao, Spain
Playing position(s) Forward
Youth career
1925–1928 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1928–1935 Athletic Bilbao 90 (30)
National team
1928–1932 Spain 4 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

At club level, he played for Athletic Bilbao for eight seasons, coinciding with the introduction of La Liga in 1929;[3][4] he won three national titles (1929–30, 1930–31, 1933–34), three consecutive Copas del Rey (1930, 1931, 1932,[5][1] also contributing to a fourth in 1933 although he did not take part in the final) and several editions of the regional Biscay Championship, all before he elected to withdraw from playing at the age of 26.[2]

Chirri II was an integral part of what became known as the 'first historic front line' of Athletic Bilbao, combining with José Iraragorri, Bata, Guillermo Gorostiza and Lafuente (as well as Víctor Unamuno).[2][3][4][6][7] He has been characterised as a playmaker whose focus was on the creative and technical aspects of the game, in contrast to most forwards of the era who relied mainly on physical power to overcome opponents.[2][8] He is said to have initiated the practice of destroying the bowler hat worn by the coach Fred Pentland after victories, which became a regular ritual for the successful team.[5][8]

When the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, Agirrezabala joined the Basque Country national football team which toured Europe and Latin America in exile,[6][1] remaining in Argentina when the rest of the squad moved on to Mexico where they founded a club team, CD Euzkadi.[9] He worked in an engineering and construction firm before deciding to return to Bilbao with his family after eight years, where he became a director of a company in the same industry.[2][1]

His elder brother Marcelino, known as Chirri I, also played for Athletic Bilbao and Spain;[2] the siblings both played in one friendly match but never took the field together in a competitive fixture.[2]

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References
  1. "Aguirrezabala Ibarbia, Ignacio" (in Spanish). Eusko Ikaskuntza. 2007. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  2. ""Chirri II", el cerebro de las medias caídas" ["Chirri II", the brain in the rolled-down socks] (PDF) (in Spanish). Bilbao City Council. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  3. "Las tres grandes delanteras que hubo en la historia el Athletic" [The three great forward lines in the history of Athletic]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 2 March 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  4. "History: 1928-1937". Athletic Bilbao. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  5. "El quinto bombín" [The fifth bowler hat]. El Correo (in Spanish). 16 May 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  6. "El 'Abecedario' del fútbol: Guillermo Gorostiza, la bala roja de San Mamés" [The 'ABC' of football: Guillermo Gorostiza, the red bullet of San Mamés]. Fútbol Primera (in Spanish). 12 March 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  7. Radnedge, Keir (1 August 1977). "The history of Athletic Bilbao 1898-1936". World Soccer (via In Bed With Maradona). Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  8. "Equipos históricos: La delantera mítica" [Historical teams: The mythical forward line]. El Enganche (in Spanish). 12 May 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  9. "La selección de Euskadi parte para América (1937)" [The selection of Euskadi leaves for America (1937)]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 2 March 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
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