Iñaki Descarga

Iñaki Descarga Retegui (born 25 August 1976) is a Spanish former footballer. Mainly a central defender, he could also operate as a right back.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Descarga and the second or maternal family name is Retegui.
Iñaki Descarga
Descarga as a Legia player
Personal information
Full name Iñaki Descarga Retegui
Date of birth (1976-08-25) 25 August 1976
Place of birth Irun, Spain
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
Real Unión
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1996 Real Unión 14 (0)
1996–1999 Osasuna B 100 (3)
1997–1999 Osasuna 9 (0)
1999–2000 Eibar 37 (0)
2000–2008 Levante 216 (10)
2008–2009 Legia Warsaw 1 (0)
2009–2011 Real Unión 59 (2)
Total 436 (14)
Teams managed
2014–2015 Castellón B
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He started and ended his 16-year professional career with Real Unión, but played mainly for Levante (eight seasons and 226 official matches, 61 in La Liga).

Club career

Descarga was born in Irun, Basque Country. After an insignificant stint with CA Osasuna in the second division and a season with neighbours SD Eibar in the same level, he spent eight years with Levante UD, where he would be one of their most influential players as well as captain, helping to two promotions to La Liga. His first match in the competition came on 13 November 2004 in a 0–1 away loss against Deportivo de La Coruña,[1] with the Valencian Community side being relegated on the last matchday.

Following Levante's severe financial crisis during 2007–08, Descarga was one of many players who would leave, joining Legia Warsaw in August 2008 and reuniting with former Osasuna teammate Iñaki Astiz. He made his Ekstraklasa debut in a game against Arka Gdynia (2–2)[2] but, after just 13 minutes on the pitch, he tore his hamstring and never played for the team again, leaving at the end of the campaign.

In July 2009, Descarga signed with his first club Real Unión of Irun, recently promoted to the second tier.[3] On 20 June 2010, as they were immediately relegated, he helped seal their fate by scoring in his own net in a 0–2 home defeat to neighbours Real Sociedad (last matchday).[4]

After not being able to help Unión return to division two, Descarga retired in June 2011 at the age of 35.[5]

Match-fixing controversy

On 3 December 2008, Spanish regional TV channel Popular TV del Mediterráneo released a recording of a telephone conversation between Levante's president, Julio Romero, and club defender Descarga, in which the latter admitted that a certain number of his teammates had accepted a bribe to lose a 17 June 2007 match against Athletic Bilbao. The opposition won 2–0, and RC Celta de Vigo were instead relegated.[6]

References
  1. "Tristán aporta algo de aire al Depor" [Tristán gives Depor a little breather]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 14 November 2004. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  2. "Legia Warszawa – Arka Gdynia" [Legia Warsaw – Arka Gdynia] (in Polish). Legia Warsaw. 13 September 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  3. "El defensa Iñaki Descarga, primer fichaje del Real Unión" [Defender Iñaki Descarga, first signing of Real Unión]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). 7 July 2009. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  4. Badallo, Óscar (19 June 2010). "El Hércules vuelve a Primera y condena al Real Unión" [Hércules return to Primera and condemn Real Unión]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  5. Parcero, Bruno (9 August 2011). "¿Qué ha sido de ellos?" [What happened to them?]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  6. "Presunto amaño en el Athletic-Levante de hace dos temporadas" [Alleged match-fixing in Athletic-Levante two seasons ago]. Marca (in Spanish). 3 December 2008. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
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