Mikel Rico
Rico in 2018
Personal information
Full name Mikel Rico Moreno
Date of birth (1984-11-04) 4 November 1984
Place of birth Arrigorriaga, Spain
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Cartagena
Number 17
Youth career
Padura
Danok Bat
2000–2003 Basconia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001 Basconia 1 (0)
2003–2004 Conquense B
2004–2005 Conquense 44 (3)
2005–2009 Poli Ejido 55 (2)
2005–2006 → Conquense (loan) 35 (9)
2007–2008 → Huesca (loan) 35 (6)
2009–2010 Huesca 42 (5)
2010–2013 Granada 114 (7)
2013–2019 Athletic Bilbao 126 (10)
2019–2022 Huesca 102 (8)
2022– Cartagena 48 (3)
International career
2011– Basque Country 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14 December 2023

Mikel Rico Moreno (Basque pronunciation: [mikel riko moɾeno]; Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmikel ˈriko moˈɾeno]; born 4 November 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for FC Cartagena.

After spending much of his career in Spain's lower divisions with Conquense, Polideportivo Ejido and Huesca, he achieved promotion to La Liga with Granada in 2011, moving to Athletic Bilbao two years later. He amassed totals of 200 matches and 15 goals in the top division over eight seasons before returning to Huesca in summer 2019.

Club career

Early years

Born in Arrigorriaga, Biscay,[1] Rico was schooled in football at local clubs CD Padura and Danok Bat CF as a child. He then joined the ranks of neighbouring CD Basconia, which acted as a farm team of Athletic Bilbao; in April 2001 he appeared as a late substitute in one Tercera División match, where Joseba Arriaga and Andoni Iraola also featured.[2]

Rico moved to UB Conquense in 2003.[3] Most of the first season was spent in their reserves, but the second, also in the Segunda División B, saw him feature regularly, attracting the attention of Polideportivo Ejido who signed him in 2005.

Rico was loaned back to Conquense for 2005–06, which ended in relegation from the third level. He made his debut as a professional with Ejido in the following campaign,[4] making 20 league appearances before being loaned out again, to SD Huesca.

In 2007–08, Rico helped Huesca achieve promotion to division two via the play-offs. Afterwards, he returned to the Estadio Municipal Santo Domingo for one more season, still in the third tier.

Huesca and Granada

In summer 2009, Rico was signed permanently by Huesca. On 19 June 2010, he scored one of his five goals during the campaign in a 1–0 away win against RC Celta de Vigo, being crucial as the Aragonese finally avoided relegation.[5]

Rico joined fellow league side Granada CF on 31 August 2010, for €600,000 on a four-year deal.[6] He posted similar individual numbers in his first year – 40 matches, two goals,[7][8] nearly 3,500 minutes of action – and his team returned to La Liga after more than three decades via the play-offs; he displayed versatility in the process, featuring in several positions.[9]

Rico made his debut in the top flight on 27 August 2011 at nearly 27 years of age, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–1 derby home loss against Real Betis.[10] He scored his first goal in the competition on 31 October, contributing to a 2–1 victory at Sevilla FC through a 90th-minute strike;[11] during his spell, he played as a box-to-box midfielder as well as a defensive one.[12]

Athletic Bilbao

Rico joined Athletic Bilbao in late August 2013, penning a three-year deal with a €35 million buyout clause.[13] He played his first game with his new team on 1 September, the first half of a 3–1 away defeat to Real Madrid.[14] He featured in 94 matches in all competitions over his first two seasons – starting the vast majority – including all of his team's matches in the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League campaign, and culminating in the final defeat to FC Barcelona in the Copa del Rey.[15] Thereafter, he was used less frequently by head coach Ernesto Valverde, appearing in 30 fixtures during 2015–16 and 23 during 2016–17 but often as a late substitute.

Under José Ángel Ziganda in 2017–18, it appeared Rico's spell at the club was coming to an end as he made no league appearances at all in the first portion of the campaign after recovering from some physical issues,[16] even as the new coach tried out various squad members to find the optimal personnel for his tactics. However, after finally being introduced to the team from the bench during a match against Villarreal CF (1–1) on 19 November 2017, shortly after his 33rd birthday,[17] he became a regular starter again,[18] playing the entirety of the next eight league games and two in the Europa League in which Athletic remained undefeated.[17]

On 2 February 2018, 33-year-old Rico signed a contract extension running until June 2019.[19] In early 2019, it was announced that he would leave at the end of the season when that contract ended. The club's final home match involved tributes to him, as well as fellow long-serving squad members Ander Iturraspe and Markel Susaeta who were also departing in similar circumstances.[20][21]

Return to Huesca

On 7 July 2019, Rico returned to Huesca as a free agent.[22] The 35-year-old scored seven goals from 42 appearances in the first season in his third spell, and the champions returned to the top tier after one year out.[23]

Cartagena

On 24 June 2022, Rico signed a one-year contract with FC Cartagena in the second division.[24]

International career

Rico never earned any caps for Spain at any level. He did feature for the unofficial Basque Country regional team.[25]

Honours

Athletic Bilbao

Huesca

References

  1. ↑ Vivanco, Joseba (23 August 2013). "El sueño de Mikel se hace realidad" [Mikel's dream comes true]. Gara (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "Basconia 3–0 UPV". Athletic Bilbao. 11 April 2001. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  3. ↑ "Mikel Rico despegó como futbolista en la UB Conquense... con un look diferente" [Mikel Rico took off as footballer in UB Conquense... with a different look]. Ideal (in Spanish). 31 December 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "El Poli Ejido presenta a Manolo y Rico" [Poli Ejido present Manolo and Rico]. Marca (in Spanish). 19 July 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "Mikel Rico sella la permanencia del Huesca" [Mikel Rico seals Huesca permanence]. Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). 20 June 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  6. ↑ "El Granada ficha a Mikel Rico" [Granada sign Mikel Rico]. Marca (in Spanish). 31 August 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  7. ↑ "El Granada mantiene su buena racha ante el Girona (2–1)" [Granada continue good streak against Girona (2–1)]. Granada Hoy (in Spanish). 3 October 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "Nàstic 0–3 Granada" (in Spanish). Gimnàstic Tarragona. 8 May 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  9. ↑ Carretero, Rodrigo (15 June 2011). "Mikel Rico vale para todo" [Mikel Rico does it all]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  10. ↑ Pineda, Rafael (28 August 2011). "Rubén Castro hace justicia" [Rubén Castro does justice]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  11. ↑ "Sevilla slip up against Granada". ESPN Soccernet. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  12. ↑ Lamelas, Rafael (13 October 2012). "La nueva responsabilidad de Mikel Rico" [Mikel Rico's new responsibility]. Ideal (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  13. ↑ "La Liga: Athletic Bilbao sign midfielder Mikel Rico from rivals Granada". Sky Sports. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  14. ↑ "Isco at the double to beat Bilbao". ESPN Soccernet. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  15. ↑ "Lionel Messi stars as Barcelona win Copa Del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao". Eurosport. 30 May 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  16. ↑ Briones, Macu (26 September 2017). "De Marcos y Rico se apuntan a Europa" [De Marcos and Rico are targeting Europe]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  17. 1 2 Agiriano, Jon (9 January 2018). "Mikel Rico: la decisión que lo cambió todo" [Mikel Rico: the decision that changed everything]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  18. ↑ Ugalde, Iñaki (14 December 2017). "Los fichajes de Ziganda" [The signings of Ziganda]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  19. ↑ "Mikel Rico's contract renewal". Athletic Bilbao. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  20. ↑ "Farewell tribute to Susaeta, Rico and Iturraspe". Athletic Bilbao. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  21. ↑ R. Beltrán, Javier (12 May 2019). "Susaeta, Iturraspe y Mikel Rico, arropados y manteados" [Susaeta, Iturraspe and Mikel Rico, cheered and thrown in the air]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  22. ↑ "Mikel Rico vuelve a casa" [Mikel Rico returns home] (in Spanish). SD Huesca. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  23. 1 2 Ralla, Emilio (21 July 2020). "Mikel Rico: "Vamos a seguir haciendo historia para la SD Huesca"" [Mikel Rico: "We will continue to write history for SD Huesca"]. Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  24. ↑ "Mikel Rico, experiencia y equilibrio para el centro del campo albinegro" [Mikel Rico, experience and balance for the white-and-black centre of the midfield] (in Spanish). FC Cartagena. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  25. ↑ "Catalunya 0–1 Euskal Selekzioa" [Catalonia 0–1 Basque XI] (in Spanish). Basque Football Federation. 26 December 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
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