Aitor Paredes

Spanish footballer (born 2000)

Aitor Paredes
Paredes in 2022
Personal information
Full name Aitor Paredes Casamichana
Date of birth (2000-04-29) 29 April 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth Bilbao, Spain
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Athletic Bilbao
Number 4
Youth career
Etorkisun
2010–2018 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2020 Basconia 49 (2)
2019–2022 Bilbao Athletic 53 (4)
2021– Athletic Bilbao 48 (1)
International career‡
2018 Spain U18 4 (0)
2018–2019 Spain U19 4 (0)
2023 Spain U21 7 (0)
Medal record
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:57, 3 May 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 July 2023

Aitor Paredes Casamichana (born 29 April 2000) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Athletic Bilbao as a centre-back.

Club career

Born in Bilbao, Biscay, Basque Country, Paredes joined Athletic Bilbao's youth setup in 2010, from Etorkisun Alea GE. He made his senior debut with the farm team during the 2018–19 season, in Tercera División.

Paredes made his debut with the reserves on 6 December 2019, starting in a 0–1 Segunda División B away loss against SD Leioa.[1][2] Definitely promoted to the B-side in June 2020, he subsequently became a regular starter for the team, playing in 18 matches (play-offs included) of the 2020–21 campaign, scoring once in a 3–0 home success over Barakaldo CF on 3 January 2021.[3]

On 26 May 2021, Paredes renewed his contract with the Lions until 2025.[4] He made his first team – and La Liga – debut on 29 August 2022, coming on as a late substitute for Iñigo Lekue in a 4–0 away routing of Cádiz CF.[5] A short time prior to his debut he was the sixth-choice central defender in the squad, behind Iñigo Martínez, Yeray Álvarez, Daniel Vivian, Unai Núñez and Peru Nolaskoain; however, the latter pair departed on loan, and injuries to the others gave Paredes some opportunities (nine starts and seven further appearances from the bench) during 2022–23. From the start of the next season, with Martínez having joined FC Barcelona and Yeray still absent with physical issues, the relatively inexperienced Vivian and Paredes (aged 24 and 23 respectively) formed an effective defensive partnership as the team challenged at the top end of the table,[6][7] and won the Copa del Rey to end the club's 40-year unsuccessful sequence in the competition.[8]

International career

He was an international player in the under-18, under-19, and under-21 categories with the Spanish national team. On June 30, 2018, he was proclaimed champion of the Mediterranean Games with the under-18 team led by Luis de la Fuente, where he was a starter.[9]

On March 17, 2023, he was called up to the under-21 national team led by Santi Denia.[10] On June 2, 2023, he was called up to the Spanish under-21 national team to play in the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Georgia and Romania,[11][12] where he was part of the starting eleven in five of the six matches and played in the final against England.[13]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 3 May 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Copa del Rey Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Basconia 2018–19 Tercera División 29 2 — — — 29 2
2019–20 Tercera División 20 0 — — — 20 0
Total 49 2 — — — 49 2
Bilbao Athletic 2019–20 Segunda División B 7 0 — — — 7 0
2020–21 Segunda División B 16 1 — — 2[a] 0 18 1
2021–22 Primera Federación 30 3 — — — 30 3
Total 53 4 — — 2 0 55 4
Athletic Bilbao 2022–23 La Liga 16 0 1 0 — — 17 0
2023–24 La Liga 32 1 6 0 — — 38 1
Total 48 1 7 0 — — 55 1
Career total 151 7 7 0 0 0 2 0 160 7

Honours

Athletic Bilbao

Spain U21

References

  1. ^ "Aitor Paredes, el pasajero 24 del filial" [Aitor Paredes, the 24th passenger of the reserves] (in Spanish). El Correo. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Aitor Paredes makes Bilbao Athletic debut in loss to Leioa". Inside Athletic. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  3. ^ "El Bilbao Athletic se sube al liderato a costa del colista" [Bilbao Athletic reach the leadership at the expense of the last-placed team] (in Spanish). Deia. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  4. ^ "El Athletic oficializa la renovación de otros tres cachorros" [Athletic turn official the renewal of another three puppies] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  5. ^ "El Cádiz es un regalo para el Athletic" [Cádiz is a gift to Athletic] (in Spanish). Marca. 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Una defensa reconstruida en el Athletic" [A rebuilt defence at Athletic] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  7. ^ "El Chelsea, atento a la evolución de Paredes" [Chelsea, attentive to the evolution of Paredes] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 7 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  8. ^ a b Real, Mario Reinoso del (7 April 2024). "Athletic 1-1 (4-2) Mallorca, en directo: final de Copa del Rey 2024 | Celebración del Athletic, campeón de Copa". Diario AS.
  9. ^ "Juegos Mediterráneos Tarragona 2018: Un triplete de Abel Ruiz baña a España en oro". Marca.com (in Spanish). 30 June 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  10. ^ "Guillamón y Yeremy Pino 'descienden' a la sub 21". MARCA (in Spanish). 17 March 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  11. ^ "Agirrezabala, Paredes y Sancet tendrán menos vacaciones". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 2 June 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  12. ^ Nguyen Ngoc Ngan (21 March 2024). "saowin". MARCA (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  13. ^ CANENCIA, ÓSCAR LÓPEZ (8 July 2023). "Inglaterra contiene a España y se proclama campeona del Europeo sub-21". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  14. ^ England 1-0 Spain: James Trafford saves last-gasp penalty as England win dramatic UEFA European Under-21 Championship, Ben Southby, TNT Sports, 9 July 2023

External links

  • Aitor Paredes at Athletic Club
  • Aitor Paredes at BDFutbol
  • Aitor Paredes at ESPN FC
  • Aitor Paredes at FBref.com
  • Aitor Paredes at Soccerway
  • v
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Athletic Bilbao – current squad